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Lakers on the edge as playoffs near
On the eve of the NBA playoffs, the star-laden Lakers are clearly a team in crisis.
Maybe they'll turn it around and win the championship many predicted when they added Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Or maybe they'll be eliminated in the first round if they don't improve their defense and develop better chemistry.
"This team has always had a lot of drama," coach Phil Jackson said.
Indeed.
The latest revolved around Kobe Bryant, who swears he was doing his best when he took only one shot in the first half of Sunday's 102-85 loss at Sacramento in the Lakers' most important game of the season to date. At least one of his teammates wondered if Bryant was playing hard enough.
Two days later, Bryant took 11 shots in the first quarter and 29 overall. Afterward, neither Malone nor Payton wanted to talk about the game.
Jackson defended Bryant's performance against the Kings, but none of his teammates has done so with the media.
There's more.
Bryant has said repeatedly he'll opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent, although he's also said he plans on being a Laker for life.
Many close to the team believe otherwise.
Bryant and Payton have publicly stated their dislike for the triangle offense employed by Jackson. Bryant has also said he doesn't care for Jackson as a person, and Payton has complained about playing time.
Shaquille O'Neal believes the offense should run through him, which often doesn't happen.
Jackson and Malone have talked about retirement following the season.
It's not a pretty picture.
"You don't know what you're going to find with this team, sometimes, when you get on the court," Jackson said Tuesday night after the Lakers rallied from a 16-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the visiting, injury-depleted Golden State Warriors 109-104.
"They'll be all right," Jackson said of the Lakers.
Maybe so.
Maybe not. "I think it's pulling focus from what the real issue is," Rick Fox said of the latest chapter in the Bryant saga. "If we don't play defense, we're going to be home a lot sooner than we want to be. "Honestly, we've won games when Kobe's shot the ball eight times and when we as a team shot 30-something percent. We still win because we lock people up. Scoring's not going to be the issue." Bryant was criticized by Jackson and several teammates recently for his shot selection in losses to San Antonio and Portland, when he went a combined 14-of-49. Then came the game in Sacramento, when Bryant shot once in the first half as the Lakers fell behind by 19 points. His finished with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting — his lowest point total in a game when he played at least 40 minutes. Local media questioned whether Bryant, the league's fourth-leading scorer, was sending a message to Jackson and his teammates by not playing his normal game. One unidentified player even told The Los Angeles Times that the team might never forgive Bryant. Bryant volunteered to speak on the Lakers' pregame radio show Tuesday, angrily denying he was playing with an agenda, saying the Kings sent two or three players at him as soon as he touched the ball. "I went to practice this morning, I asked every single one of my teammates, `Do you have a problem with what happened Sunday? Do you think I did this on Sunday? Did you say this in the paper?' Every single one of them say they didn't say it," Bryant said. "We're trying to win a championship. If somebody has an issue on this team, especially something as preposterous as that, I want to know. We need to talk about it, we need to resolve it, so we can move on. "I'll take full responsibility, I'll take the blame, as far as us losing the game. But sabotaging the game, that's just ridiculous. There's no way I would disrespect the game by doing that." Bryant also took questions from callers before taking the floor against the Warriors. He shot early, often and successfully, making 14 of 29 field-goal attempts and 17 of 18 free throws for a season-high 45 points. Obviously still angered at the media, Bryant refused comment afterward, except for a brief television interview. He's usually available at his locker, but wasn't on this night. Payton also refused comment, and Malone spoke only briefly. Friendly and engaging with the media before the game, as usual, Malone was clearly in a hurry to leave afterward. O'Neal said Bryant "came out aggressive and shot the ball. He was Kobe." When asked if Bryant was making a statement, O'Neal replied: "I can't answer a question for another man. His locker's right over there." As O'Neal spoke, a throng of reporters awaited Bryant's arrival. It never came. |
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