Jackson Is Not Expecting a Trade

A year ago at this time, Phil Jackson was hoping to trade for a power forward. This time around, he says he expects to go with what he has.

“I think the team’s responding well enough, we don’t feel like we need outside help,” Jackson said. “. . . At this point, we’re scoring a lot of points. We know defensively we’ve got to get a little bit better. When you’re leading the league in scoring and you’re second in field-goal percentage, we know that we’re right there.”

The biggest disappointment has been Isaiah Rider. Jackson says he hasn’t exactly gotten into Rider’s head, although he has been in the vicinity.

“He’s pretty much of a loner and he stays apart most of the time,” Jackson said. “He stays pretty much covered or closed up. But I’ve got a pretty good feel for who he is. We’ve had our issues and we’ve kind of come through some of them but now I’m watching to see him perform and just be a player.”

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Toronto’s Vince Carter, who won year’s All-Star slam last dunk contest, says he probably won’t defend his title.

Kobe Bryant, who won the dunk contest before that and has never defended his title, says he’s not much interested, either.

“I just don’t feel like dunking,” Bryant said. “The only time I dunk it is to send the other team a message, to change the momentum of a game.”

Bryant says he’d like to dunk off one day against Carter. Just not this season.

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Jackson’s remarks about missing effort didn’t do anything for the convalescence of Derek Fisher, one of the Lakers’ biggest effort guys, still hoping for a February return after off-season surgery on his right foot.

“I haven’t missed this many days or weeks or months of basketball in my life and I’m dying,” Fisher said.

“I don’t think our team’s play can be attributed to any one guy so I don’t feel like whenever I come back things are going to change. But a lot of times, attitudes or the way people approach the game can become contagious.

“And the more guys that you have that are interested in playing hard and putting out the type of energy and effort that you need to be the best, the more guys catch on.”

Fisher is running in swimming pools to maintain conditioning. He’ll have a bone scan next week and if he passes, can at least begin running on land.

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The Lakers didn’t practice Thursday. They’re currently on a three-day break in the schedule before Sunday night’s game against the Clippers.