The post-Dennis Rodman Lakers took the Delta Center court, Saturday night, and 2 1/2 hours later it was obvious not all that much had changed. Rodman is gone, but their problems aren't. The Late, Great, L.A. Mistake continues. Long live the memories of Magic, Coop, Worthy and the gang. These Lakers no more resemble the Showtime Lakers than the Radio City Rockettes.
In losing to the Jazz 109-93, they proved once again that it takes far more than just shuffling chairs or waiving players to beat the Jazz. As has been the case since last year's playoffs, the Jazz simply executed them to death. For several seasons the Lakers have been looking for an answer to Karl Malone, but to date they haven't found one."When Dennis was good, he was really good," said coach Kurt Rambis, before the game. "Now we need somebody to step up."
The Lakers of 1999 have been using that phrase often enough to get boring. "Stepping up" is their unofficial team slogan. They just can't seem to find someone to do that -- unless you count Shaquille O'Neal, who usually manages to indirectly blame someone else for their failings. They changed coaches and that didn't work. They shuffled their lineup and that didn't work, either. They moved players in and out, to no avail. Forty-one games into the season, it's clear the Lakers won't beat the Jazz in the playoffs, Rodman or no Rodman, Rambis or no Rambis, Shaq or no Shaq.
"Every night it's something different," said Kobe Bryant. "One night it might be rebounding. The next night it's free throws, the next night it's taking care of the basketball . . . "
The Jazz-Lakers series has become nothing if not predictable. O'Neal gets his 30 points -- he had 29 on Saturday -- Bryant makes a couple of spectacular moves, and the Jazz win anyway. The Lakers win a few battles but always lose the war. It's like watching "Back to the Future" for the 50th time on cable TV. Marty McFly still ends up winning, no matter how many times you watch. Counting last year's playoff sweep, the Jazz have beaten the Lakers seven of the last eight times they've played. In 1997 the Jazz hammered them 4-1 in the playoffs.
Consequently, the Lakers continue to be the most enigmatic team in the NBA. That's because they're the second-most successful franchise in league history. Toss out the Boston Celtics -- which isn't hard to do these days -- and you have the Lakers as the one team people are still expecting to be great.
It isn't as though they haven't tried. They've been trying to the point that vice president Jerry West has talked of retiring due to job stress. If you thought wheeling and dealing happened only on Wall Street, and at car dealerships, take a look at the Lakers. They juggled their cap money in order to sign O'Neal as a free agent in 1996. They unloaded their starting center, Vlade Divac, for the rights to draft Bryant, who went straight from Algebra II to the NBA All-Star Game. After failing miserably against the Jazz in the playoffs the last two years, they traded Nick Van Exel to Denver for Tony Battie and the draft rights to Tyronn Lue. In the off-season they added veteran Derek Harper. They traded Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones to get Glen Rice.
They've fired their coach and gambled on Rodman. The plan was to get SOMEONE who could do SOMETHING about Malone. Not only did Rodman fail to slow Malone, he failed to even show up. Even for a city that is used to temperamental, self-absorbed people, Rodman was a load. Finally they waived their problem child, freeing him up to gamble and carouse to his heart's desire.
In part, the Lakers struggle because they still haven't grown up. Kobe Bryant, a key figure, is still only 20 years old. But they also lack leadership. Although Harper is a proven veteran, he didn't even play against the Jazz on Saturday; it's hard to listen to a veteran's advice when he doesn't even play.
They also suffer from a lack of stability. Since things started to go downhill near the end of the Magic Johnson era, they've had six coaches, including Magic himself, who gave up in disgust. Unlike the Jazz, whose nucleus has been together since sometime during the Truman administration, the Lakers have a new look every few weeks. Like Hollywood itself, they're always looking for a new face.
As always, the Lakers were talking a good game, despite losing by 16 points. "Good times are ahead, hopefully," said O'Neal. "I always keep my spirit, nothing can break it."
And as they left town under cover of darkness, two things were clear: first that the Jazz are going to be hard to beat in the playoffs, and second, the Lakers still have no idea how they're going to do it.