Lakers May Be Broke, but Why Fix Them? : Pro basketball: No trades expected after victory over 76ers improves record to 33-17.

The Lakers, the sinking ship that isn’t, will probably stay the course.

Wednesday night, they won for the seventh time in the last eight outings by beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 112-100, before 12,524 at the Forum to improve to a season-best 16 games above .500 at 33-17. And by tonight, barring any sudden developments, the core of the roster will be set, injuries and all.

All indications are that the 6 p.m. trading deadline will come and go without anyone coming or going. The addition of another scoring small forward was No. 1 on the wish list, but it looks as though there will be no big-name replacement for Cedric Ceballos, out at least another month. Likewise for Eddie Jones, sidelined four to six weeks and as of earlier Wednesday on the injured list, at shooting guard.

The Lakers won’t panic, because, well, they don’t need to.

“If this was something where those players would be out the rest of the year, then it might be a different story,” Executive Vice President Jerry West said. “But there have been reasonable assurances that, unless something goes crazy wrong, those people are going to be back and productive again in time for the playoffs.

“We don’t have any delusions. We’ve been hurt, there’s no question. We are very pleased where we are now, but we also know that not all the people are here. Talking to Del (Harris, the coach), he’s a firm believer in the system that’s in place and he’s been around enough to know that you don’t panic now because it can come back to hurt you in other areas. That’s pretty much the feel we have when looking at trades.”

And that’s pretty much why the Lakers never got too heavily involved in Scottie Pippen trade talks--because they have no interest in breaking up what could be a great starting backcourt for the next eight to 10 years. Why do something permanent for setbacks that are temporary, especially since it’s not like this is an aging team that needs to win it all this season?

The play of late provides an added sense of security. Against the 76ers, they took a 40-23 lead after one quarter, had that erased at 60-60 early in the third period, and then pulled away for good to avenge the Jan. 21 loss at the Spectrum.

That night, the Lakers blew a 16-point cushion with about 10 minutes to play. Vlade Divac managed only one rebound in 14 minutes in what he called one of the worst games of his career. This time, there was only the brief lapse and Divac had 19 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks.

“It was a very important game for us,” Divac said. “Everybody knows we play the good teams good, but sometimes we play teams below .500 soft. Tonight we stepped up.”

Laker Notes

Lloyd Daniels was, as expected, signed to a 10-day contract earlier in the day and debuted against the 76ers, giving the Lakers a natural small forward to back up George Lynch. Anthony Peeler had been playing there of late and, at 6 feet 4, giving away as many as seven inches to the likes of Detlef Schrempf and Jerome Kersey. Tony Smith also would have played some in the front court in what actually was a three-guard alignment, but he has also been hurt. “He’s a player who brings a different dimension than the players we have at that position right now,” Coach Del Harris said of Daniels. “He can score with range and get others involved as well.” A playground legend while growing up in New York, Daniels has received more attention for his off-court troubles than for his basketball, which includes stops in the CBA, the U.S. Basketball League, the Global Basketball Assn. and New Zealand after four high schools and a short stay at Mt. San Antonio College. Daniels, whose previous NBA experience was with San Antonio and Philadelphia, said he could have signed with Atlanta this week, but chose the Lakers instead because of the chance to get time at small forward, his natural position. “Especially knowing Del (by reputation),” he said before getting two rebounds in six minutes. “If you play hard, you’re going to get an opportunity. That’s all I ever wanted--an opportunity.”

Willie Burton and Jeff Grayer had 21 points for Philadelphia. The 76ers suffered a loss early when Scott Williams suffered a bruised right knee midway through the second quarter. X-rays were negative, but he was sent home to have an MRI exam today. . . . Kurt Rambis’ second 10-day contract technically did not expire until after the game, so he won’t be signed for the rest of the season until today. . . . Smith was not in uniform for the third time in the last four games. The last two have been because of a strained calf.