Kobe returns to practice, Disgruntled Lakers star expected to play Thursday

[duncan228]

It's such :dramaquee .
"As the Kobe turns!" :lol

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/specials/preview/2007/10/17/kobe.practice.ap/index.html

Kobe returns to practice
Disgruntled Lakers star expected to play Thursday

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant returned to practice after sitting out the previous three days, and coach Phil Jackson said he expects the disgruntled Los Angeles Lakers' star to play in an exhibition game Thursday night.

"Yeah, we'll probably play him, get him out there," Jackson said after practice Wednesday. "He seemed all right, sure did."

The Lakers face Seattle in Bakersfield on Thursday night in the first of six exhibition games in nine days. They lost their first two exhibition games to Golden State last week in Honolulu.

Bryant hadn't practiced since Saturday because of a sore knee. He didn't speak with reporters Wednesday, but made his feelings clear a day earlier in his only formal interview since Lakers owner Jerry Buss stated he "would certainly listen" to trade offers for the two-time defending NBA scoring champion.

"One thing I said at training camp was that I didn't want this to be a distraction," Bryant said Tuesday. "It's our understanding not to bring up the situation and not talk about it. We just wanted to keep things quiet and go about our business. It kind of caught me off guard a little bit."

Bryant asked to be traded 4 1/2 months ago, then avoided speaking about the Lakers until the beginning of training camp Oct. 1, when he talked more positively, saying he was looking forward to the season.

It seemed the parties had put negative feelings behind them before Buss made his comments to three beat writers last week.

Jackson said it was essentially business as usual Wednesday, although Bryant wasn't involved in scrimmaging at the end of practice.

"He was extremely helpful with young players today, helping them with the offense," the coach said.

"It was good -- he was out there smiling and looking good, helping guys," teammate Kwame Brown said. "He was out there working, hopefully that means he's going to play. We want him to play, we need him to play."

Brown said the Lakers haven't been distracted by the fact that Bryant missed practice the previous three days and his apparent differences with management.

"We didn't know what was going on. We thought it was his knees," Brown said. "Hopefully, they can handle that upstairs."

Derek Fisher, who returned to Los Angeles this season after two years in Golden State and one in Utah, said he wasn't sure how Bryant felt at this point and where the team stood. Fisher and Bryant began their careers with the Lakers in 1996.

"I don't know if I'd call it a distraction," Fisher said. "All we can really focus on is the guys we have right now, including him. Everyone's aware of his presence, what he brings to the team. He's such a presence."

Regarding Thursday night's game, Fisher said: "Physically if he's capable of it, I expect him to play."

Fisher said he hasn't talked with Bryant about his situation with the Lakers, saying he was reluctant to ask certain questions because of the answers he might hear.

"I'm sure for him it's tough emotionally," Fisher said. "I'd love to play with him for the rest of my career. Hopefully, whatever happens, it's for the best for everyone involved."

[ElNono]

All signs point to Kobe being traded

Randy Hill

FOXSports.com, Updated 3 hours ago

While the NBA studies market research on a proposed identifying chant ("The NBA ... It's Kobe-tastic!"), we've been left flailing at rumors regarding Mr. Bryant's immediate employment future.

Since L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss officially failed to insist there's absolutely no way he'd trade the last of his team's Hall-of-Fame-bound superstars, deal speculation has been crazed. The prevailing rumor has Kobe on the verge of becoming a Dallas Maverick in exchange for a package that would guarantee the appearance of a Lakers representative in Secaucus, N.J. next May.
With no remedy of actual fact at our disposal, we're now obliged to mine our network of sources and combine that with clues culled from concerned and well-meaning blogs. Now that most of our precincts have reported in, let's take a look at where we stand:


Monday, Oct. 15, Evening
According to neighbors in Orange County, Calif., Kobe and wife Vanessa spent one hour watching Dancing With The Stars, a reality television show whose contestants include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

One neighbor reports that Vanessa can be seen using the text function on her cell phone 30 seconds after the program went off the air.

There is no word on how neighbors were able to gain a clear vantage point into the Bryant mansion.


Monday, Oct. 15, Very Late Evening
According to a fellow patron in a swanky Los Angeles restaurant, Cuban celebrates his effort on Dancing With the Stars by ordering beef. The witness isn't sure if Cuban orders Kobe beef, but "it may have been, I couldn't tell."


