LOS ANGELES - These are interesting times for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After starting the season 16-1 and looking unbeatable, the two-time defending NBA champions have gone 4-5, including Friday night's 89-86 loss to the Toronto Raptors at the Staples Center. Also included in that recent stretch are losses at Memphis and Golden State.
With Shaquille O'Neal on the injured list because of an arthritic big toe and Kobe Bryant playing despite a pulled muscle in his rib cage, the Lakers have been transformed from a team that looked like a good bet to threepeat to one that will be challenged in the Western Conference by the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.
"It gives us a different identity when he [O'Neal] is not on the floor," point guard Derek Fisher said before Friday's game.
It also puts pressure on the new members of the team's supporting cast who are trying to prove they are just as competent as others who helped O'Neal and Bryant - not to mention Lakers coach Phil Jackson - win NBA titles the past two years.
"We've just got to come back and play some solid ball and get everyone involved," said Jackson.
While the early-season reviews were raves on center Samaki Walker and point guard Lindsey Hunter, lately they've been mixed. Walker is the first to admit that he can't come close to duplicating O'Neal at either end of the floor. He is not even Shaq-lite.
"There's no replacement for having Shaq in there," said Walker. "We know that Kobe is going to be more aggressive without Shaq in there, but we as a team can't stand around and watch Kobe. There's no comparison between a guy like Shaq and anyone else. To compare it would be foolish."
How fast O'Neal can get back and how healthy he can remain the rest of the season is up for debate. He had surgery on the little toe on his left foot during training camp and is still a bit hampered by that toe as well. O'Neal is eligible to return Friday against Phoenix.
Asked if he plans to cut back on O'Neal's playing time when he returns, Jackson said: "It's the kind of malady that I don't know if there's one thing or another you can do. I will probably cut back on his practice time."
With or without O'Neal, the Lakers will certainly be tested over the next couple of months. They play 11 of 16 games away from home in January and nine of 13 on the road in February. After the hot start, the Lakers were hoping to distance themselves from the Kings and Spurs by now.
