Q&A WITH LUKE WALTON - Walton says '03 Cats better than '05 team By James Bennett ARIZONA DAILY STAR

PHOENIX - Five questions with Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton, a former UA standout, before Tuesday night's game with the Suns at America West Arena:

Question: Where did you watch the UA-Illinois game and what were emotions as the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in overtime? Was it hard for you to see them lose a 15-point lead with four minutes to go?

Answer: I did not watch it live. We had a team appearance in L.A. I had it on TiVo, so I watched it when I got home. My reaction was that I felt badly for the guys. They worked hard all year. They played a great game, were in position to win and fell apart at the end. That was very uncharacteristic of them. Overall, they have to be happy with the year they had. It was just a bitter way to lose.

Q: Which UA team was better, the 2003 Wildcats of your senior year or this year's team? You made the Elite Eight in 2003 as well, with a 78-75 loss to Kansas costing you a trip to the Final Four.

A: If we played them 100 times, we would win all 100. With me, Jason Gardner and Ricky Anderson, plus a younger Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye, we were hard to beat. We also had Andre Iguodala, a first-round NBA draft choice, and Hassan Adams. We definitely were better than the 2005 team. No question.

Q: Let's turn to your two seasons with the Lakers. Last year, you made the NBA Finals. This year, you aren't going to make the playoffs. You're only averaging 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in limited playing time. How are you coping with the drastic different results this year?

A: It's been crazy. Basketballwise, it's definitely a low for me. It's the first time I have been on a team with a losing record. Last year was great, going to the NBA Finals and playing with guys like Shaquille O'Neal. I like these guys, too. It's just tough losing.

Q: In retrospect, should the Lakers have traded O'Neal to the Miami Heat? Should they have done everything imaginable to keep him in Los Angeles?

A: There was so much going on, I don't even know what was going on. There's so much behind-the-scenes stuff in the NBA. It's tough to say if we should have or could have kept him. Obviously, it was great playing with Shaq, one of the best players of all time. But I'm in no position to say what the Lakers should or should not have done.

Q: You'll be a free agent after this season. Are you coming back to the Lakers?

A: I'd love to come back. The Lakers drafted me (second round in 2003) and have been great to me. I'd love to stay. I would like to play more. I was hoping to play more this season. Then there was a coaching change (Rudy Tomjanovich resigned and was replaced by interim coach Frank Hamblen). It just hasn't worked out for me or the Lakers this season.