RIGHT MIX FOR LAKERS; RICE AND REID HELP L.A. EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 10 : LAKERS 89 G. STATE 78.

Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer

Business transactions ceased and basketball resumed Friday at the Forum, and the old Lakers mixed with the new - a bushel of imported talents, plucked from all reaches of the NBA, from retirement homes in Chicago to broken homes in Charlotte.

At the helm, a new coach mixed and matched lineups and looked for effective combinations as the players tried on their new uniforms and introduced themselves to one another.

The NBA schedule said it was Game 22, but for the megamorphing power Lakers, this was training camp all over again.

Fortunately for them, the opponent played like a team that skipped training altogether, as the new-look Lakers rolled over the Golden State Warriors 89-78.

Not a bad outing for a retooled Lakers team that has undergone more facelifts than Joan Rivers.

There was Glen Rice and J.R. Reid, newly arrived from Charlotte, making impressive debuts, and joining Chicago alumnus Dennis Rodman, still early in his Lakers career, all combining to give rookie coach Kurt Rambis his ninth straight win and a place in NBA history.

Rambis' 9-0 start to his coaching career ties the NBA record set by Buddy Jeannette of the Baltimore Bullets in 1947.

``It means absolutely nothing to me,'' Rambis said of the record.

But the win, the Lakers' 10th straight, meant plenty for other reasons. Still recovering from the trade of Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell and adjusting to all the new parts, the Lakers nevertheless played like the title contenders they are billed to be.

They efficiently built a 21-point lead by halftime against the improved Warriors and extended it to 75-52 by the end of three quarters. And the main newcomer had his hands in all of it, as Rice finished with 21 points on rust-slowed 8-of-21 shooting.

The post-trade adjustment period might not be very long.

``Any time a team has to adjust to anything, there's gonna be problems,'' Rambis said. ``You try to do the best job you can whenever you have to make an adjustment, whether it's injuries or players not playing well. . . .

``All those things come into play, but this year with all the trade rumors, the trade, the coaching change, all of that, the players and myself, we've all had to adjust to it, but hopefully the players understand what direction I want to go and what our goal is.''

Not all was sunny, however. Derek Harper sprained his left ankle early in the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. Rodman developed a sore right elbow and was limited to eight minutes in the first half.

And the Lakers frittered their 23-point fourth-quarter lead, allowing the Warriors to pull within 12 points. Rambis was forced to send Shaquille O'Neal back into the game with 6:33 left and a suddenly shaky 14-point lead. Golden State faded after that.

Rice was greeted with a standing ovation (and not a trace of ``Eddie'' chants), but started slowly, missing his first three shots. But he started drawing fouls and hitting free throws and found his shooting touch. Rice finished the first half with 11 points after hitting 3 of 9 field goals and 5 of 9 foul shots. But the vaunted 3-point ace was 0 for 3 from the arc.

Reid scored four points in seven minutes in the first half and snatched a steal in the backcourt that led to an easy O'Neal basket.

Rambis chose not to start Rice, who had only been through one practice since being traded Wednesday. But Rice, who had elbow surgery on his shooting arm in January, showed no signs of fatigue, despite not playing in a game since last season.

He probably could have started, but the Lakers went with Rick Fox and let Rice come off the bench at the 3:57 mark in the first quarter.

``I don't want to pressure them,'' Rambis said of the new acquisitions. ``I feel they're going to adjust better if it's just a slow, gradual process. That's just my feeling, right or wrong.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, 2 Boxes

Photo: (1--Color) Glen Rice, the Lakers' new designated sharpshooter, started slowly but finished with 21 points.

David Sprague/Daily News

(2--Color) Glen Rice

(3--Color) Former Laker Eddie Jones (pictured) made his Charlotte debut Friday night, scoring 14 points in the Hornets' win.

Box: (1) INSTANT IMPACTS

(2) GAME RECAP