QUESTIONS APLENTY FOR LAKERS SIGHTS ARE ON THE FUTURE.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

They have a rookie point guard whose mother used to play on the top club volleyball team in the former Yugoslavia. They have a veteran big man who wears his hair in dreadlocks and sports a Bob Marley tattoo with the word ``Prophet'' on his upper right arm.

They have a former No. 7 overall pick who first met coach Rudy Tomjanovich when he was playing high school basketball in Austin, Texas. And they have a 36-year-old center who once replaced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and now will try to do the same with Shaquille O'Neal, back willing.

Those descriptions should help in identifying the new-look Lakers, with only two players (Kobe Bryant and Devean George) and one assistant coach (Frank Hamblen) remaining from their run of three consecutive championships earlier this decade.

They still have one superstar name left for public address announcer Lawrence Tanter to call out last in the starting lineup. That would be Bryant, the six-time All-Star who will lead the franchise into a season unlike any other, after a summer that fit the same bill.

Gone are Shaquille O'Neal, Phil Jackson, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Gary Payton, and, for now, Karl Malone. In are Tomjanovich, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Vlade Divac, Chris Mihm, and maybe Malone, should he elect to return for a 20th season.

There are few precedents for what the franchise with 14 championship banners hanging at Staples Center will attempt to do this season. The Lakers will open their season and unofficially close a previous era Tuesday at home against the Denver Nuggets.

On the other side of the country, the expansion Charlotte Bobcats will begin play this season, and by some measures the Lakers have much in common. The Lakers' roster includes nine new players, four new starters and a new coach in Tomjanovich.

``It's very similar as far as new coach, new system, new players,'' Tomjanovich said. ``It's very similar. Of course, they're expansion, and we've got veterans and all that. But that's about what's going on.''

The Lakers also are the defending Western Conference champions, with one of only four active coaches to have won an NBA title sitting on their bench and the player many believe is the best in the game, Bryant, on the court.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has called it a rebuilding season only once, on the July day O'Neal was traded to Miami. Owner Jerry Buss has said the last thing he wants is to fall into a prolonged period of mediocrity.

Otherwise, the Lakers' expectations are to make the playoffs, possibly advance to the next round, and position themselves for the future. They decided to trade O'Neal too soon rather than too late and will try to remake themselves on the fly.

``You just have to trust the track record of this organization and what Dr. Buss and the Lakers as an organization have been able to do throughout the years,'' Bryant said. ``They've always been able to bounce back and put great things together.''

The Lakers have a potential first-time All-Star in Odom. They have Bryant locked up for the prime of his career, thanks to a seven-year, $136.4 million contract. And they have no idea what to expect when they step on the floor Tuesday.

The principles as are follows: Tomjanovich likes to push the ball whenever possible, a contrast to Jackson's triangle offense. They will have no trouble attacking the lane with Bryant and Butler playing on the wing. That should lead to open shots for Mihm and others. And should the offense stagnate, the Lakers always can clear out and hand the ball to Bryant, who could lead the league in scoring and shots now that O'Neal is gone.

The Lakers can create matchup problems with Odom playing power forward. Odom can fire from the 3-point arc and run the middle on the break. He often receives the ball 25 feet from the basket despite being 6-foot-10.

Tomjanovich, whose Houston Rockets teams averaged more than 100 points per game in his first six seasons as coach, calls Odom and Bryant his ``primary offensive players.''

``You run your offense through those guys, and the defense has got to make some adjustments,'' Tomjanovich said. ``Those guys are going to get a bulk of the calls. That doesn't mean they're going to get the shots.''

On defense, the Lakers will take their cues from Bryant, who told Tomjanovich during their first meeting in July that he wanted to see an intensity that was missing from past seasons.

Where the Lakers will run into problems is with a lack of size. Odom never regularly played power forward during his four years with the Clippers. Brian Grant, the Marley fan, will come off the bench, but he has suspect knees. Mihm (who met Tomjanovich as a Texas prep star) and Divac (who replaced Abdul-Jabbar way back when) combined can't come close to matching O'Neal's presence inside.

The Lakers also have questions at point guard with Chucky Atkins, who has only an 88-80 career record as a starter. He'll be backed up by Slovenian rookie Sasha Vujacic, whose mom, Ksenija, starred in volleyball. Meanwhile, the Lakers will continue to wait on Malone, who is recovering from summer knee surgery. Malone has said he will not play for a team other than the Lakers, but he has not committed to playing this season.

``I'm respecting his decision, so his decision is that he's not doing anything right now,'' Tomjanovich said. ``So for the mental health of the team right now, just go as if it isn't going to happen. Then you're not disappointed if he decides to go on with his life.''

The question of where the Lakers will finish this season is impossible to answer.

Talk of a championship is all but done, and most predictions have them finishing somewhere from fifth to eighth in the Western Conference, dipping from 56 wins to about 46.

So when Bryant was asked last weekend whether he thought the balance of power had shifted to the Eastern Conference, he deflected the question. His answer said more about the state of the Lakers than anything.

``I'm kind of the underdog this year,'' Bryant said, ``so that's mostly a question for Tim (Duncan) and Kevin (Garnett) to answer and deal with being that they're at the top of the Western Conference.''

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com