Reggie Theus, a former Inglewood High School standout who went on to play for 13 seasons in the NBA, was hired Monday to coach the Lakers’ developmental league team, the D-Fenders. Theus served as a TV analyst on Pac-12 games last season.

“Reggie’s extensive NBA background coupled with his experience developing players at the collegiate basketball level will make him a great asset to our franchise,” said Joey Buss, the D-Fenders’ team president and CEO.

Theus was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009 to ’11 after he served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. He also coached New Mexico State and was an assistant coach at Louisville.

Earl Clark, one of a handful of players trying to win a seat on the Lakers’ bench this season, suffered a strained groin and will be sidelined indefinitely, the team announced Monday. Clark, a backup forward/center, played limited minutes in each of the Lakers’ first three exhibitions. He won’t play Tuesday against the Utah Jazz in Anaheim.

Tomorrow’s story today …

Antawn Jamison needed a job last summer.

The Lakers needed to fill a vacancy for a veteran backup forward.

So, it seemed natural the Lakers would sign Jamison to a one-season, $1.3-million contract. But there was another reason Jamison decided to give the Lakers a try, and it wasn’t only because he’s in search of his first championship ring after 14 seasons.

“He was one of the reasons I wanted to come here,” Jamison said.

“He” was not superstar guard Kobe Bryant, although it could have been just as easily the reason Jamison signed. Nor was it future Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash. Nor was it center Dwight Howard. Nor was it Pau Gasol. Nor was it Metta World Peace.

No, Jamison referred to Lakers coach Mike Brown.

“To me, it was a no-brainer,” Jamison said of signing with the Lakers.

Jamison played for Brown for part of the 2009-10 season, Brown’s last with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brown was fired after the LeBron James-led Cavaliers won 61 games during the regular season, but failed to win the NBA title.

The Cavaliers operated as if on autopilot back then. Brown was in his fifth season, with James and a cast of young players sticking to a relatively simple game plan and winning with spectacular ease at times during the regular season.

There was little tinkering to be done with the Cavaliers.

However, Jamison found Brown and circumstances changed dramatically when the Lakers began training camp Oct. 2. Brown was constantly at work, stressing the small details and leaving zero to chance as he began his second season with the Lakers.

“He has to put his stamp on what he wants us to do,” Jamison said of Brown.

There is a new game plan, a variation of the free-flowing Princeton offense, and a bunch of new players this season. There are talents to be blended, styles to be meshed and, ultimately, games to be won. The honeymoon period is over for Brown.

“He’s not willing to let things go through the cracks now,” Jamison said. “He’s really on point. I think they had a comfort zone in Cleveland where they could kind of just go through the motions. … He wants us to do things the correct way. It’s good.”

Brown has been intense, but he’s also been willing to back off with the players. Because of the NBA lockout that delayed and then compressed training camp and the regular season, Brown pushed and pushed and pushed last season. The Lakers practiced or played games for 19 consecutive days before he gave the players a break.

He’s slowed the pace dramatically during this training camp.

Sunday marked the Lakers’ second day off in two weeks.

“He’s the perfect fit for this type of situation,” Jamison said when asked if Brown’s experience made him the right man to guide this championship contender. “I don’t know how many coaches could come in here and put their stamp on this team.”

Kobe Bryant posted this on his Facebook page. It appears intended for Smush Parker.

“Leadership is responsibility.

“There comes a point when one must make a decision. Are YOU willing to do what it takes to push the right buttons to elevate those around you? If the answer is YES, are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? Here’s where the true responsibility of being a leader lies. Sometimes you must prioritize the success of the team ahead of how your own image is perceived. The ability to elevate those around you is more than simply sharing the ball or making teammates feel a certain level of comfort. It’s pushing them to find their inner beast, even if they end up resenting you for it at the time.

“I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality. I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.

“This is my way. It might not be right for YOU but all I can do is share my thoughts. It’s on YOU to figure out which leadership style suits you best.

“Will check back in with you soon.. Till then

“Mamba out”

Tomorrow’s extended notebook tonight …

The Lakers were hours away from playing the third of their eight exhibition games this month, and the rumor mill was cranked up to full throttle Saturday. They were said to be interested in upgrading their backup point guard position in a big way.

Whether there was any truth to it was irrelevant.

The chatter was as loud as it was relentless.

