By Elliott Teaford - Daily News

NBA: Trade for Gasol, Bynum’s improvement have helped Lakers
go from dysfunctional family to one of league’s model franchises.

EL SEGUNDO

When the Lakers went to training camp Oct. 1, Jerry Buss was perceived to be a disinterested owner, Mitch Kupchak was an ineffective general manager and Kobe Bryant was one seriously disgruntled employee.

Fifty-two games later, the Lakers look like a model franchise.

Thirty-five victories before the All-Star break cured all manner of ills.

Trades for center Pau Gasol and backup forward Trevor Ariza aided the Lakers’ first-half turnaround. So did Phil Jackson’s decision to sign a contract extension as coach, as did the dramatic improvement of Andrew Bynum.

No one has handed the Lakers the NBA championship yet, but they are considered by many to be among the top contenders for the title. They start their playoff push tonight, when they play host to the Atlanta Hawks.

Gasol makes his Staples Center debut for the Lakers, after fitting seamlessly into their system. His shooting and passing skills have meshed perfectly, making it appear as if he’s been with the Lakers for years rather than weeks.

Buss and Kupchak have been hailed for making bold moves to improve the team, especially the Feb. 1 trade for Gasol. Bryant no longer seems interested in being traded. In fact, Bryant has praised Buss and Kupchak for their in-season roster makeover.

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By Elliott Teaford - Daily News

EL SEGUNDO - Kobe Bryant returned from his vacation in New Orleans, rejoined his teammates for their practice and worked up a good sweat. He did not change his mind about undergoing surgery on his damaged right pinkie, however.

“I’m going to go all the way with it,” Bryant said Monday.

Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist, recommended surgery. Bryant has decided to wait until after the Olympics in August.

“It is what it is and you play with it the best you can,” he said.

Bryant injured his finger reaching for a loose ball in the Lakers’ victory on Feb. 5, when he jammed his finger into the body of Jason Kidd. Bryant then aggravated the injury in the Lakers’ win Feb. 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He went to see the doctor the next day and then ignored his advice.

Bryant attended the All-Star weekend in New Orleans, but pulled out of the 3-point shooting contest, played only three minutes and did not attempt a shot in the game.

“I was able to rest it a lot over the weekend, really not doing a lot,” he said. “Just icing it and doing therapy with the trainers over the All-Star break. So it feels a lot better now than it did even before I re-injured it against Minnesota.”

Bryant said he doesn’t expect opponents to go after his pinkie.

“They don’t have the (guts),” he said. “If this was the 1980s, I’d be worried about it. It’s not the 1980s, so I’m not worried about it. Obviously, if it dislocates again we’ll have to rest it, ice it and do whatever we need to do.”

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By BRODERICK TURNER - The Press-Enterprise

EL SEGUNDO - It became a what-if scenario for Kobe Bryant.

Bryant has a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger that he delayed having surgery on.

So, Bryant was asked at practice Monday, what if he injures the finger later in the season and is required to have surgery before the playoffs start and that jeopardizes his postseason chances?

“I could also get struck by lightning,” Bryant said. “The chances of that happening are pretty slim.

“I’ll be more mindful of it. … The ligaments are gone, so I don’t know what could get worse, unless I just fracture it or something like that.”

Bryant has elected to have surgery after the Lakers season is over and after the summer Olympics in China in August. The scheduled rehabilitation time is six weeks.

Bryant taped the pinkie finger together with other finger — what Bryant called “buddy taped” — and practiced that way Monday.

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A good attitude and the addition of Gasol bode well for a title shot.

By KEVIN DING - The Orange County Register

EL SEGUNDO - The Lakers know they’re going to be really good. You can see it in Kobe Bryant’s relaxation, Pau Gasol’s earnestness and Phil Jackson’s sparkling eye.

What is at issue is how fast that confidence can translate into a championship.

It could happen over the next four months, which is why Bryant and his coach agreed in a conversation Thursday after learning about torn ligaments in Bryant’s shooting hand that surgery wasn’t a viable option, even if it was doctor-recommended.

“It’s just too good an opportunity for us right now as a team,” Jackson said.

Everything that has happened over the past four months — except for injuries that have left Jackson joking about “a black cloud” over his second tenure with the Lakers — is more than anyone could have dreamed for an organization once in turmoil.

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Bryant’s injured finger would have had a bull’s eye on it in years past, but that kind of ‘old-school’ approach is less prevalent today.

By Mark Heisler, Los Angeles Times

NEW ORLEANS — Having played the first 2 minutes 47 seconds of the All-Star game and escaped unscathed, Kobe Bryant now turns his focus back to the Lakers’ season, where his appearance will be more than ceremonial.

Once, opposing players would have actually attacked an injured player, and it remains to be seen how today’s players will approach Bryant, who has a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger.

“Well, we had a little rule,” said Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, “if you put something on your hand or on your body, that was a bull’s eye.

“I don’t know if that goes on anymore. We actually talk about that. I don’t think anyone wants to hurt anyone, but if you’re going to go out and play injured, we’re not going to let you beat us injured. That was the old-school thought. I think that’s still prevalent today, but not as much.”

Said New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott, another old-school player and once Bryant’s teammate and mentor with the Lakers:

“I don’t think they do it now. In our day they would have done it every game until he couldn’t probably play, especially if you have an injury like Kobe has, where you have to wear some type of protection; guys would take shots at that all the time.

“But it’s a different league now. I don’t think it’s as physical or as rough, which is probably a good thing as well.”

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