LAKERS NOTEBOOK: O'NEAL: OLYMPIC CHOICES DUBIOUS.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS - It seems Shaquille O'Neal will pass on a chance to represent the United States at the 2004 Olympics, but that's not stopping him from making personnel suggestions.

Amid reports Sacramento guard Mike Bibby and Utah forward Karl Malone would be the next to be named to the U.S. team, O'Neal ignored questions about Malone's proposal to pay NBA players for international competition but didn't pull any punches when it came to Bibby.

``How the (heck) did Mike Bibby get on the team? ... Any Cub Scout with Boy Scouts can do Boy-Scoutish things,'' O'Neal said, apparently changing his preferred nickname for the Kings from the ``Queens'' to the ``Boy Scouts.'' ``When he was in Vancouver, nobody knew about (him).''

O'Neal reiterated his intentions - at one point in passing, he said, ``I'm not going'' - but expressed major objections about the selections.

``Allen Iverson is not on the team; why not?'' O'Neal said. ``Allen Iverson should be on the team. (Coach) Larry Brown should have said, `If he's not on the team, I'm not going.' ''

--Minor endorsement: In less controversial fashion, Lakers coach Phil Jackson endorsed the candidacy of Kobe Bryant over O'Neal as the Lakers' primary choice for MVP, although seemingly not because of production or leadership.

``He's played every night,'' Jackson said of Bryant. ``By virtue of being out there and playing all the games, he's got us on the right path.''

In previous seasons, Jackson had backed O'Neal because of the center's central role with the team.

Bryant has been playing through pain is his right knee but couldn't overcome the common cold, which sidelined him for a long stretch of Friday's game.

``I think he's got some swelling that's an irritation to him,'' Jackson said of Bryant's knee. ``It's not so much the pain as it is just disconcerting to him.''

As for Jackson, he said he felt better after more than two weeks of dealing with lingering problems from the removal of a kidney stone.

--Cold streak: In recent days, Jackson has felt the need to give a boost of confidence to guard Devean George, who is in the middle of a shooting slump.

George played 13 minutes against Detroit on Wednesday and scored three points and committed five fouls. Jackson said his emphasis on strong play from the bench players might have made George play with extra pressure.

``I think he pressed a little bit,'' Jackson said. ``He got out there and things snowballed a little bit. He got fouled, and nothing was called, and then he didn't get calls a couple times when he was fouled.''

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- Rich Hammond