Campbell: You Talking to Me?

Elden Campbell gave an equally pointed response to frustration-filled comments by Shaquille O’Neal that an unnamed Laker wasn’t working hard enough after getting a big contract:

“No, he wasn’t talking about me.”

Actually, he was.

O’Neal’s rips came last Friday, most notably: “Some guys got the money and then think the job is done.” The Laker team captain wouldn’t specify which teammate he was talking about, but said, “Just write it. He’ll know who he is.”

Said Campbell, the starting power forward: “I don’t know what he said and I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Campbell has only partly come out of his slumber since the comments. A day later, he was ineffective for nearly four quarters before playing well at the end of regulation and through two overtimes in a loss to Detroit. Monday, he had 17 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes in a victory over Dallas.

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Coach Del Harris, still feeling good about the contribution from Jerome Kersey while also acknowledging Kersey is ideally suited to be the backup at small forward, is moving closer to putting Robert Horry in the starting lineup.

“I’ve been thinking about it, but we’ll just have to see,” Harris said. “Everything is open. I haven’t made any decision yet. . . . It’ll be kind of a feel thing.”