Payton Hints About Leaving

WASHINGTON â€”  Gary Payton said Saturday he would abide by Phil Jackson’s decisions on playing time for now, but hinted it would affect his thinking about whether he would return to the Lakers next season.

After he played 34 minutes and scored 10 points against the Washington Wizards, Payton stood by his agent’s recrimination of the Lakers the day before and then took it further. He can opt out of his two-year contract with the Lakers in July and chase his championship elsewhere.

“I don’t get it, but that’s the way it is,� Payton said. “This is his team.... He’s got to coach it the way he’s going to coach it. Then I have to deal with it and I’ll make a decision where I’ll go from there.

“I’ve got to weigh a lot of things. Do I want to go back to being the guy I want to be, dominating on the ball, getting more looks, helping the team win? I’ll weigh all that in the thing. I’ve got to go to a coach that’s going to let me do that or whatever. I’m going to have to weigh it in at the end of the year, if I want to come back and try that. But right now, I’m not comfortable with that.�

Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Payton are among the seven Lakers who can leave the team after the season, along with Jackson. While Payton accepted well below his market value to sign with the Lakers in July in order to play for Jackson and with Shaquille O’Neal, he has grown frustrated with Jackson’s refusal to play him more minutes, particularly in the fourth quarter.

“I’m trying to stay away from controversy,� Payton said. “But controversy is going to come if I keep sitting on the bench. I’m not going to keep sitting on the bench while we’re losing games. Guys are hot and heated up and then you expect me to stop them after I’ve sat for 10 minutes? I’m going to do my best, but people are on a roll and they’ve already scored 30 points and ... you expect me to come out and stop them? It’s not going to happen.�

The reference was to Mike Bibby, who scored 31 points for the Sacramento Kings on Thursday in Los Angeles, six on two late three-pointers from behind picks.

Although he expected to sacrifice on the superstar-heavy Lakers, Payton said, “Not this type of sacrifice.... Sacrificing points and touches. But when you end up sacrificing minutes and playing the role and trying to do other things, I’m not playing the way I think I should be played. ... So, he’s going to have to explain it to me, so I guess he will. Well, he has, talking about ‘saving’ me.�

Payton had a long talk with General Manager Mitch Kupchak about his role with the team and then Jackson playfully raised his dour mood during a team meeting Saturday morning.

While agent Aaron Goodwin had raised serious issues about Payton’s playing time and his limited involvement on both ends of the floor, Kupchak said Saturday he believed Goodwin had overstated Payton’s displeasure. Jackson, too, downplayed a situation that went from bad to worse Thursday, when Jackson played Payton only 30 minutes in a two-point loss to the Kings.

“As a coach who’s gone through this a few times dealing with a player of Gary’s experience on the floor, I just want him to trust that I’m trying to get him through the season in the best shape possible, for him, so we go into the playoffs at 100%,� Jackson said. “We discussed it as a team this morning at the team meeting, a cursory thing about getting guys playing well and not worrying about minutes, but doing the job they’re supposed to do when they come on the court.�

Payton had approached Jackson at least a few times to request a greater role and more minutes, which Jackson had no choice but to provide when Bryant missed most of a month with shoulder and finger injuries. But Payton’s involvement fell off again after the All-Star break, leading to his frustration in the wake of the loss to the Kings and Goodwin’s desire to stand up for his client.

“I saw it in the game,� Jackson said. “I tried to get him going.... It’s tough to balance it out. [Derek Fisher] needs at least six or seven minutes on the floor if he’s going to contribute the way he’s going to contribute when Gary needs a little bit of a blow.�

Kupchak, who has dealt with his share of issues this season, has had a handful of conversations with Goodwin. On Friday he spoke at some length with Payton.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as Aaron portrayed it,� Kupchak said. “I think Gary’s OK. I think it’s just the frustration we’re all going through. Everybody’s making a sacrifice. But when you lose, competitively, it bothers you.

“Has Gary made some sacrifices? Yes. So has Kobe. So have others.�

In 57 games, Payton has averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 assists in 33.6 minutes. He said he didn’t need to pace himself; he simply wanted to be on the floor when the games were decided.

“It ain’t necessary,� he said. “I ain’t been hurt. I’ve been used to playing 40 minutes for the last 14 years. ... [But] whatever’s going on, I can adjust to it. I’ll wait until the end of the year and then I’ll make adjustments.�

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Bibby made those two late three-pointers for the Kings, then memorably shimmied across the Staples Center floor.

These things tend to gnaw at the Lakers.

“He hit a couple shots down the stretch that were big,� Jackson said, “and then acted out on court like an....�

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Bryant will leave the team after today’s game at New Jersey to attend hearings Monday and Tuesday in Eagle, Colo. He told Jackson last week he would attempt to make Tuesday night’s game in Atlanta, but if the hearing ran into the afternoon he might meet them Wednesday in Houston.