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Very Early Morning
A neighbor combing through the Bryants' trash receptacle reports finding the remnants of a cigar beneath a stack of old GQ magazines.

Forensic experts determine that the cigar was hand-rolled and figurado-shaped, with a ring gauge of 52. The original length was estimated at 5-1/2 inches and -- based on construction and burn integrity -- it's speculated that the tobacco was grown in the magical Vuelta Abajo region of ... Cuba.

NBA insiders admit this doesn't prove that Cuban is trading for Bryant, but does suggest that Commissioner David Stern may have to suspend Kobe for possessing contraband.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Early Morning
A quality-control foreman at a Nike plant in China admits a dozen pair of Bryant's personal game sneakers were made with trimming that could be considered more blue than purple.

While the foreman insists this is nothing more than a manufacturing error, insiders are left to wonder if Kobe is about to be traded to the New York Knicks, or Detroit Pistons, or Dallas Mavericks or New Jersey Nets.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Mid Morning
According to the friend of a guy who knows one of Bryant's teammates, Kobe's locker stall at the Laker facility in El Segundo has one fewer team-logo T-shirt and two less pairs of socks than usual.

"According to my friend, the Laker said Kobe is very particular about how many logo T-shirts he has in his locker. You know, kind of like supernatural stuff."


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Noon
According to an L.A.-area realtor overheard talking on his cell phone at lunch, someone named "Terry" had left a voicemail requesting information on immediate townhouse availability in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.

The realtor couldn't remember if Terry was the caller's first name or the caller's last name and said the name Jason may or may not have been mentioned.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Evening
During an exhibition game co-starring the Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings, Josh Howard — a key piece in the proposed Bryant trade — gets into a scrape with Brad Miller.

It is presumed that Howard is irritable due to trade rumors.

In related news, Jason Terry — perhaps eager to show the Mavs how silly it would be to trade him to the Lakers — hits a jumper to win the game.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Evening
An L.A.-area hypnotist reveals that the Lakers hired him to use a pocket watch and soothing words to make Kwame Brown believe he's Shaquille O'Neal.

Brown responds by overeating and threatening to record a rap CD.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Late Evening
According to an Orange County wine shop employee, Bryant purchased three bottles of pinot noir. Although the employee can't recall if the wines in question were produced in California's Russian River Valley or the Willamette Valley in Oregon, insiders begin to wonder if Kobe will be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Early Morning
A casual numerology devotee reads about Bryant in the November issue of Esquire magazine and learns that Kobe has lost 18 pounds since the end of last season.

After checking the Lakers roster and determining that Bryant had been listed as weighing 220 pounds, the devotee does the math and puts Kobe's current weight at 202.

According to his calculations — 2 plus 0 plus 2 — the number now associated with Bryant is four. Dallas, he points out, begins with D ... the fourth letter of the alphabet.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Mid Morning
A friend of the casual numerology devotee points out that the number 18 may have more significance regarding Kobe than the 202. Louisiana, home of the New Orleans Hornets, was the 18th state in the union.


He also points out that R is the 18th letter of the alphabet, making it possible that Bryant could be traded to the Toronto Raptors.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Morning
Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson vigorously denies that a deal regarding his team and the Lakers is being discussed.

Bloggers seize upon this denial as evidence that Kobe will be a Bull before the end of the week.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Noon
A coalition of reporters and editors from print, broadcast and Internet concerns adopts a resolution promoting "a swift decision regarding the trading or not trading of Kobe Bryant before we all go insane."


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Afternoon
A Southern California geologist announces that the San Andreas Fault has been overtaken, in terms of potential severity, by Mitch Kupchak's Fault.

link (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7344894)

[LakeShow]

:lmao
All signs point to Kobe being traded

Randy Hill

FOXSports.com, Updated 3 hours ago

While the NBA studies market research on a proposed identifying chant ("The NBA ... It's Kobe-tastic!"), we've been left flailing at rumors regarding Mr. Bryant's immediate employment future.

Since L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss officially failed to insist there's absolutely no way he'd trade the last of his team's Hall-of-Fame-bound superstars, deal speculation has been crazed. The prevailing rumor has Kobe on the verge of becoming a Dallas Maverick in exchange for a package that would guarantee the appearance of a Lakers representative in Secaucus, N.J. next May.
With no remedy of actual fact at our disposal, we're now obliged to mine our network of sources and combine that with clues culled from concerned and well-meaning blogs. Now that most of our precincts have reported in, let's take a look at where we stand:


Monday, Oct. 15, Evening
According to neighbors in Orange County, Calif., Kobe and wife Vanessa spent one hour watching Dancing With The Stars, a reality television show whose contestants include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

One neighbor reports that Vanessa can be seen using the text function on her cell phone 30 seconds after the program went off the air.

