Madsen Is Gone as Grant Returns

The Lakers on Monday said goodbye to fan favorite Mark Madsen and took back Horace Grant, essentially completing their summer of upgrades along a front line that was occasionally overmatched last season.

Madsen signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Grant re-joined the Lakers for the veteran’s minimum of a little more than $1 million for next season.

The addition of Grant, 38, as Karl Malone’s backup at power forward makes the Lakers older and wiser than they were when they were knocked out of the second round of the playoffs this year by the San Antonio Spurs.

Grant played for Coach Phil Jackson when both were with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. They were reunited during the Lakers’ title run in 2000-01. Grant played only five games last season, parting ways with the Orlando Magic on Dec. 11 after sitting out 18 games because of a sore left knee and back spasms.

Grant underwent surgery on his left knee on Sept. 13 of last year, but the Lakers believe he is sound enough to give them the depth they coveted beyond Malone at power forward.

“We have a bigger team with more depth,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “With Karl and Shaquille [O’Neal] and Horace and Slava Medvedenko, we have four veterans who can make predictable contributions.”

Last season, the Lakers lined up with Madsen, Robert Horry or Samaki Walker at power forward. Madsen has become a Timberwolf, Horry a Spur and Walker expendable. Next season, the Lakers will have a power forward rotation of a future Hall of Famer in Malone and a 16-year veteran in Grant, with Medvedenko also available.

“We think we addressed our two major needs in the front court and the back court,” Kupchak said, referring to the free-agent signings of Malone and veteran guard Gary Payton earlier this month. “We would like to think that we’ve improved our front court and our depth [by signing Grant].”

Grant, 6 feet 10 and 245 pounds, was a member of the Bulls’ championship teams in 1991, ’92 and ’93. He was an All-Star with the Bulls in 1993-94, when he averaged career-bests of 15.1 points and 11 rebounds. He averaged 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds with the Lakers in 2000-01.

He had averages of eight points and 6.3 rebounds after signing with the Magic in 2001.

Grant also played for the Magic from 1994-95 to 1998-99 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1999-2000 season.

In three seasons with the Lakers, Madsen drew cheers from fans for his hustle and determination and light-hearted jeers for his robotic dancing at the team’s NBA championship celebrations.

Madsen, 27, averaged 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.5 minutes in 54 games last season.

He will serve as a backup power forward with the Timberwolves, whose off-season moves have been highlighted by the signing of former Clipper center Michael Olowokandi to a three-year deal worth $16.2 million and the acquisition of former New York Knick Latrell Sprewell.

“Mark improves our interior presence, as he is a physical, hard-nosed basketball player,” Minnesota General Manager Kevin McHale said.

“Playing against the Timberwolves in the playoffs was a real challenge for us [the Lakers] in the first round,” Madsen told a Twin-Cities reporter. “And I think my respect only grew from an already high level.”