ANALYSIS : Breakdown of a Season : Laker Season Ends With More Puzzling Events, but Now the Real Questions and Answers Begin

All this time it looked as if the Lakers were gaining momentum for the playoffs, then it turned out the only thing building speed was the snowball.

Downhill it went, squashing the reputations of Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel in the weeks leading to the postseason and then, finally, rolling over an entire team.

Thursday afternoon, Van Exel’s tough-guy image gave way to the emotion of persistent questions about his violent temper, his ability to lead and his maturity, issues that were raised by everyone from former junior college teammates to a current teammate named Magic Johnson. Right there at the Lakers’ shoot-around in Houston, several hours before Game 4 against the Rockets, he broke down and cried.

By late in the fourth quarter, when all was lost and only the last seconds remained in a season that once included such high hopes, he sat on the bench during a timeout and stared blankly ahead. No visible emotion. After the Lakers had been eliminated, so great was Van Exel’s level of frustration and hurt that he changed clothes, walked to the bus, pulled his luggage off and told assistant coach Larry Drew he would not be flying home with the team and to give his playoff share to rookie Frankie King.

Pig Miller, who was not on the playoff roster, joined him in deciding to make alternate travel plans. When the Lakers met Friday at the Forum to divide playoff shares and clean out their lockers, the final team function of the season, those two and Sedale Threatt were absent, although maybe it’s something of a tradition for Threatt since he also skipped last year. Coach Del Harris also missed the meeting, but a team spokesman said he was sick.

“Boy, I tell you,” Johnson said in exasperation.

Some had done their best in recent days to strike a positive note--one player urged teammates in a message on the chalkboard in the visitors’ locker room at the Summit to check their egos at the door, then altered it to include coaches. And the Friday farewell meeting included longtime assistant coach Bill Bertka going around the room giving each person encouraging words on how at least one aspect of their game had improved during 1995-96.

But nothing could erase the negative tone that started with Ceballos’ disappearance and evolved into internal strife in the playoffs, with Johnson questioning Harris after Game 1 and Van Exel, Harris and Johnson pointing fingers at each other the day before the critical Game 4. The latest development with the no-shows was either a sad commentary or a fitting ending--or both.

“I’m just at a loss for words,” Johnson said, adding that the Lakers battled through other problems that never became public. “I’ve been like this the last couple of days. I can’t begin to tell you.

“There’s so much happening, even today. I just can’t believe it. There’s so much going on. I’ve been through losing before, and we all hung together. It’s disheartening to see. . . . We should all be together, crying on each other’s shoulder about what happened. But here we are.”

Here they are, at the crossroads of several players’ Laker careers and an interesting time in the lives of others:

--Johnson, a free agent. He wants to stay, but will be asking for an eight-figure salary for next season alone. If that isn’t enough to make Jerry Buss swallow hard, the payout would probably be for a 37-year-old reserve who couldn’t stay sound for 40 games, let alone the 82 he’d be trying for in 1996-97.

Johnson and the league still need to resolve his status for the salary cap, a technical point that could have a significant impact. At issue is whether the years when he was retired but under contract should count toward his standing, which would allow the Lakers to pay him any amount if they have exceeded the cap, a huge advantage. Agent Lon Rosen and the league had agreed to resolve the matter sometime after the finals.

Further complicating matters is that Johnson’s decision to come out of retirement could cost the Lakers about $3 million in the pursuit of another free agent this summer, leaving them about $6 million and out of range for the heavyweights. They could renounce him and get back up to $9 million of spending room, but then Johnson would be forced to sign elsewhere or wait until late January to rejoin the Lakers.

--Elden Campbell, a free agent. He’s coming off a career year, which isn’t saying much except he knows how to mount a good contract drive. Much like Johnson, the timing of the negotiations with the starting power forward will be critical--keep him on the line in case any of the top-flight big men fall through.

--Threatt, a free agent. He proved his value again at the end of the regular season. He’ll be 35 when 1996-97 starts, but will probably remain in their plans, barring an outrageous salary demand, until another proven backup point guard arrives.

--Ceballos. Will the spring break also earn him a trip to the trading block?

--Derek Strong, a free agent. He came in on a one-year deal and provided solid play as a reserve power forward. If he’s talking reasonable salary, the Lakers will probably be interested.

--Miller, a free agent. One of the big disappointments of the season, he came on in the second half of his rookie campaign, then arrived at training camp last October about 30 pounds overweight and never got off the bench. Hog Heaven hits the road.

--King, a free agent. The project from the 1995 draft made nice improvement, but summer league will be a critical time and the chance to earn an invitation back to training camp.

--Fred Roberts, a free agent. Don’t be surprised if he’s still playing next season at age 36. Be surprised if it’s with the Lakers.

--Harris. The 53 wins were a career best, but all the infighting zapped so much pleasure that he acknowledges the season was no fun. And that was before all this “who’s in charge?” talk during the playoffs led to speculation that his job could be in jeopardy.

“I work for Jerry Buss, and he is absolutely pleased with Del Harris,” Executive Vice President Jerry West said, hoping to end such conjecture. “To bring it up is insulting to Del.”

The bottom line, West said, is that he doesn’t look for many changes to the core of the team that finished with the sixth-best record in the league. Maybe only two, in fact: a major free-agent acquisition and a new attitude.

The bidding won’t begin until July 1. The more immediate business, the dividing up of the playoff shares, went on as scheduled Friday despite the three missing Lakers.

Johnson did not take a portion, instead choosing to have it go into the pot for the players and staff. Fifteen other shares--probably worth about $12,000 each, although the amount won’t be known for another week--were awarded to the 13 players who spent time on the roster and injured list, trainer Gary Vitti and equipment manager Rudy Garciduenas.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

January 29

Magic Johnson confirms his return to the NBA. The Lakers, 24-18 (.571) without Magic, finish 29-11 (.725) to earn the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

March 21: Cedric Ceballos, the team’s leading scorer, is suspended after missing a flight to Seattle. He is AWOL for several days and misses two games.

April 10: Nick Van Exel is suspended an NBA-record seven games and loses $188,000 is fines and wages after pushing an official during a game in Denver.

Magic Johnson, Then and Now

REGULAR SEASON

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Min. FG FT Pts. Reb. Assts Career 36.9 .521 .848 19.7 7.3 11.4 1996 29.9 .466 .864 14.6 5.7 6.9

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PLAYOFFS

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Min. FG FT Pts. Reb. Assts Career 39.8 .508 .838 19.6 7.7 12.5 1996 33.8 .385 .848 15.3 8.5 6.5

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Career statistics before 1996