There is no word on how neighbors were able to gain a clear vantage point into the Bryant mansion.


Monday, Oct. 15, Very Late Evening
According to a fellow patron in a swanky Los Angeles restaurant, Cuban celebrates his effort on Dancing With the Stars by ordering beef. The witness isn't sure if Cuban orders Kobe beef, but "it may have been, I couldn't tell."


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Very Early Morning
A neighbor combing through the Bryants' trash receptacle reports finding the remnants of a cigar beneath a stack of old GQ magazines.

Forensic experts determine that the cigar was hand-rolled and figurado-shaped, with a ring gauge of 52. The original length was estimated at 5-1/2 inches and -- based on construction and burn integrity -- it's speculated that the tobacco was grown in the magical Vuelta Abajo region of ... Cuba.

NBA insiders admit this doesn't prove that Cuban is trading for Bryant, but does suggest that Commissioner David Stern may have to suspend Kobe for possessing contraband.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Early Morning
A quality-control foreman at a Nike plant in China admits a dozen pair of Bryant's personal game sneakers were made with trimming that could be considered more blue than purple.

While the foreman insists this is nothing more than a manufacturing error, insiders are left to wonder if Kobe is about to be traded to the New York Knicks, or Detroit Pistons, or Dallas Mavericks or New Jersey Nets.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Mid Morning
According to the friend of a guy who knows one of Bryant's teammates, Kobe's locker stall at the Laker facility in El Segundo has one fewer team-logo T-shirt and two less pairs of socks than usual.

"According to my friend, the Laker said Kobe is very particular about how many logo T-shirts he has in his locker. You know, kind of like supernatural stuff."


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Noon
According to an L.A.-area realtor overheard talking on his cell phone at lunch, someone named "Terry" had left a voicemail requesting information on immediate townhouse availability in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.

The realtor couldn't remember if Terry was the caller's first name or the caller's last name and said the name Jason may or may not have been mentioned.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Evening
During an exhibition game co-starring the Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings, Josh Howard — a key piece in the proposed Bryant trade — gets into a scrape with Brad Miller.

It is presumed that Howard is irritable due to trade rumors.

In related news, Jason Terry — perhaps eager to show the Mavs how silly it would be to trade him to the Lakers — hits a jumper to win the game.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Evening
An L.A.-area hypnotist reveals that the Lakers hired him to use a pocket watch and soothing words to make Kwame Brown believe he's Shaquille O'Neal.

Brown responds by overeating and threatening to record a rap CD.


Tuesday, Oct. 16, Late Evening
According to an Orange County wine shop employee, Bryant purchased three bottles of pinot noir. Although the employee can't recall if the wines in question were produced in California's Russian River Valley or the Willamette Valley in Oregon, insiders begin to wonder if Kobe will be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Early Morning
A casual numerology devotee reads about Bryant in the November issue of Esquire magazine and learns that Kobe has lost 18 pounds since the end of last season.

After checking the Lakers roster and determining that Bryant had been listed as weighing 220 pounds, the devotee does the math and puts Kobe's current weight at 202.

According to his calculations — 2 plus 0 plus 2 — the number now associated with Bryant is four. Dallas, he points out, begins with D ... the fourth letter of the alphabet.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Mid Morning
A friend of the casual numerology devotee points out that the number 18 may have more significance regarding Kobe than the 202. Louisiana, home of the New Orleans Hornets, was the 18th state in the union.


He also points out that R is the 18th letter of the alphabet, making it possible that Bryant could be traded to the Toronto Raptors.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Morning
Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson vigorously denies that a deal regarding his team and the Lakers is being discussed.

Bloggers seize upon this denial as evidence that Kobe will be a Bull before the end of the week.


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Noon
A coalition of reporters and editors from print, broadcast and Internet concerns adopts a resolution promoting "a swift decision regarding the trading or not trading of Kobe Bryant before we all go insane."


Wednesday, Oct. 17, Afternoon
A Southern California geologist announces that the San Andreas Fault has been overtaken, in terms of potential severity, by Mitch Kupchak's Fault.

link (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7344894)

:lmao

[Roxsfan]

http://mvn.com/nba-mavericks/