INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Glen Rice will be back with the Los
Angeles Lakers next season.
The Lakers on Wednesday night exercised the $7 million option
they hold on Rice, who had been the subject of trade rumors. The
sharpshooting guard struggled in the Lakers' offense after arriving
in a trade from Charlotte in March.
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"We value Glen a lot," Lakers executive vice president Jerry
West said. "Our intent is to have him finish his career in Los
Angeles."
West bristled when asked if Rice would be traded later.
"It's very annoying to keep hearing innuendos of trades. It's
not comfortable for us, it's not comfortable for the players,"
West said. "It's something people simply make up a lot of times."
The Lakers dipped down to the Division III ranks and made Devean
George of Augsburg College in Minnesota their first-round pick in
the draft Wednesday night. George, the Division III player of the year, was the 23rd
selection overall.
"He's really not a secret," West said. "You don't hear that
much about him, but he really impressed everyone with his play."
In the second round, the Lakers took guard John Celestand of
Villanova with the 30th pick overall. Los Angeles had just one
selection in each round.
Phil Jackson was at the Forum for his first draft as Lakers
coach, but he did not meet with reporters to discuss the team's
selections. Jackson had also declined to talk about the team's
plans before the draft.
George, a 6-foot-6+, 220-pound guard-forward, attracted the
attention of NBA scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational, where he
averaged 13.7 points and 10 rebounds to earn all-tournament honors.
"I know this isn't something a lot of people expected, but in
my heart this is what I expected because of how much work I put
into it," George said in a telephone call from his Minneapolis
home. "I was thinking first round all the way."
George made an impression on the Lakers during a workout.
"He can make shots," West said. "A lot of teams liked him."
George finished his college career as Augsburg's second-leading
scorer with 2,258 points and the second-leading rebounder with
1,211. He scored in double figures in 92 of 96 career games, and
five times had 40 or more points.
"He's a versatile player. He'll give us some size and some more
ballhandling," West said.
George played in a pro league with members of the Minnesota
Timberwolves, including Kevin Garnett.
"He will not be intimidated by these players," West said.
"He's very confident about his abilities."
Celestand, a 6-3, 175-pounder, led Villanova with 14.3 points
and 4.4 assists as a senior. He played both guard positions during
his career and finished eighth on the school's career assists list
with 450.
"I bring size and quickness and I fit in real good with the
Lakers' style," Celestand said in a phone call. "They want to
play an up-tempo game."
Like George, Celestand also played at the Portsmouth
Invitational, averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5 assists.