Last November, Kobe Bryant averaged 20.2 shots a night. Through Sunday's 104-88 win over the Hornets at Staples, he's up to 25.4, a pace that would exceed all but one season in his career. Some of this can be traced to a pair of overtime games and the absence of Pau Gasol, but obviously he's been more aggressive looking for his own shot. That's made his workload a topic of conversation in the media and among fans. No question, he's playing well, but given that the Lakers are expecting a long year, some have wondered if he's working a little too hard to buoy LA's offense, something that could come back to haunt the Lakers down the road.

I don't buy it. Not simply because the guy is in absurdly good shape, but rather because despite scoring 33.6 points a night, it's likely coming easier relative to the 26.8 he averaged last season. It's no secret that he's moved his game closer to the basket, but less discussed is how playing down there has not only been incredibly effective, but less taxing on Kobe's now 31 year old body:

"It's easier for me, because I've always naturally been a post player. Even when I was a kid, I've always migrated to the post. So it's not something that's unnatural to me. It's not like I'm trying something completely new. For a lot of players, it's not (less demanding physically). It's probably a little bit more taxing, because they're not used to playing down there. I'm used to playing down there since (I was) five or six years old, playing against my older cousins in the post."

Just two seasons ago, the New Orleans Hornets were dangerous, a squad poised to push the Western Conference elites in a way that mirrored Chris Paul's pursuit of an MVP trophy that eventually landed in Kobe Bryant's hands. Just goes to show how unpredictable the NBA world can be.  N'Awlins is now a shell of their 2008 version, offering nothing close to the challenge expected by Kobe and Phil Jackson.  The Lakers' 104-88 win may have been decidedly one-sided, but it at least offered some highlights.

        -Kobe Bryant made it immediately clear his "Abusing Dudes in the Post" Tour has a least a few more stops before the band breaks up.26 points in the first half, with the shots rarely coming from beyond mid-range.  The latest victim to get backed down, then spun on as a turnaround J swished?  Devin Brown, who learned that starting gigs ain't always what they're cracked up to be.  But if it's any comfort to the journeyman guard, Mamba may have crushed him, but we're also talking one of the all-time greats possibly playing at his all-time greatest. So sayeth ESPN's J.A. Adande:

        He's come out firing, a 25.3 shots-per-game average that's on pace to put him over 2,000 field goal attempts for only the second time in his career. He is connecting at a 49 percent rate, better than any other season. And his 33.6 points per game rival the standard of 35.4 he set in 2005-06. Yes, it's possible that Kobe at age 31 is doing work as well as he's ever done it, rather than just quietly slipping into the next phase of his career.

Not bad for someone just getting by like the Roto-Rooter Man.

Normally, we don't focus on what the opposition says unless it relates to the purple and gold, but here it's hard to resist. Chris Paul on what the Hornets are missing:

"We're missing our defense and our ability to score."

Yeah, that about covers it.

The Breakdown is below.

Another contest minus the services of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The Lakers will look for DJ Mbenga to step up in their absences, but really, it's all hands on deck when it comes to picking up the slack. A group effort like the one against Memphis provided a solid blueprint.

The jabber box is below.

AK

Lost in all the reasonable hubbub over the Laker bench's erratic play is the rather steady offense courtesy of reserve Josh Powell.  59% from the floor is impressive in and of itself, considering JP's game tends to consist more of pick and pop J's than dunks.  But eyebrows are truly rising upward at a 60% success from behind the arc. Granted, he's only launched five treys, the sample size a mite small to label Powell the next Reggie Miller.  That he's grown comfortable enough from that distance to average nearly one per game is hopefully a nice sign of things to come this season. 

What I doubt these number mean, however, is steady minutes for Powell once Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are back. Their presences, along with Lamar Odom's, make PT tough sledding for Powell, who's simply not their caliber a player. And like many role players, the returns can be diminishing over increased minutes, anyway. Powell's not a particularly good passer and tends to suffer working off the dribble, meaning he doesn't create for himself or others.  He's also the least effective defender among the team's true bigs and lacks the foot speed needed to check small forwards. 

In other words, there are limits, which is generally for players generally considered limited, as most people would describe Powell. 

