As team rests, Bryant trade talk lingers
For a change, it was all quiet on the Los Angeles Lakers front.
Then again, they didn't practice Sunday, Coach Phil Jackson choosing to give his players -- and any further sound bites -- the day off.
Jackson dropped an interesting one Saturday, observing aloud that Kobe Bryant hadn't "thrown his heart and soul into performing on the floor," a remark that could be interpreted only as a stronger-than-ever effort by Jackson to spur Kobe Bryant, whose turnovers and time away from practice had been running about the same -- equally high.
It's more business as unusual, always, for the Los Angeles Lakers, who begin the season Tuesday against Houston amid the usual trade rumors, this time an Internet report that the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago were stepping up discussions about Kobe Bryant.
Los Angeles Lakers officials declined to comment on the record, although, as one said, "You can go to sleep tonight without worrying about a thing."
When the Los Angeles Lakers wake up today, they'll face one final day of practice before the season finally begins. Kobe Bryant, who sat out a game and some more practice time because of a sore right wrist, is expected to practice today and, presumably, play Tuesday. Lamar Odom, on the other hand, will not be in uniform, his surgically repaired left shoulder still not up to the task.
Andrew Bynum gave Los Angeles Lakers fans a brief reason to exhale after an efficient 18-point effort in the exhibition finale against Sacramento on Friday, but how he and the Los Angeles Lakers fare against the Rockets, then the Phoenix Suns on Friday, remains to be seen.
Kobe Bryant, for his part, was non-committal about the team's progress when asked about it last week.
"It's tough to say because we haven't had our core guys out there pretty much the entire camp," he said. "It's kind of tough to gauge. We have a lot of young players here trying to find their way through the offense and through the system."
Javaris Crittenton sat in front of the TV and watched the video "a million times," and he might be only slightly exaggerating.
Despite growing up in Atlanta, he has always been fascinated by Magic Johnson, the kid from the South day-dreaming about no-look passes and full-court success in front of Hollywood's glitz and glam.
He has watched "Always Showtime," a highlight video about Johnson, too many times to count. Now he is hoping to eventually create a few highlights of his own.
"I want to be rookie of the year," he said with sincerity. "With that said, you need playing time, and it has to be earned."
In the meantime, the 19th pick in this year's draft has had to settle for smaller victories, be it no-look passes to Andrew Bynum for dunks or an 18-point effort in an exhibition game against Golden State.
Javaris Crittenton, who turns 20 on Dec. 31, has a working knowledge of the triangle offense -- he spent four years of high school playing it at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy -- but he lacks familiarity at a major level after only one year at Georgia Tech.
"We see great potential in Javaris Crittenton, but we know he doesn't have the experience," Jackson said recently. "What I like about Javaris Crittenton is he has that spark. He can get hot. . . . He does have ignition ability."
Fine with Javaris Crittenton. He just hopes to be able to show it.
"I'm looking forward to exciting L.A., getting some wins and hopefully get this team back to where we want to be," he said.
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