Walton stays upbeat, By Ross Siler, Staff Writer, Inside SOCAL
As hard as he tried not to get down, Lakers forward Luke Walton admitted it was difficult when he didn't play in Tuesday's victory over Orlando. It was only the second time this season Walton had gotten the dreaded Did Not Play-Coach's Decision (DNP-CD) in the boxscore.
"You stay ready and you stay prepared, but when you're name doesn't get called the whole game, it kind of discourages you a little bit," Walton said. "But it's a job. It's nothing personal. Coach is trying to win, we're trying to win."
Life in the NBA changes from one night to the next, however, and that was the case for Walton in Wednesday's game against Portland. He played 19 minutes and helped lead the Lakers back with Kobe Bryant on the bench to start the fourth quarter.
Walton was back out for another 21 minutes against Golden State on Friday and was the one player Lakers coach Phil Jackson said afterward tried to do something with the ball other than force-feeding it to Bryant down the stretch.
It has not been an easy season for Walton, who suffered a torn hamstring in training camp and is shooting a career-low 36.7 percent, but those two games could be considered progress.
"It felt like I was getting a little bit of rhythm back, attacking the basket, trying to make some plays out there," Walton said. "It felt good to be back in the rotation."
Jackson talked at length after last Saturday's practice about Walton and how he has encouraged him not to worry about how he is shooting and focus on playmaking, even if all Walton hears about is his shot.
"Your floor game is so good, you shouldn't worry about your shot," Jackson said, relaying parts of a conversation the two had. "Just continue to keep the ball moving in the offense, you'll be fine."
Walton, meanwhile, said his goals for the rest of the season were playing fourth-quarter minutes and not missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
"I know that we're fighting for a playoff spot so there's no time for me to be pouting," Walton said. "I'm a professional, I've got a great job. You look at it like that, it's not that hard to stay positive. I like the guys I'm with here and I want to win as much as they do."
International stage: Bryant and Lamar Odom will be formally announced today as two of the 25 players invited to USA Basketball's summer training camp. Odom originally was not invited but was given the nod when Milwaukee guard Michael Redd and others declined the offer.
It will be the first time Odom has tried out for a team, he guessed, since he was a grade-schooler. The 25 players in training camp will be pared to the 12-man team that will play for the United States at this summer's world championships in Japan.
The Lakers could have two other players at the world championships in Ronny Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic. Turiaf could play for the French team and Vujacic for Slovenia, although Turiaf did not know how that would conflict with summer league.
Also: Center Chris Mihm dodged a bullet when he jammed his right shoulder in the third quarter Friday night. Mihm missed six games before the All-Star break after he sprained the shoulder, but said he was only sore and had a full range of motion before Saturday's game.