The beautiful southern California morning looks a lot better than the Lakers roster heading into Sunday night's game against the Hornets at Staples (6:30, FSW). Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will both be on the sidelines, Gasol's seventh straight game in a suit, Bynum's second. The Hornets will start Devin Brown at the two next to Chris Paul, giving him the unenviable task of marking Kobe Bryant. Not sure how much time Brown has spent defending guys in the post, but given Kobe's performance Friday night against Memphis and the continuing absence of LA's bigs, expect that he'll get the opportunity tonight.

Many, many, many opportunities, actually.

Kobe's production in the post is one reason he says he's scoring more with less work (productive teammates help, too). Paul, conversely, is doing just about everything for the Hornets (and doing it incredibly well, averaging 28.5 ppg on nearly 64% shooting while dishing almost 10 assists a night). They're not winning much in the early going, something that isn't sitting well with the hypercompetitive PG. 

The header basically lays it out for you, but on the odd chance I start getting paid by the word...

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will miss Sunday's tussle with Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, reports the LAT's Broderick Turner of the LAT. Neither was able to practice Saturday afternoon, Another night of rest means the pair will get a fairly extended time to heal before the Lakers again take the floor Thursday night at Staples. 

The Hornets aren't exactly deep up front, but DJ Mbenga, coming off a strong 13 rebound, four block effort Friday night against the Grizzlies, will need another solid effort against Emeka Okafor. As a team, the Lakers will have to account for Paul, who passes more effectively than the entire Grizzlies roster combined, and the pick and roll. While the Hornets (2-4) are struggling, it'll still be a different potentially more difficult defensive experience for Lakers as a team (since Paul is unburdened by the guiding principle of the Memphis offensive scheme, namely dribbling aimlessly for no less than 17 seconds before making a pass or trying to execute a set).

In other news, Elliott Teaford of the Daily News has a Kareem-to-Memphis update.

BK

Gave myself a nice shave of the dome before heading to the arena tonight. With a machete and some Barbasol, far as you know.

More breakdown below.

No Pau. No Drew. But both K Brothers. So basically, an even trade off, right?

The jabber box is below.

AK

We kicked it around in Thursday's PodKast, it's being discussed in reasonably wide circles around the NBA: The bench is an issue for the Lakers. This is not a state secret, but is counter to the Great Purple and Gold Depth Narrative constructed a couple seasons back, and as we all know those can be slow to change.

When everyone is healthy (something we won't see Friday night against the Grizzlies at Staples, as both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are expected to miss the game) the Lakers have incredible frontcourt depth, top end depth, and versatility, which I consider a form of depth. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom. That's a serious quintet, with potentially overwhelming length and mobility on both ends of the floor, great passing skills, post play for days (fancy new stuff, too, in the case of 24) and matchup options that would make most coaches jealous.

Define deep as having a reliable and lengthy bench and it's tougher for the Lakers to compete, at least as it stands this morning. No question, once Lamar Odom, as impactful a sixth man as any in the league, resumes that role it'll solve a lot of problems. We saw last year how much his presence helps elevate the rest of the reserves, and behind him among the forward/centers, the red-hot Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga are more than adequate given their spots in the rotation. Luke Walton has a utility to the Lakers that makes him a handy rotation/role guy. When people talk about depth and bench issues with the Lakers, they're referring to the backcourt, where Phil Jackson is currently sorting through Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic, and Jordan Farmar in an effort to find a stable backup to Bryant and a way to better manage Derek Fisher's minutes.

Sorting is a good word for it, too.

Ears receive the gift of manna from the heavens, because a new 710 ESPN.com Lakers PodKast has entered the Internet.  And like them gum hawking twins, BK and I double our listener's pleasure with two installments of our voices.  At no extra charge, I might add.  Because we're givers. 

Part I

        -The Lakers arrive in L.A. after back-to-back OT roadie wins over Oklahoma City and Houston.  Only bummer? Andrew Bynum's strained elbow, which will force him to miss tomorrow's game against Memphis.  Hopefully, it's not an extended absence, if for no other reason than he and Pau Gasol need time together on the floor ASAP.

