Can Rudy handle Hollywood?
By Marc Stein

SAN DIEGO – Five observations from Los Angeles Lakers training camp, based on practices of Oct. 5-6:

Rudy's burden: You have to respect Rudy Tomjanovich. Yes, he's getting a handsome salary to coach this team, but the big money is understandable given NBA market conditions and the size of job he took. Replacing Phil Jackson and coaching the player with more influence over ownership than anyone else in the league? Not every coach would want those responsibilities, no matter the cash.

My doubts, incidentally, deal a lot more with how Rudy T handles the Hollywood spotlight than the actual coaching. Houston was a small market, and Tomjanovich was one of its favorite sons, virtually bulletproof however the Rockets did. Before his first two media sessions last week, a horde of reporters rushed at him as if it feared it had to tackle Rudy to make sure he stopped to talk.

Dealing with the daily crush, and the inevitable line of negative questioning when the Lakers struggle, could be a bigger drain on Tomjanovich than anything he has experienced before.

Bryant's bulk: Kobe Bryant is noticeably bigger than he was. Noticeably. Especially when you rewind back to last October and remember how bare-bones he looked after arriving for camp in Hawaii at barely 200 pounds, compared to the 230 he weighs now.

Joe Carbone, Kobe's personal trainer since high school, is now the Lakers' strength and conditioning coach, so Bryant is bound to spend more time than ever in the gym.

Strangely, though, he says he hasn't bulked up for any particular on-court reason. NBA players generally add bulk or slim down based on forthcoming position changes. Bryant told me he simply he wanted to get stronger because he felt that was his obligation to the franchise. Of course, given the pounding he's going to take this season – with more minutes and shots coming than ever, and without Shaquille O'Neal to draw defenders away – extra strength can't hurt. And Bryant insists he hasn't lost any of his quickness in the process.

Mihm's the word: Some good news: Chris Mihm has been an early surprise, scoring regularly with his jump hook and providing better energy and activity than any other big man in camp. The bad news: Mihm, in the two days I saw the Lakers, was their third-best player.

Now, just to be clear, Mihm's tennis background ensures he'll always be viewed favorably at Stein Line HQ, because tennis is the third sport of choice here next to basketball and proper football. However … Rudy T has a problem if a center with career averages of 6.9 points and 5.0 boards is his No. 3 option.

Surprising Sasha: Nothing is going to replace playing with Peja Stojakovic, his best friend and countryman, but Vlade Divac has a new protégé. Already he can be found in the constant company of first-round pick Sasha Vujacic, the lanky Slovenian guard who is seeing plenty of touches at the point in his NBA infancy.

With a wily Euro vet like Divac to serve as chaperone – something Vlade didn't have when he arrived on these shores, along with nowhere near the level of English spoken by Sasha – Vujacic is bound to make a faster transition from the Italian League to ours.

It also helps that Vujacic is 6-foot-7 (the sort of size for a ballhandler Phil Jackson would have loved) and oozing confidence. Upon learning the Lakers placed only 13th in the first edition of the ESPN.com NBA Power Rankings, he turned to Divac and said of your humble correspondent: "We'll send him a picture of the trophy."

Get to know me: If you're going to a Lakers game this season, as a Laker Lover or Laker Hater, buy a program. Trust us, you're going to need it, no matter what Sasha says.