Time Out with… Vlade Divac

Los Angeles Lakers center Vlade Divac has owned a home in Pacific Palisades since 1990 and has spent the off-seasons here with his family ever since. After seven productive years with the Lakers, two in Charlotte and six in Sacramento, Divac signed with the Lakers as a free agent on July 20, rejoining the team that drafted him out of the former Yugoslavia in 1989. A herniated disc in his lower back caused Divac to miss the first 11 games this season, but he returned Tuesday night in the Lakers’ win over Milwaukee at Staples Center. Palisadian-Post Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo interviewed Divac last week after his first practice at the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo. PP: Why did you decide to rejoin the Lakers after so many years? VD: It was a quick decision. I honestly didn’t think I’d come back here. I thought I’d finish my career in Sacramento. But when my agent told me they weren’t going to re-sign me, I told him I wanted to be a Laker again. I got a few other offers for more money but I like living in L.A. and I saw a chance to come here and help make the Lakers a champion again. PP: Do you see any similarities between this Laker team and the one you played on before? VD: It’s hard to compare without having played a full season. The players are all different and the game is different. But with [Coach] Rudy Tomjanovich we’re trying to get back to the up-tempo style that the Lakers were known for back in the Showtime era. One thing that is the same is the level of expectation here. Everyone in a Laker jersey expects to win and that mentality still exists. PP: Is there any added pressure having to fill the shoes of Shaquille O’Neal? VD: I don’t worry too much about that. When I first came to the Lakers I had to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so this is nothing new. All I can do is go out there and play as well as I can. I’m not Shaq and I don’t think the fans expect me to be him. Fans just want to see us win and if I can help the team do that, they’ll be happy. PP: How will your role be different in your second stint with the Lakers? VD: It’s totally opposite. Last time I was the youngest player on a veteran team and now I’m the oldest player on a young team. Back then I was still learning the game and the other players had to teach me certain things. Now I have to be the teacher and I’m looking forward to that. We have a lot of talented guys like [back-up center] Chris Mihm. He’s a bright young man who knows how to play and hopefully I can help him in some way. PP: Who is the best player you’ve played with in your career? VD: I guess if I had to pick one guy I’d say Magic Johnson. He was a great leader and he made everyone on his team better. That’s what I expect now from Kobe. He’s capable of being that same type of player and he’s going to have to be if we’re going to be successful. I feel lucky that I’ll be able to say I played with two superstars like them.’ PP: What is the best team you’ve played on in the NBA? VD: Probably my second season with the Lakers in 1990-91. We got to the finals and lost to the Chicago Bulls but that team still had Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Byron Scott, A.C. Green and [current Lakers’ radio analyst] Mychal Thompson. Those Kings teams of a few years ago come close, but I’d have to say that Laker team was better because we accomplished the most. PP: Who is the toughest player you’ve had to defend in the NBA? VD: Right now, of course Shaquille O’Neal is the hardest player to guard in the league because of his size and his power. It’s very hard to get good position on him and it’s practically impossible to move him out of the paint. You have to play him real smart. Hakeem Olajuwon probably had the best moves of any big man I played against. Guys like David Robinson and Patrick Ewing were difficult to defend, too, because they could hit the jump shot. PP: What does it mean to be a Laker? How is it different from playing for another franchise? VD: It is definitely special. The Lakers have a special place in my heart for several reasons. First, because they drafted me. So I’m grateful to them for giving me that first opportunity. But even more than that, it’s the people who run the organization like [Owner] Jerry Buss and [General Manager] Mitch Kupchak. They were here back then and they are still here. It’s nice to see a lot of the same faces. That’s one of the big reasons I wanted to come back here. PP: How much longer do you want to play professionally? VD: That’s a question not for me but for these two legs of mine. It all depends on how long they can move me around. If everything works out, I’d like to play for a couple more years and finish my career the way I started’as a Laker.