        -Well, one more reason, too.  The sooner Drew and Pau are the starting 4/5 duo, the sooner Lamar Odom can rejoin the second unit, which desperately misses his presence.  Sixth man LO also likely means the quick end of a five man guard rotation, which PJ hinted wouldn't run much longer either way.  We speculate who's most likely to find himself aced out. 

        -Who'da thunk it, but Sasha Vujacic may be half of the highest profile romance involving an NBA player.  Does dating Maria Sharapova top Khlamar?  And more importantly, is this a "Domino!" heard 'round the the Lakers locker room?

PART II

       - BK and I talk with Slam Magazine/Slamonline.com's Lang Whitaker about who got the better end of the Artest-Ariza "swap," shoot down the ludricous "LeBron to the Lakers" scenario that's all the rage these days, and discuss the media's delicate covering of Delonte West's issues (detailed in wonderful form by Cleveland Scene's '64 And Counting blog)

        -Move over, Antoine Walker, there's a new irresponsible spending sheriff in town.  Once chief among my acting heroes, Nicolas Cage not only makes mostly crap movies these days, but spends his "crap movie" checks on ludicrous nonsense he neither needs nor apparently can afford.  Like, say, a pair of islands.  Or a pet octopus.  Although if he knows a guy who sells shrunken heads in bulk, that might have saved him a few bucks.

AK

Presumably this MRI was read without first being sent to Spain, and word out of El Segundo this afternoon is that Andrew Bynum suffered a strained right elbow in LA's 103-102 win over the Rockets Wednesday night. The LAT's Mike Bresnahan reports Bynum is doubtful for Friday night's game against the Grizzlies at Staples, but the news could have been worse:

Bynum said he was relieved that the injury wasn't "too serious." He had better range of motion this afternoon after being unable to use his right arm while getting dressed after Wednesday night's game. He said he wasn't sure if he would play Sunday against New Orleans.

Pau Gasol won't play tomorrow either, meaning the Lakers will be short a lot of size against Memphis. On the other hand, given Bynum's team-specific injury history, even fans who don't normally get sucked into superstition might breathe a sigh of relief knowing Drew will be suited up in an actual suit Friday night. Better safe than sorry.

BK

NOTE: Just a reminder, our Twitter feed has moved to latimesKbros. Thanks!

It was about as pretty as a Lohan family reunion these days, but when the dust settles, all anyone cares about is the final tally.  This one wrapped up at 103-102, the Lakers on top and the Rockets just short. I already summarized some high and low points from the contest during the intro to last  night's postgame chat, but here are a few more talking points to aid your mouth's mission:

• The uber-lowest issue development may have come with just seconds remaining to play. While delivering a pretty hard foul, Chuck Hayes wrenched Andrew Bynum's elbow and left the Laker center in very obvious discomfort. It's being listed as a sprain for the time being, with more tests and results to come.
  
  Hopefully, this will emerge one of those injuries that smarts mightily upon impact, but cools down fast with time and treatment. If Drew is forced to miss any games, aside from the obvious issues involving frontcourt depth (As Mike Bresnahan wryly notes, "Anyone ready for Lamar Odom at center?"), this put him even further behind the eight ball for a bigger goal: Increasing his familiarity playing alongside Pau Gasol, who's been cleared to practice and should return reasonably soon. 

Well, it took five extra minutes and a lot of anxiety, but the Lakers pulled out back-to-back road wins in overtime, this time against the Houston Rockets.  Like the previous night's muddy, often ugly work in Oklahoma City, there were aspects enjoyable, along with some elements I could have done without.   But it's a win, and I'll always accept a "W" with very little arm twisting.