Steve Blake and Chris Duhon reportedly were available to any team willing to make the Lakers a respectable offer. The Lakers also were interested in re-signing free agent Derek Fisher, although under league rules they couldn’t do it until March 15.

Then there was a Twitter feeding-frenzy about the Lakers’ rumored pursuit of Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, Pau Gasol’s teammate on the silver medal-winning Spanish Olympic team. It turned out to be bogus.

Lakers coach Mike Brown then announced he would rest Blake for Saturday’s exhibition against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center in order to give more minutes to Morris, who had two points, two rebounds and four assists in 18:47.

Brown laughed off the rumors, saying he didn’t follow Twitter.

Living in the fact-based world does have its benefits, according to Brown.

“I still don’t know who my backup (point guard) is or my backup (shooting guard),” Brown said. “I’m going to try to play Antawn (Jamison) as my backup (small forward) and I’m going to try to play Jordan (Hill) as my backup (power forward).

“I’m still searching for what my second five will be.”

Robert Sacre appeared close to locking up the backup center position, starting for the third consecutive exhibition while Dwight Howard continues his recovery from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in April.

The Lakers solved their starting point guard concerns when they acquired Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns on July 10. Blake appeared to have the backup job won without lifting a finger, based on his service the last two seasons.

The Lakers acquired Duhon in the deal that brought Howard to Los Angeles from Orlando on Aug. 10. They drafted Morris 41st in 2011, but played him in only 19 of 66 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.

–Meanwhile in Charlotte …

Ramon Sessions (remember him?) said last week the reason he opted out of his contract with the Lakers for this season and signed a two-season deal worth $10 million with the Charlotte Bobcats was because he was afraid he would be traded.

“It was one of those situations I looked at like, ‘If I do come back, what if they trade me’” Sessions told Yahoo! Sports. “There were talks about getting Deron (Williams). They always wanted a bigger named guy.

“What if I get traded to a team and it’s my contract year? It was one of those things that I can’t say if I opted in, (Nash) wouldn’t have come (to the Lakers). They still might have tried to get him. You just never know.”

In fact, the Lakers began their pursuit of Nash after Sessions surprised general manager Mitch Kupchak and exercised his option to terminate his contract. The Lakers hoped Sessions would be their point guard of the future despite his playoff struggles.

The Lakers acquired Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers and dealt Fisher to the Houston Rockets to clear a starting position for him. Sessions averaged only 9.7 points and 3.6 assists in 12 playoff games last spring, however.

–Jazz dump Lakers

Kobe Bryant scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added five assists in a very productive 24:54, but the Lakers still fell to 0-3 in exhibition play with a 99-86 loss to the Jazz at Staples Center. Bryant made 12 of 14 free throws.

Metta World Peace added 13 points, four rebounds, one blocked shot and one kiss on the hand of a young woman in the stands after he stuffed a driving Gordon Hayward and went into the crowd to retrieve the ball in the third quarter.

Marvin Williams and Enes Kanter each scored 14 points for Utah (2-1).

The teams play again Tuesday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

“I kind of like where we are right now because there’s lots of room to grow,” Brown said.

Kobe Bryant’s verbal attack Wednesday on former Lakers point guard Smush Parker’s ability, or lack thereof, inspired a shot or two in return from Parker during a 35-minute interview on a New York radio station Thursday.

Bryant said Parker was “the worst (while serving as the Lakers’ starting point guard during the 2005-06 season). He shouldn’t have even been in the NBA. We were too cheap to afford a real point guard. So, we let him walk on.”

Parker, who has played in China and the Dominican Republic in recent seasons, responded by praising Bryant’s ability, but not his humanity. Parker said he became so unhappy while playing with Bryant that he stopped passing him the ball.

“The guy can play basketball,” Parker said. “You’ve seen that throughout his career. What I don’t like about him is the man that he is. His personality. How he treats people. I don’t like that side of Kobe Bryant.”

Parker also spoke of a player’s-only dinner in which then-coach Phil Jackson gave a credit card to Lamar Odom in order to pay for the meal. Parker said all the players sat at one table except for Bryant, who sat alone at another table.

Bryant laughed when relayed Parker’s comments.

“I gave him his 30 minutes of fame,” Bryant said, trying to contain his laughter. “It’s all good. I wish him the best of luck. He’s playing in China, right? I wish him the best of luck. Maybe he’ll get back to the NBA one day and see what it’s like up close again.”

