LOS ANGELES -- The three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will begin the season with center Shaquille O'Neal on the injured list, coach Phil Jackson said Tuesday night.

	O'Neal

O'Neal will be placed on the injured list Monday, the Los Angeles Daily News reported, meaning he won't be ineligible to play for the Lakers until their sixth game. The earliest O'Neal could play would be Nov. 7 against the Boston Celtics.

Jackson, however, told the Los Angeles Times he expects O'Neal would sit out an additional two games.

Teams have until 6 p.m. ET Monday to submit their rosters to the league.

The Lakers open their season at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Seven-foot center Soumaila Samake probably will start in O'Neal's place. Samaki Walker would be Samake's backup.

O'Neal underwent surgery on his right big toe Sept. 12 and has not played in any preseason games for Los Angeles, which fell to 2-4 in the preseason following Tuesday's 102-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

O'Neal ran on the treadmill last week and reported some pain in the bottom of his right foot the next day. He said there has been no change in his condition.

"It's hard to stay 1,000 percent the whole season," O'Neal said. "That's why every year I always come in 80, mess around and let you guys talk about me. Then I take it up to 85, then I take it up to 90. Then by All-Star, I'm 96, 97 and at playoffs I'm 100.

"The guys that come in at 100, they got to work extra harder to keep it at 100. Nobody works harder than me. So right now, I'm just sitting, looking, seeing who's doing what."

He is scheduled to be examined by Dr. Robert Mohr on Thursday.

"If everything's OK, I'll be cleared to run," O'Neal said.

O'Neal, 30, is the most dominant player in the league and averaged 36.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in capturing his third straight NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award as the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets in June.

O'Neal has averaged 27.6 points and 12.3 rebounds in 675 career games. One of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, O'Neal is a four-time All-NBA First Team selection and was MVP of the 1999-00 season.

Information from The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report.