The Good

• 24 hours removed from treating the ball like it was a greased pig (26 turnovers vs. Oklahoma City), the Lakers took considerably better care of the rock.  Only nine gaffes this time around. In a game where you don't play even close to your best, it helps to minimize the damage on some level. By contrast, Houston had nineteen turnovers. 
• Some terrific defensive teamwork by Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum on high screen and roll coverage down the fourth quarter stretch, which sparked dry Houston possessions. The Lakers then capitalized, which allowed them get back into the game and force the bonus period.  While the defense was anything but perfect on the night, it definitely got better as the game progressed.
• Despite some missed assignments and bunnies, Drew's 17/17 effort was pretty strong. 
• 41 points for Kobe Bryant, with six in OT.  As the minutes increased, so did the degree of difficulty for many of those shots.  There's a reason the guy is often referred to as the game's best closer.
• "Traded" players Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza trading threes to force OT.  You can't script that stuff, but you'd sure like to, so it's awesome when real life has a sense of drama.
• Not an incredible effort from the bench, but trending upward.
• Getting 'er done.  Bottom line.

The Not as Good

• Houston beating the Lakers 54-48 on the glass, with seventeen offensive boards.  It's a team of midgets.  Granted, they're midgets talented at rebounding, but they're also just a crew of hustlers.  You have to expect that and meet the energy.  The Lakers didn't and allowed way too many second and third chances.  And on a related note, too many layups.
• By and large, the ball movement was stagnant, with way too few looks inside to capitalize on LA's size advantage.
• Fisher: 0-5 with a goose egg in the scoring column.  Granted, he had some huge plays in critical moments (including defense and a steal on Houston's final possession), but they needed more from him on the offensive end.  And his overall D on Brooks was spotty.
• Allowing Carl Landry to score 20 off the bench and Chuck Hayes to score 14... period. 
• Lamar Odom's first half.  1-8 for a trio of points.  Ouch!

Jabber box below for the chat.

AK

Another one after tonight's game.  Probably ten or so minutes after the game ends.  It'll run about 15-ish minutes.  Also, both the chat and the second half of the live blog will be just me on my lonesome, as BK had to step out.  Thus, I GUARANTEE CHATTER WILL RUN SLOW.  DON'T COMPLAIN, as it won't help and will only annoy me.

Thanks.

AK

But first, some good news.  It's being reported by The Times' Mike Bresnahan that Pau Gasol's hamstring has been declared "tear-free" after more test results finally arrived.  He's ready to resume basketball activity and has an outside shot at playing this Friday against Memphis and his brother, Marc.  710 ESPN/KCAL's John Ireland said during 710's pregame show that Pau was going to participate in various roundball action before tip off, just to see how he feels tomorrow. 

My guess: He won't play until Sunday, because there's conditioning considerations at hand  And as play-by-play announcer Spiro Dedes smartly noted during the pregame show, it's asking a lot of Pau to deal both with a long lay off AND the emotions of balling against a sib. Either way, it sounds like El Spaniard will be back ASAP, which couldn't come sooner.

The jabberbox will appear after the jump.  Good to see y'all.

AK

Let me preface this post by stating that the Ron Artest-Trevor Ariza "swap" isn't a K Brother obsession, even if a string of posts over the last several days makes it reasonable to assume otherwise.  It just so happens the particular offseason storyline has popped up organically during some recent threads. Add another to that list.

After Monday's practice, I asked Artest about today's game against Houston, his first time facing the Rockets since leaving their roster. The Lakers being Ron's fifth team, he's certainly no stranger to competing against a franchise that once employed him. Players like to downplay these particular matchups ("It's just another game" being the most popular cliche.), but there's an undeniable charge from going mano y' mano with your old squad. Particularly when the situation involves getting traded or the team opts to let you go as a free agent, the latter applying to Artest.   On the surface, the makings of a garden-variety "gunning to drop 35 on your asses" matchup, but the specifics make things a little different.

Not only is he barely removed from his stint as a Rocket (five games into the new season), but time in Houston helped rebuild Artest's rep as a professional.  Even in a contract year that might prompt his best behavior and an established relationship with Rick Adelman, the "Ron Artest business" was considered a risky one.  The move paid off, as Artest played some of the best ball of his career and was regarded as a team leader, a tag not exactly littering his resume.  In the meantime, an unpredictability more quirky than volatile emerged for Artest.  He seemed genuinely happy in Houston, which hadn't always been the case in the past.  The feeling was mutual as fans mobbed him during the final moments of Houston's first round series against the Blazers. This moment put the "i" in "irony," which wasn't lost on Artest.

