LAKERS NOTEBOOK: MELEE NOT SOON FORGOTTEN.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - There was only one topic of conversation Saturday afternoon for the Lakers, and it had nothing to do with the winless Chicago Bulls coming to Staples Center tonight.

They started practice with a film session, perhaps the only time all day they could escape the endless television replays of Friday night's brawl that spilled into the stands at the end of the Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacers game.

Then the Lakers tried to make sense to reporters of what NBA commissioner David Stern called Saturday a ``shocking, repulsive and inexcusable'' event in league history, an incident they almost could describe blow-by-blow.

There were a lot of questions about what each would have done in a similar situation and also no shortage of private speculation about the suspensions the NBA will hand down to Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal and Ben Wallace.

``I don't think anybody was right in the situation, as far as the fans throwing beer or Coke or whatever it was onto the players.'' said point guard Chucky Atkins, who played three seasons in Detroit.

``And I don't think the players were right for going into the stands. Once it all broke out, my whole thing was, 'Where was the security?'''

It was only 27 years ago that Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich, then a player with the Houston Rockets, nearly died after being punched in the face by Kermit Washington, an incident often referred to Saturday in connection with the Detroit brawl.

Tomjanovich said he watched several replays of the melee and said he was ``disturbed,'' although he wouldn't offer his thoughts on appropriate suspensions. Washington received a 60-day suspension without pay for his 1977 punch of Tomjanovich.

``Things just got out of hand,'' Tomjanovich said. ``I know the league is going to do everything possible to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. For everybody's safety, it can never happen again.''

Forward Lamar Odom reminded reporters in the Lakers' locker room Friday night that something extraordinary had to happen for players to storm into the stands. As it turned out, Artest was hit by a plastic cup as he lay on the scorer's table. Odom was asked Saturday if that was enough provocation.

``I don't know,'' Odom said. ``I've never been put in that situation. I know if Ron Artest is playing a game and he takes a cup of Gatorade and throws it on a fan, I know that's completely wrong. So I would think if a fan throws a cup of Gatorade on a player, that would be completely wrong.''

Odom has known Artest, the first player into the seats, since he was 13. They played together on an AAU team and played against each other at rival New York high schools. He vouched for Artest's character Saturday, then tried to answer how Artest could be so misunderstood.

``It happens to everybody,'' Odom said. ``All it takes is the slightest thing. He's a professional athlete, so he's on a stage. If someone takes something the wrong way, it can be misunderstood. But he's a good dude.''

--Mum on Suns: Tomjanovich did not speak about the Lakers' Friday loss to the Phoenix Suns, wishing not to incur a fine by complaining about the officiating. ``Does me no good,'' Tomjanovich said. ... Chris Mihm did not practice and continues to suffer from stomach flu. ... Kobe Bryant practiced on his sore left foot. ... Jumaine Jones is eligible to come off the injured list tonight, and Tomjanovich indicated that he would. ... Vlade Divac will not make his season debut against Chicago.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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- Ross Siler