THE NBA: 1995-96 : Greater Expectations : Lakers May Have Accomplished a Lot, but Now They’re Really Thinking Big

The Lake Show, Act II:

The curtain and the level of expectation both go up tonight at the Forum on the same stage and mostly the same cast. So what has changed from this time last year?

Everything.

Fueled during 1994-95, even into the playoffs, by a burning desire to prove the doubters wrong, the Lakers head into the franchise’s most anticipated season of the post-Showtime era with a crowded bandwagon. They are supposed to be good, maybe even good enough to reach at least the conference finals after reaching Game 6 of the second round last spring.

They wanted the burden of expectation. They got it.

“We had a pretty good year last year, but everybody’s expecting more from us now,” Anthony Peeler said of the team that went 48-34, fifth-best in the West. “There’s no excuses for not playing well.”

Those looking for one anyway will already start to focus on the effect of losing two of their best defenders, Sam Bowie, who retired, and Tony Smith, who signed with Phoenix. Those are the only absences from the nine-man rotation of six months ago, but Bowie’s decision to retire to raise horses in Lexington, Ky., instead of running with the thoroughbreds in Inglewood may prove critical.

What remains is the same window of opportunity, open so wide that the Lakers can wonder about hitting the loaded free-agent market next summer and then making the real move. In the meantime, they won’t be sneaking up on anyone, but maybe they will do some damage just to stay in practice.

“I think the motivation has to come from looking up and seeing those banners,” point guard Nick Van Exel said. “We did some good things last year, but we really didn’t accomplish anything. I think accomplishing something is winning the championship, and until you do that, you haven’t done anything.”

The group that will try to do something:

GUARDS

The disappointment of being without Eddie Jones for at least the first two weeks as he recovers from thumb surgery is tempered by the long-term view. The Lakers will soon be four-deep in the backcourt, a luxury few teams enjoy.

Does that include a quieter, gentler Van Exel? Maybe so. Coming off a spectacular playoff run when he was thrust into the national spotlight, the third-year point guard continues to grow as the team leader and is conscious of keeping his emotions more in check on court. All the better to convey to teammates that he is in control.

His backup, Sedale Threatt, is 34 and coming off a season in which he played only 59 games in the regular season and 11 minutes in the playoffs because of a series of injuries, most notably a strained abdominal muscle.

The memory of Van Exel averaging 46.4 minutes in the 10 playoff games against Seattle and San Antonio should be enough to convince anyone that Threatt is critical for the Lakers. He is one of their best shooters and the only other dependable ballhandler on the team, what with second-round pick Frankie King in the project stage.

Jones was off to an impressive start when he was injured, apparently improved from the player who made the all-rookie team in 1994-95 and finished sixth among all players in steals. The only encouraging aspect of the injury for the Lakers is that the ruptured tendon is in his non-shooting hand.

Peeler probably would have returned to his reserve role had Jones not been hurt, but now he gets another big chance. When he got one last season, Peeler flourished, averaging 17.3 points in 24 consecutive starts with Jones sidelined because of a shoulder injury. In either situation, he is being counted on for more of the same offense.

FORWARD

Cedric Ceballos was an all-star last season. He averaged 21.7 points and eight rebounds, second only to Scottie Pippen among small forwards. He shot 50.9% and showed for the first time that he has three-point range.

And now he’s even better.

Ceballos said he spent the summer trying to improve his defense--long his weak spot, although he has shown flashes--and ballhandling while working to add consistency to his outside game. Once camp started, no Laker drew more raves.

“Cedric was better in the preseason than he ever was,” Coach Del Harris said.

Strong enough to play power forward when the Lakers go small, Ceballos may now get time at shooting guard with Jones out. When that happens, George Lynch should get playing time, with Fred Roberts, having made the team as a free agent, becoming the backup.

It’s power forward by committee, starring Elden Campbell. He will start, but who comes in next remains to be seen.

The retirement of Bowie, good enough to start for some teams at center but the backup big man here the previous two seasons, will be felt unless Corie Blount, Pig Miller or Derek Strong emerges.

CENTER

It’s Vlade Divac and . . . Vlade Divac.

He came to camp out of shape and has been lethargic at times. In other words, he’s being himself. That’s not necessarily bad news for the long term, though, since he has produced consistency and nice numbers two years in a row, enough to allow the Lakers to believe they can pass on Alonzo Mourning and not regret it for the rest of the decade.

Bowie’s retirement is far more troublesome here than at power forward because Campbell now also becomes the backup center, since Miller is 6 feet 9, Blount 6-10 but only 242 pounds, and Strong is 6-8.

Regular foul trouble for Divac or Campbell or an injury, even relatively minor, could stretch the front line.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Laker Roster

STARTERS

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No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. College Exp. 23 Cedric Ceballos F 6-7 225 CS Fullerton 5 41 Elden Campbell F 6-11 250 Clemson 5 12 Vlade Divac C 7-1 250 6 9 Nick Van Exel G 6-1 183 Cincinnati 2 1 Anthony Peeler G 6-4 212 Missouri 3

No. 1994-95 23 21.7 pts, 8 reb. 41 12.5 pts, 6.1 reb. 12 16 pts, 10.4 reb. 9 16.9 pts, 8.3 ast. 1 10.4 pts, 2.3 reb.

*--*

RESERVES

*--*

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. College Exp. 43 Corie Blount F 6-10 242 Cincinnati 2 25 Eddie Jones* G/F 6-6 190 Temple 1 4 Frankie King G 6-1 185 Western Carolina R 34 George Lynch F 6-8 223 No. Carolina 2 2 Pig Miller F 6-9 255 Michigan St. 1 24 Fred Roberts F 6-10 218 BYU 11 7 Derek Strong F 6-8 250 Xavier 4 3 Sedale Threatt G 6-2 185 W. Virginia Tech 12

No. 1994-95 43 3.5 pts, 3.5 reb. 25 14 pts, 3.9 reb. 4 26.5 pts, 7.3 reb. 34 6.1 pts, 3.3 reb. 2 4.1 pts, 3.3 reb. 24 3.8 pts, 1.6 reb. 7 6.3 pts, 5.4 reb. 3 9.5 pts, 4.2 ast.

*--*

- Coach: Del Harris.

* Injured reserve.