It took an overtime push and a few fortunate breaks, but the Lakers did indeed knock off the Thunder Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, 101-98 the final. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, Ron Artest put in 20 and found the range on his jumper (6-8 from the floor, 2-3 from beyond the arc), Andrew Bynum was efficient en route to 21/10, making 10 of his 15 shots.

On the one hand, the Lakers went on the road and beat a highly motivated and increasingly tough opponent while Pau Gasol sat on the sidelines and Kobe worked his way through a fever that forced him to miss shootaround and put his participation in question (sort of, since nobody in their right mind believes Kobe would miss a game because of the flu). But for everything they did well, there was an equally important aspect of the game they managed to botch. A few numbers and morning after thoughts:

• As the game went along, I thought the Lakers did a solid job defensively. They had 16 steals, forced 21 turnovers, and were effective in their traps, particularly in the second half. Overall, the Thunder shot only 43% and scored 39 points over the final 24 minutes of regulation. Derek Fisher was particularly effective against Russell Westbrook, a tough matchup for anyone. He held his own against the former UCLA product in the open floor, and whether it's because the Thunder don't set strong picks, Fisher is a very strong PG, or both, he was able to wreck his fair share of screen and rolls. Bynum made a great play on Kevin Durant in the closing moments of OT, rotating off his man to block a shot that could have put the Thunder ahead. Overall, it was one of Bynum's stronger defensive games in recent memory, in terms of help defense.
• The exception was offensive rebounding. The Lakers gave away far too many, especially in the first half. And of course there's no defense for turnovers. They shot 70% in the first quarter, but only finished up by seven because of points off turnovers. At the half, LA was still in the 60% range, but the game was tight. Why? POTs favored the Thunder by a 19-8 margin. In the third, the Lakers dodged a bullet, finishing the quarter down only one after giving the ball away nine times. Nine times? Nine. Times. In one quarter. That's absurd. They did it with careless outlet passes, poor decisions in the halfcourt, offensive fouls, you name it. Kobe finished with seven on the night, a function likely of both his illness and the defensive work of Thabo Sefolosha.
• Phil Jackson gave Artest minutes with the second unit, putting him in a position to drive the offense and Artest responded well. Were there moments of indecision and overdribbling? Sure, but he was assertive when the Lakers needed him to be, and that's a step in the right direction. One thing we'll all have to get used to is the aesthetics of Artest's offensive game. It's not necessarily a pretty thing. He's strong off the dribble, but hardly elegant.
• Sorting out the bench remains an issue. Last night, Jackson didn't invest much time in them, not all that surprising given their collective ineffectiveness. 

More Lakers/NBA news below the jump.

It appears that Pau Gasol's injured hamstring is improving. The LAT's Mike Bresnahan reports Gasol was able to finish what Phil Jackson called a "pretty good workout" Tuesday afternoon after shootaround in Oklahoma City, and while he won't play Wednesday- no surprise- Jackson wouldn't eliminate the possibility of a return Friday night at Staples against Memphis.

I still think they'll want to see Gasol practice in full and then recover well the following day before putting him on the floor for a game, but if that can happen this week it opens the door if not for OJ Mayo and Co. perhaps Sunday's game against Chris Paul and the Hornets. 

We'll just have to wait and see. (Sound familiar?)

BK

Well, the score went the right way, but there wasn't much else about the Lakers' 101-98 overtime win against the Thunder in Oklahoma City that'll make them all giddy. For every good thing the Lakers did (forcing 21 TOs, for example) there was a negative counter (25 turnovers of their own, for example). Yes, the Lakers held Oklahoma City to 39 points in the second half (for example), but they only scored 38 (and so on).

Kobe finished with 31 points on 9-22 shooting and 12-14 from the line... and seven turnovers. Ron Artest had his best shooting night as a Laker and finished with 20 points, five steals, and six dimes... and four TOs. Just continuing to work a theme here, folks. Andrew Bynum was 10-15 en route to 22. Maybe they could have gone there a little more?

Chat box below. Remember, it's a Q and A style, with the goal of having a good conversation people can read and follow when it's over. Not every comment or question will go through. Ask about the game, about the season, and so on. Hopefully, this experiment works!

BK