According to the LA Daily News, With a healthy Mark Madsen back in the fold, the Lakers have several options at power forward, but Phil Jackson is sticking with the one he refers to as "an experiment."

Samaki Walker is showing steady, if not dramatic, progress. It's enough to convince Jackson to stick with Walker as his starter, even as some of his coaches lobby to make a change. As recently as last week, Jackson suggested he might try Madsen or Slava Medvedenko in the lineup, but he's no longer entertaining that thought.

In his five years as a pro, Walker rarely has had the opportunity to start on a consistent basis. Jackson believes a consistent role will help Walker realize his potential. He also prefers giving Walker an early shift, then bringing him back as the center when it's time for Shaquille O'Neal to take a breather.

"(Assistant coach) Tex Winter has been asking me to start other people, but I'm stubborn enough not to follow his calls a lot of times," Jackson said. "Because I think Samaki's a player that can block shots and rebound and do some things that we need to have done as a basketball club, not now particularly, but develop during the course of the year so we go in the playoffs with it."