LAKERS NOTEBOOK: SHAQ SEES POSITIVE SIGNS.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer With his hand too sore to swat any more punching bags, Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). tried the next-best method to make his time useful before his comeback: shoot free throws. His practice workout Workout Informal repayment or loan forgiveness arrangement between a borrower and creditors. workout 1. The process of a debtor's meeting a loan commitment by satisfying altered repayment terms. on Wednesday confirmed that his fractured Fractured is the Industrial Music band created by Canadian Nick Gorman in 2003. Located in Toronto Canada, his self produced release CD-R demo entitled Contami-Nation caught the attention of European label Dependent Records, who signed them. wrist is not that bad. Not bad enough to believe the two-week window to return is inconceivable. O'Neal spoke briefly at Lakers See Lake poets practice and deemed himself healthy; as in healthy enough to play but not healthy enough to get doctors' approval. O'Neal said he often works out with a punching bag and initially thought it was just sprained. ``I've been doing the same workout for a long time,'' O'Neal said. ``(The wrist) doesn't bother me at all.'' Now for his abdominal muscle abdominal muscle Any of the muscles of the front and side walls of the abdominal cavity. Three flat layers—the external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis muscles—extend from each side of the spine between the lower ribs and the hipbone. - O'Neal said he is not experiencing pain. The injury that has kept him out for 19 of the Lakers' 27 games is close to being healed, but the Lakers don't want to take any chances in bringing back their franchise center too soon. And the urgency just isn't there at this point. The Lakers claimed first place in the Pacific Division when Seattle loss to Minnesota at home on Tuesday. The club also just finished one of its most successful road trips in recent memory. ``I watched all the games,'' O'Neal said. ``It was great TV. The guys are playing well without me. Jerry (West) might want to trade me.'' A joke, of course. But the Lakers are trying not to joke about their upcoming schedule, featuring the Clippers, Boston and Sacramento to end the calendar year. Three victories are expected, but the Lakers' biggest problem this season has been weaker opponents. The club has proved it can beat solid opposition, even on the road. But coach Del Harris is cautious. ``We can't take anything for granted,'' Harris said. ``I'm concerned. We want to keep playing well, and this is a chance to continue that.'' All quiet. . . .: The Lakers have already played Houston three times - winning all three - but have yet to play Phoenix or Seattle and have faced Portland just once. That means 20 percent of the remaining schedule will consist of those three teams. ``That's the fun part,'' Harris said. ``That's who you want to play. Those are double games.'' The three victories over Houston means the Lakers win a tiebreaker tie·break·er n. An additional contest or period of play designed to establish a winner among tied contestants. Also called tiebreak. tie in case the two tie for a playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. seeding. The Lakers might need just one win over Utah (next meeting: March 28) to have the tiebreaker advantage over the Jazz. The Lakers first meet Phoenix and Seattle on a two-game trip starting Jan. 21. Remember the ending: Harris reiterated that Nick Van Exel's sparkling shots during key stretches is overshadowing a mediocre me·di·o·cre adj. Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary. See Synonyms at average. [French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo- season in the shooting department. Van Exel had made only 41 percent of his shots (second-worst on the team) and his 3-point shooting percentage, once in the mid-50s, has dropped to 41 percent. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO ``I watched all the games. It was great TV. The guys are playing well without me.'' - Shaquille O'Neal Lakers' injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. center |
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