LAKERS NOTEBOOK; BENCH MINUTES DWINDLE.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer Look down the Laker bench these days, and you'll see a lot of stiff legs, buttoned-up warmups and sometimes-bored expressions. Coach Phil Jackson's rotation is down to a nine-man affair, and sometimes only eight play significant minutes. After the starting five, the only regulars are Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. , Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. and Rick Fox, with occasional cameo appearances by John Salley John Thomas "Spider" Salley (born May 16, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA, actor and talk show host. He is a 1988 graduate of Georgia Tech's College of Management and a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. . Brian Shaw Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966 in Oakland, California) is a former professional basketball player. The 6' 6" Shaw could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league. made a rare second-quarter appearance Tuesday night, but he's more often spent the entire 48 minutes on the bench. And it will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future, barring blowouts and injuries. ``Our priority is to win and whatever it takes to win is important,'' Jackson said. ``More than anything else, you hate to see talent get locked into lethargy, or rusty from sitting on the bench too long. Yet we have a type of team in which players that have contributed need a lot of minutes to play, or good minutes to play... ``But we're just kind of getting a flow, I think, where guys feel comfortable knowing what I'm going to do, as far as what substitutions and when, and you hate to disturb that too.'' Jackson prefers a 10- to 11-man rotation, but he's using 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). and Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. for close to 40 minutes a night each. That means continued strings of DNP-CDs (did not play-coach's decision) for guys like Shaw, Travis Knight Travis Knight (born September 13 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1st round (29th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. and Devean George Devean Jamar George (born August 29 1977 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. He typically plays small forward but because of his athleticism and defensive activity, can defend many shooting guards as well. (and previously, Tyronn Lue and John Celestand, now on the injured list). At most, they'll get a three-minute stint here and there, which makes it hard to keep the reserves sharp for the nights they are needed. ``You keep sharp if you have blowouts or if you have a game in which you fall behind by 15 or 20 points, you can have a burst or something like that (from the bench). That's the only way they get opportunities to play,'' Jackson said. ``As much as we'd like to do that, they have to understand their performances a lot of time is practice.'' --WORM WATCH: Jackson was noncommittal but seemed uninterested when asked about Dennis Rodman's latest plea for a Laker contract. Rodman went on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and said he needed to hear from Jackson within two weeks or else he'd pursue a deal elsewhere. ``He may have just hinted that he's got other people interested, or he may just be blowing off some energy,'' Jackson said. ``As far as philosophically, whether I'd want him to (play for the Lakers) or whether this team is ready to, we're not ready. We're winning ballgames and we're doing very well.'' |
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