If he does, and that’s a long shot, you can bet it won’t be with any team Bryant is on.

Tomorrow’s story today …

Dwight Howard knew something was wrong when he couldn’t feel his left leg. His back hurt him for most of last season, but when his leg went dead and he couldn’t perform a simple calf raise, he decided it was time to seek medical help.

“I had some issues early in the season and I just kept playing through it, some back spasms,” Howard said Thursday in his comments about the extent of his back injury since he was acquired by the Lakers from the Orlando Magic on Aug. 10.

“I really didn’t say anything. With all the stuff that was going on, I just didn’t want anybody thinking that I was trying to quit on my team or anything. Instead of sitting out, I just wanted to keep playing and how everybody I was still with the team.”

Keeping up appearances was important to Howard since everyone in Orlando and around the NBA assumed he would be gone by the time training camp rolled around. He finally underwent season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disc in April.

Howard was expected to be out for about five months, with the possibility that he wouldn’t be physically ready to start the regular season. He ended up having the surgery in Los Angeles, and simply stayed in town when the Lakers traded for him.

The 6-foot-11 center sat out the first two exhibitions and won’t play Saturday against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. The Lakers are in no hurry for him to make his debut in purple and gold.

“The biggest thing is conditioning,” Howard said. “So, that’s what we’ve been working on before practice and after practice. I’ve got to use my legs and work on my core … I’m not trying to build Rome today, I’m just trying to get a foundation going.”

Kobe Bryant did not play Wednesday against the Trail Blazers because of a strained right shoulder. Bryant injured himself dunking over teammate Antawn Jamison near the end of a scrimmage Tuesday. He didn’t feel any pain at first and went through a lengthy post-practice shooting session that included a dunk over assistant coach Chuck Person.

Only later Tuesday evening did he begin to feel pain in the front of his shoulder.

Bryant said he expects to play in Saturday’s exhibition against Utah at Staples Center.

He went to Lakers coach Mike Brown and told him he might not play Wednesday.

Brown said: “All right, done. I’m not risking anything.”

Tomorrow’s story tonight …

Apparently, all herniated discs are the same. Jordan Hill said Tuesday he didn’t need surgery to repair a herniated disc on the same day Dwight Howard took another step toward making his Lakers debut after having disc surgery last spring.

Howard won’t play Wednesday in the Lakers’ exhibition game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Ontario, but he was cleared to resume participating in full-contact five-on-five scrimmages for limited minutes.

Exactly when the 6-foot-11 center is cleared to scrimmage without limitations is uncertain, with the Lakers taking a long, slow and cautious approach to readying Howard for the regular-season opener Oct. 30 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Howard underwent season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in April, when he was still with the Orlando Magic. The Lakers acquired him in a blockbuster trade in August, confident he would be sound sooner rather than later.

When reporters were allowed into the gym near the end of the Lakers’ 3 1/2-hour practice Tuesday, they were treated to a vintage display from Howard. He blocked a pair of shots, did a chin-up on the rim and then dunked and made one of two free throws.

Later, he was asked about his back and Hill’s, too.

Howard couldn’t say whether he was 100 percent, relying on his training camp mantra that his goal after coming to the Lakers wasn’t to play in exhibition games in October but to win an NBA championship in June.

Asked if he gave Hill any advice about his back, which flared up during Sunday’s exhibition loss to the Golden State Warriors, Howard said, “The doctor told him his wasn’t as bad as mine. The biggest thing is not to rush anything and just take his time.”

The Lakers’ plan for Hill is to keep him off the court until he is re-evaluated by a back specialist next week. Hill, a backup power forward said he was told to work on strengthening his core muscles to take some pressure off his back.

Hill won’t play or practice for a while.

The team’s plan for Howard hasn’t changed.

He’ll play when he’s good and ready, and not a minute sooner.

Jordan Hill, a backup forward, suffered a herniated disc in his back, the Lakers announced Monday afternoon. Back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins Jr., diagnosed the problem after Hill scored 10 points in the Lakers’ exhibition loss Sunday to Golden State.

Hill will be re-examined in one week and an update will be provided then.

The Lakers are counting on Hill to give them depth behind starter Pau Gasol. Hill played a team-leading 20 minutes, 13 seconds Sunday, making 5 of 11 shots and adding three rebounds and three assists. He did not play in the fourth quarter, however.