A New Man--to a Point

Nick Van Exel, in his first public comments since the clash with Coach Del Harris and flameout of the Laker season, concedes the two still do not have an ideal relationship as training camp approaches, but that a summer of working on his attitude has convinced him the partnership can be a success.

Taking much of the blame for the end-of-season problems, Van Exel said he has rededicated himself in the last several months to becoming a more mature player. He has sought counseling to help deal with an acknowledged problem with authority and to help control his temper, and may relinquish his role as team captain in an effort to step slightly away from the constant spotlight.

All sides say the notion that he can’t coexist with Harris is, of course, long gone, ever since the two met with Executive Vice President Jerry West after the second-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz, a series that included the infamous Van Exel-Harris argument on the sideline at the Forum. The meeting not only helped ensure Van Exel would not be traded, but became the first step in the emotional point guard’s accepting his role.

“If someone says, ‘What do I think of Del,’ I always say, ‘He’s the coach.’ I said that at Byron Scott’s [charity golf] tournament. Somebody had made a comment about Del, about ‘He should let you guys do this and that.’ I’m like, ‘He’s the coach, we’re the players.’ That’s all you can say.

“I don’t know if you need to like him. . . . I have to like him on the court. I don’t have to like him off the court, he doesn’t have to like me off the court. We can like each other off the court, but it’s not important.”

“Do I think we like each other? I don’t know. I don’t know how he feels about me. But if you ask me that question, I’d probably have to say it’s probably shaky right now because of what we’ve been through.

“[Trainer] Gary Vitti would always tell me, ‘Respect his position, respect his position.’ And I would always say, ‘Yeah, I’ll respect his position.’ But, really, I didn’t. But now that another bad thing had to happen, with that argument against Utah, I really understand that my job is to play, his job is to coach. Whether you like it or don’t like it, you go out there and do your job.

“When I see him in training camp, then that’s when everything’s going to show. If I’m really trying to do what he tells me to do and did I really make a change. Time will tell, but I think right now that I’ve looked at my problems and I’ve faced them and I’m ready.

“The fans are Laker fans. I really don’t worry about them too much because I think they’re going to support their Lakers. What I’m worried about is the relationship with me and Del working. That’s what I want to work more than anything.”

And he is confident it can.

“Definitely,” he said. “I know it can. Once you’ve seen what you’ve done and seen how you looked on TV, over and over again, it’s not hard to change, unless you’re Dennis Rodman.”

Added West: “If I weren’t confident about it, he wouldn’t be here.”

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With a roster already full of small forwards after the signing of Rick Fox, the Lakers have pulled their offer to free agent Jerome Kersey off the table, officially ending any chance he had of coming back for a second season. That probably concludes the significant summer business. All that figures to happen before the start of training camp in three weeks is the signing of rookies or free agents who will be longshots to make the team. . . . The Lakers, after years at Loyola Marymount, have switched to Southwest L.A. College for their secondary practice site, to be used when the Forum is not available because of scheduling conflicts.