INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- The company line is, ``Look at everything that happened to us, all the changes, all the distractions.'' The bottom line is, the Los Angeles Lakers flamed out. Again. The team of the '80s has been anything but the team of the '90s. Headed by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice, there might be enough talent for the Lakers to win a championship one of these years, something that hasn't happened since 1988 and the days of Magic, Kareem and Showtime. Something's missing, that's for sure. ``We were as volatile as the ground under LA, there's no telling when it would start to shake again,'' forward Rick Fox said Monday. ``When you have high expectations and it ends like this, everybody's disappointed,'' guard Derek Harper said. ``It's frustrating,'' Rice said. ``We could have gotten a lot further than what we did. I think what has to happen now is we have to learn from our mistakes and be a smarter team next year.'' The Lakers held a brief team meeting a day after losing their fourth straight game to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers were also swept out of the playoffs last spring, by Utah in the conference finals. As was the case last year, O'Neal didn't attend the team's final get-together. Neither did rookie Tyronn Lue, but he had informed management late Sunday he would be attending a funeral instead. O'Neal made clear his embarrassment and disappointment after Sunday's 118-107 loss to the Spurs, and perhaps will consider exercising a clause in his contract that could make him a free agent. Otherwise, he has three years remaining on the contract he signed in July 1996. ``Obviously, he's frustrated, as he was frustrated last year,'' Jerry West, the Lakers' executive vice president of basketball operations, said of O'Neal. ``The one thing I will tell him is this is the place he should end his career. ``He's a player who can win us a championship if we can get the right people around him.'' The Lakers certainly tried that this year. For whatever reason, it didn't work. When the team reported to an abridged training camp in late January, there were nine returnees from the previous season along with three rookies and two newcomers -- veteran point guard Derek Harper and forward Travis Knight, who had returned after one year in Boston. In addition, coach Del Harris and his staff were back intact. In addressing reporters Monday, West lamented the fact that there wasn't a full training camp, but the changes and distractions didn't begin until later. First, of course, there was the Dennis Rodman saga. The seven-time NBA rebounding champion finally signed with the team Feb. 23 after nearly three weeks of consideration and near-daily updates. On the night Rodman signed, the Lakers lost their third straight game to fall to 6-6, and Harris was fired the following day. He would be replaced two days after that by assistant Kurt Rambis, who was hired for the remainder of the season. Two weeks later, the Lakers completed a long rumored trade with Charlotte, acquiring Rice and J.R. Reid for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell. Rodman's erratic behavior began just after the big trade, and continued until he was waived on April 16. ``I'm not going to beat Dennis up,'' Harper said. ``I don't think it's fair to make Dennis the scapegoat. He was late a lot. I don't think that was a good example. I can truly say he was committed to winning while he was here.'' Rice had his ups-and-downs, and acknowledged personal frustration on many occasions, claiming he wasn't be used correctly. He scored 40 points to lead the Lakers to their fourth straight win in the regular-season finale, and 29 in the first game of the playoffs. After that, his offensive opportunities and productivity diminished. Rambis, whose future is uncertain, said Monday he considered the season successful despite the disappointing finish, and expects to return as coach next season. ``I'm looking forward to having a good training camp next year and being able to put my mark on the team,'' he said. West said he hoped to be able to announce a decision on Rambis' status in a few weeks. Previously, on several occasions, West praised the job done by Rambis, especially considering the circumstances. ``We need to have some internal talks,'' West said. ``You really can't evaluate him fairly. He was put in a most awkward position. ``At times, we weren't very cohesive at all. At other times, we played beautifully.'' West, who wondered openly about his own future recently, said he intends and hopes to complete the four-year contract extension he signed last September. ``There's some work that needs to be done,'' West said. ``We don't have a terrible basketball team here, fellas. We're competing against our past success. ``I think in this shortened season, we tried to push the envelope a little bit, we wanted to win a championship.'' For whatever reason, they didn't come close. -=-=- 