Campbell Fits the Bill Lately at Power Forward

Power forward by committee has faded, if only temporarily, but not from lack of production. Just the opposite.

Elden Campbell has played so well lately that the other two backups, Corie Blount and Mario Bennett, struggle to get off the bench. As recently as two weeks ago, Coach Del Harris was playing them all regularly. That all changed when the Lakers hit a stretch against physical teams--the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers--and Campbell took off, claiming most of the time even when the opponent offered power forwards better suited toward the quickness of Blount and Bennett.

Sunday, Campbell had eight rebounds in only 17 minutes. The game before that, he had seven rebounds, hardly overwhelming but still a team high, in 32 minutes. And before that, 11 rebounds and five blocks against Indiana’s big front line.

“I thought Elden was great,” Harris said of the most recent showing, in the victory over the Detroit Pistons. “He rebounded, he scored. Just terrific. He’s played really well the last 10 or 12 games. I’m really proud of Elden.”

How proud?

Bennett earned Harris’ praise for instilling energy in a team lacking just that and even became part of the rotation after spending most of the season as 12th man. But he has not played double-digit minutes in eight games.

Blount, who started ahead of Campbell when Robert Horry was injured, has not played at all in the last two games and hasn’t gotten more than 10 in six outings.

“I’ve gotten a little flow going,” Campbell said. “It’s so hard to get a flow going when the minutes are spotty, so it can take a while. It helps that he [Harris] is putting me in earlier now. I go in with about six minutes left in the first quarter and I won’t come out until the second quarter. Little things like that help.”

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Nick Van Exel, recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, went through his first supervised workout Tuesday, mostly off to the side as the Lakers conducted their practice. He did some shooting drills and light running, which he had been doing anyway, but no cutting and no stopping and starting, which puts extra pressure on the joint.

He wouldn’t discuss how it felt. It went fine from the Lakers’ standpoint, but they are waiting to see if the joint swells or stiffens more than expected overnight before commenting.

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After opening this season in Palm Desert, the Lakers will return to their usual training camp site, Honolulu, before 1998-99. They had opted for College of the Desert for a change of pace, and still will go there if they choose to have a mini-camp between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. The Lakers will announce later the opponent for the two exhibition games at the University of Hawaii. . . . Detroit Coach Alvin Gentry, after Rick Fox had 22 points, six assists and three steals and shut down Grant Hill for three quarters in the 96-89 victory for the Lakers on Sunday: “I think that he’s the glue that holds that team together. He’s the one guy out there that they have to have out on the floor. He does all of the little things and he’s a great defender.”

TONIGHT

vs. Portland

* 7:30

* Fox Sports West

Site--Great Western Forum.

Radio--KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records--Lakers 42-18, Trail Blazers 34-25.

Record vs. Trail Blazers--1-2.

Update--The Lakers probably will miss their first chance to see Damon Stoudamire as a Trail Blazer because of a sprained right ankle suffered last week against the Phoenix Suns. This should be considered only partial good news around the Forum, considering his replacement, Rick Brunson, made six of eight shots and led a fourth-quarter charge before Portland fell short in the Trail Blazers’ last trip to town.