Published on Thursday, May 15, 2008
By Jill Painter
EL SEGUNDO -- The Lakers' bench players might as well have been in street clothes like inactivated teammates Trevor Ariza and Coby Karl, since they were mostly unproductive in the playoff win over the Jazz on Wednesday.
It's possible Ariza could shed his tailored suits soon in an effort to revamp the struggling bench.
Ariza, who hasn't played since January because of a broken right foot, looked comfortable running up and down the floor at the end of the Lakers' practice Thursday. He's ready to play if Jackson is ready to insert him in the lineup.
"I definitely feel like I can play, but it's not really my decision," Ariza said. "It's a good feeling. I just want to come in and play if I get a chance and see what happens."
Ariza proclaimed himself healthy but said he wasn't sure where his conditioning was and wouldn't really know until he played in a game.
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