Lakers Have Their Own Message for Harris

Laker practice Friday didn’t lack effort or spirit. All it lacked was Lakers.

There wasn’t even a Great Western quorum.

In what certainly was not the electric response Coach Del Harris hoped his warning words Thursday would produce, only four Lakers showed up for informal workouts, with fewer expected during the weekend.

“It went from about 12 [on Wednesday and Thursday] to four,” guard Eddie Jones said. “Friday, I guess, had a lot to do with it.”

Jones joined Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant and Corie Blount at L.A. Southwest College.

Harris had criticized his team’s efforts during a viewing of Thursday’s 12-man workout but didn’t return for a second look. Absent too were Shaquille O’Neal, apparently out of town for a few days; Sean Rooks, Tony Battie and Elden Campbell.

The Lakers’ three draft choices all were in Virginia for an NBA orientation camp.

Jones said he would continue to work out at Southwest over the weekend.

“I’ll be here,” he said, “but it might go down to one.”

Fisher said of the poor turnout: “It’s not something you really feel good about at all. We don’t expect anybody to come in here and run 20 [sprints], and go upstairs and lift 100,000 pounds in the weight room or anything like that.

“But at least just come and show that you want to be here. You’ve had your time off, let’s come in, let’s be together, let’s push each other. The more guys we have, the easier it is for the next guy to work hard, because he wants to make sure he isn’t the weak link.

“But if you only have three or four guys showing up, that makes the motivation hard for the guys who are there. You know, ‘Why am I here if everybody else isn’t here?’ ”

Fisher added that winning a title is about showing up when you don’t have to, and being around your teammates as much as possible to build trust.

So far, the Lakers, typically, aren’t exhibiting anything close to that determination and are looking like a team that will lose in the playoffs, he said.

“I think we do have things to address and talk about before we even set foot on the court,” Fisher said. “We have some issues to address about whether we want to be champions.

“If we’re just going to come together and win a lot of games and then go home [after a playoff loss], let’s say that at the beginning. And that way I can just go out and worry about getting my next contract and be through with it.

“If everybody wants to win, then we all have some sacrifices to make, you know? And it doesn’t start in February or March or April. It starts today. It can’t wait until tomorrow to start being a champion.”