LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers' second straight
blowout loss had the Staples Center crowd chanting "Kobe, Kobe."
But Kobe Bryant couldn't help because he was sitting out his
fourth straight game with an injured left ankle.
There's no telling when the NBA's third-leading scorer will
return. And even when he does, the way things have been going
nothing is guaranteed.
"I don't want to speculate about Kobe being out," coach Phil
Jackson said sharply after a 108-84 loss Wednesday night to the
Sacramento Kings. "I just want to talk about the game we played
tonight and how we played.
"We miss Kobe, and it's too bad he's not here for this game.
But, you know, it's what we've got."
With the playoffs three weeks away, the defending NBA champions
are playing anything but their best ball. And they aren't assured
of having home-court advantage in any series, much less throughout
the playoffs, as they did last spring.
Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant have feuded, openly at times, and Jackson made
some unflattering remarks about Bryant to a Chicago columnist last
week, among them that Bryant had told him he was unhappy with the
triangle offense because it didn't give him a chance to display his
talent.
In addition, Jackson was quoted as saying: "Someone told me
that in high school, Kobe used to sabotage his own games, so the
game could be close, so he could dominate at the end. To sabotage
the team process, to be so self-centered in your own process ...
it's almost stupefying."
Gregg Downer, Bryant's coach at Lower Merion High in Ardmore,
Pa., has called Jackson's comments ridiculous, and Bryant used the
same word, also saying the remarks were not worth comment.
"That was last week, this is this week," Jackson said before
Wednesday night's game.
When asked if he regretted his words, Jackson paused before
replying, "I don't like that word 'regret.' Do you want to restate
the word?"
When asked if he wished he hadn't said it, Jackson answered,
"There's a word, 'sabotage,' that got a large degree of
colorization. ... If I could take the word back, 'sabotage,' I
would do that."
Otherwise, Jackson said he wouldn't back away from his comments.
The Kings scored seven of the first half's final nine points to
go ahead for good, then outscored the Lakers 51-31 in the final 24
minutes, when Los Angeles made only 11-of-43 shots (25.6 percent).
Two nights earlier, the Lakers dropped a 104-83 decision at
Phoenix.
"We didn't have energy," Derek Fisher said. "When we started
to feel the pressure, we took some poor shots and got out of our
offense."
O'Neal scored 25 points in the first half, but was
held to eight in the final 24 minutes to finish with 33, and left
Staples Center without speaking to reporters. The only other Laker
to score in double figures was Rick Fox, with 12 points.
Guard Ron Harper, a stabilizing factor, underwent knee surgery
last week, and is sidelined indefinitely. The Lakers hope to get
him back at playoff time.
"The beat goes on until we get them back," Fox said.
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