THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Time Has Come to Break Up the Purple and Gold

If it’s Super Sunday, the Lakers must be in Boston. But isn’t something missing in this picture?

Only Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, the Celtics you hated and the Lakers you loved.

Of course, watching the Celtics age and stiffen is fun. Laker fans could get into it except for one thing--their team has the same problem.

Each franchise has lost its centerpiece.

Neither team can compete at its old level.

Neither can get away from who it is--or was.

Said Seattle’s Eddie Johnson after a recent victory over Boston:

“Everybody in the league likes to see the Celtics and Lakers lose. They sent me no sympathy cards when I was on a 28-54 team. Nothing against the young guys, but it’s nice watching (Kevin) McHale and (Robert) Parish lose.”

And said Sacramento’s Wayman Tisdale after beating the Lakers last spring:

“You know, they’re hurting right now and they’re down. Their morale is kind of down . . . but let’s kick ‘em anyway!”

Neither will mere respectability cut any ice.

Finishing eighth in the West, as the Lakers did last spring, won’t keep their fans happy. In 19 home dates, they have failed to match last season’s low attendance--15,988--15 times.

Before we get on with the future, we have to dispense with a few vestiges of wishful thinking:

--It’s a character problem.

A.C. Green says his teammates have to “start playing like men.” Everybody complains about inconsistency.

Did players who won multiple championships turn into sloths overnight? No, they lost their franchise player and now they’re not good enough.

--They can be patched up with a player here or there.

This has as much chance as George Bush’s economic “soft landing.”

--They should make trades like this talk-show favorite: Green for Danny Manning.

Even after the Lakers reconcile themselves to breaking up this team, it won’t be easy.

Green will be an unrestricted free agent and has negligible trade value.

Ditto for Byron Scott.

Sam Perkins is 31 and requires $3.2-million worth of salary cap room, which nobody has.

Ditto for James Worthy, who has career-low numbers, besides. In better days, they couldn’t trade him for the No. 1 pick in 1991 and the No. 5 in ’92.

Sedale Threatt is a nice player who is 31.

Ditto for James Edwards, 37.

Vlade Divac makes $3.6 million. The Lakers say he’s untouchable, but right now he isn’t even a starter.

Ditto for Anthony Peeler, their one big-time prospect.

Difficulties notwithstanding, this club has to be broken up and quickly. The longer it takes for the Lakers to get awful, the longer until they’re back. They might not like what they can get, but with the exception of Peeler and Divac, these aren’t kids. The price isn’t going up.

Laker General Manager Jerry West has called about several young players: Negele Knight, Doug Christie, Malik Sealy and Terrell Brandon. But for now, the wrecking ball hasn’t swung.

“I’ll let our owner tell me that,” West says. “He wants to wait and see where we’re going.”

Jerry Buss, who has a good record of doing the right thing, had better get to it. It’s not if, just when.

MEANWHILE, BACK

IN THE SPORTS ARENA

What a season we’re having around here.

The Clippers have fine young players but can’t keep them.

The Lakers have good 30-something players but need to get rid of them.

Maybe the Lakers could let Donald Sterling run their operation for a year?

The teams talked recently about a Manning-Ken Norman for Perkins-Green deal. The Clippers were willing to consider it if Peeler was included. The Lakers didn’t say no, but salary-cap restrictions make a three-for-two impossible.

The Manning watch continues. Only 25 more shopping days until the trade deadline.

A FISH STORY FOR THE ‘90S

Cheri Issel, wife of Denver Coach Dan, bought her husband an aquarium with colorful striped fish to help him relax.

Of course, Dan did the guy thing--he bought a Siamese fighting fish, even though he was warned it might turn his tank into a dining room.

His fighting fish promptly disappeared.

“It has to be there somewhere,” Issel said. “It must be hiding behind a log. Wouldn’t you know, I bought a fighting fish that’s a wimp?

“I was told the fighting fish might eat all the little fish, but maybe it will be the other way around. If they hang in there, the little fish might eat the big fish.”

Inspired by the parable, Issel’s Nuggets, losers of 16 of 17, upended the New York Knicks and lived happily ever after--until the next game when they went to Minnesota and lost by 10 points.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION

John Lucas, 15-3 with the San Antonio Spurs, has upset more than expectations.

Lucas has overturned the existing order, investing power in his players, letting them run some of the timeout huddles themselves, forming a committee--David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Dale Ellis--to advise on personnel decisions such as activating Willie Anderson (they said yes and he did).

“When (players) feel like this is their team, and they’ve got a lot on the line and a responsibility to each other, then I think guys tend to want to play more,” Robinson said.

“Hey, we want to play. Guys aren’t indifferent anymore.”

FACES AND FIGURES

They have a little different deal in Chicago, where Michael Jordan lets Coach Phil Jackson make decisions, within reason. After matching last season’s total with their sixth home defeat, Jackson said: “We may have to look at whether this club is too old. We may have to get to a half-court game like the Pistons used to do a couple of years ago to save energy.”

Jackson tried such a plan in a game at San Antonio--until Jordan gathered Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant at halftime and told them to go back to pressing. The Bulls rallied, but lost.

“It just kind of hit me out there,” Jordan said. “I just said to myself, ‘This team is running right past us.’ After I got our players together, everyone started to come alive and got into the game and we played much better. This isn’t the time to go conservative.”

Jackson on Jordan, whose shooting (49%) is at a six-year low, but whose playing time has increased, despite his Olympic summer: “We are playing a much slower pace than last year. If I had to guess, I would say we have three fewer possessions a quarter. That’s 12 to 14 less times up and down the court. So in actual exertion of energy, and we can get into caloric kinds of things, he’s playing less.” Translation: He wants to play, what do you want from me?

Benoit Benjamin logged five non-appearances in six games with Seattle Coach George Karl keeping him out of a 21-point loss to the Clippers and a 20-point loss to the Spurs. The SuperSonics are trying to package Benjamin with Christie to rid themselves of their big guy. New Jersey’s Chuck Daly, reportedly terminally unhappy with Sam Bowie, is actually considering it. . . . McHale, on a report by NBC’s “Insiders” that the Celtics were talking about trading him for Benjamin and Christie: “I also heard that Elvis is still alive.”

Remember last week’s announcement by Portland’s Terry Porter that the SuperSonics “haven’t shown nothing yet?” Says Karl: “We hate the Blazers and we hope they hate us.” . . . Like, chill: Charlotte Coach Allan Bristow on rookie center Alonzo Mourning: “I like his emotion, but we talked about how you can’t celebrate every play.” . . . Like, no: Said Mourning, “If they’ve got a problem, release me.”

Money for nothing: Philadelphia 76er center Manute Bol’s wife, Atong, won $486,000 from a slot machine in Atlantic City. Atong and Manute were married in the Sudan after he gave her father 40 cows. Wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford: “All in all, it looks like a good investment.” . . . Several nights later, Bol took a harmless-looking punch at the New York Knicks’ Anthony Mason, who only laughed at him. Manute was fined $3,500 anyway, making the Bol family only $482,500 to the good for the week. . . . Scott Skiles, booed by Orlando fans calling for rookie Litterial Green: “Basketball is like church. Many attend but few understand.”