--The Times' Mike Bresnahan notes Kobe Bryant's comments that it's very possible that he could play overseas in Italy.

--ESPN.com's J.A. Adande believes the NBA labor talks have reached the Tupac phase.

--Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick talks with newly hired Timberwolves Coach Rick Adelman, who believes the Lakers moved very quickly with the hiring of Mike Brown.

--The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding believes Bryant will play overseas should the NBA lockout resume.

--ESPN Los Angeles' Brian Kamenetzky believes that should Bryant play in Italy, his main motivation will point to the experience.

--Fox Sports West's Michael Martinez talks with Joe Bryant, who believes Kobe could play in Italy. Joe also compared Kobe's innovative procedure in Germany to a "10,000-mile oil change."

--Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that NBA Commissioner David Stern is "going to make a real hard push to get a deal this weekend" and believes that the players union will have little leverage.

--Silver Screen and Roll's C.A. Clark provides a hypothetical preview to the Lakers' 2011-2012 season.

--Forum Blue and Gold's J.M. Poulard looks at the Lakers-Celtics history.

Tweet of the Day: "One thing I've learned re: a subset of Laker fans: The quality of any blog post depends entirely on its treatment of Kobe Bryant." -- ZachLowe_SI (Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: "Kobe deserves the awesome offer from Italy. He worked his life to giving and making lakers a top team in the NBA. There is nothing wrong with a man taking an offer he likes. It is his life and his wish and no one should make a fuss about it." -- Bashir Hermann

-- Mark Medina

Email the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Kobe Bryant at a promotional event in Milan on Wednesday. The Lakers star says he's looking into the possibility of playing for an Italian team. Credit: Luca Bruno / Associated Press / Sept. 28, 2011)