This is the first in a series of posts awarding midseason grades to some members of the Lakers.

Player: Kobe Bryant

How he performed: Averaged a league-leading 28.7 points per game on 43.5% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists.

The good: Bryant discovered the fountain of youth again after having innovative procedures this off-season on his surgically repaired right knee and left ankle. Even with a torn ligament in his right wrist, Bryant strung a four-game stretch where he scored at least 40 points, the first time he's done so since 2007. As erratic as the Laker offense is, they would be in even worse shape had Bryant not performed at such a prolific rate.

Bryant also delivered some tremendous locker room leadership. Though he criticized the team's decision to trade Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks, Bryant still gave the front office a vote of confidence. That is, until last week when he blasted Laker brass for not providing clarity on whether Pau Gasol would be traded before the March 15 deadline. Bryant's comments helped rally the team together.

The bad: As amazing as Bryant's scoring output has been, it hasn't always been a good thing. He went on a seven-game stretch in February where he shot 37% from the field. The Lakers' fourth-quarter execution also routinely breaks down because the offense mostly features Bryant in isolation sets. That has resulted in both Andrew Bynum and Gasol being underutilized.

Lakers Coach Mike Brown has also mishandled Bryant's minutes. His average of 38.2 minutes a game exceeds the 33-35 minutes Brown hoped to assign Bryant. Say all you want about the Lakers' poor depth, Bryant will be much more valuable with maximum health and energy in the playoffs rather than by playing extra minutes to improve the team's playoff seeding.

Grade: A-

It's easy to overlook Bryant's greatness. He entered the 2011-12 season with injury questions, but has shown thus far that his off-season medical treatment and full-time determination can keep him going.

Still, Brown needs to use Bryant differently in the second half of the season. It's unhealthy for the team's development for Bryant to have such a heavy burden on offense with both his minutes and production.

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Kobe Bryant deserves better communication from Jim Buss

-- Mark Medina

Email the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Kobe Bryant, right, Shawn Marion. Credit: Larry Smith / European Press Agency.

Why the Thunder is a threat to the Lakers: The Lakers showed in their 100-85 loss Thursday to Oklahoma City why they would have no chance against the Thunder in the playoffs. Regardless of how the Lakers tried to control the tempo, it didn't work. The Thunder went on a 9-0 third-quarter run even though the Lakers remained methodical on offense and minimized Oklahoma City's transition game. The Thunder also scored 21 fast-break points. All in all, they showcased their depth, while the Lakers scrambled to find oxygen masks.

Why the Lakers are a threat to the Thunder: Blame part of the Lakers' struggles against the Thunder to their back-to-back the previous night against Dallas. In the playoffs, the Lakers would have more days to rest their aging bones and to make adjustments. James Harden's trash talk would prompt Kobe Bryant to light him up the next game. Metta World Peace would have more chances to figure out how to temper Kevin Durant's scoring. Andrew Bynum wouldn't do as much of a disappearing act. Also, come April, the Lakers offense will look much prettier than it appears right now.

VERDICT: Two years ago, the Lakers survived a six-game first-round series against the Thunder because of their experience. That's not a factor anymore. Oklahoma City is now battle-tested, having reached last year's Western Conference finals. Meanwhile, the Lakers have become older and slower. Unless they upgrade their roster, they likely could only push a playoff series to five games. 

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-- Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard James Harden slap hands after scoring against the Lakers and power forward Troy Murphy in the first half Thursday night in Oklahoma City. Credit: Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press / February 23, 2012

Kobe Bryant's legs appeared wobbly. His shot looked shaky. The defense appeared overwhelming. 

The Lakers' 96-91 victory Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks was hardly the kind of night Bryant has usually experienced this season. Most nights, he's draining shots with ease, taking over the end of the game and proving a torn ligament in his right wrist doesn't bother him.

Not this time.

Bryant posted a season-low 15 points on four-of-15 shooting, committed seven turnovers and hardly looked like a player you'd want carrying the offense. He's entitled to a bad game, of course. Bryant has led the league in scoring. He has  carried an often dysfunctional offense on his  back. Bryant has bought Lakers Coach Mike Brown some time to let  his philosophies  soak into the team without sacrificing enough wins to seriously jeopardize their playoff prospects.

But Bryant's performance against Dallas provided proof of a season-long problem Brown has yet to solve. Despite promises that  Bryant would be limited to 33-35 minutes per game, the Lakers star remains fourth in the league in playing time (38.2), nearly four minutes more than last season. 

Fortunately for the Lakers, they absorbed Bryant's poor night. The Lakers maintained their size advantage, with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combining for 43 points. Lakers guard Derek Fisher suddenly  was an effective outside shooter, dropping 15 points on a six-of-eight clip. Metta World Peace held Vince Carter to two second-half points. After the Lakers missed six consecutive free throws, including two from Bryant, Matt Barnes grabbed an offensive rebound with 27 seconds left and made two foul shots to secure the win. Even with Bryant's limitations, he still nailed a 25-foot three-pointer and threw two late-game lobs to Gasol and Bynum.

It's  presumptuous, however, to think the Lakers can consistently replicate such a balanced effort. It's more likely that it  reflected a motivation stemming from their recent frustrations with the front office and coaching staff. And that leaves the Lakers with a problem without a clear fix.

Brown has maintained he's gone against limiting Bryant's minutes simply because of the team's flimsy development. But he also held Bryant in double-digit losses to Miami and Phoenix this season.  The longer Brown avoids addressing this problem, however, the more likely Bryant won't play at his best when it matters in the playoffs. 

RELATED:

Five things to take from Lakers' 96-91 win over Dallas Mavericks

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Kobe Bryant taking measured approach in leading Lakers

-- Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com.

Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, drives past Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki during the first half of Wednesday's game. Credit: Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press / Feb. 22, 2012

Some things to keep an eye on when the Lakers (20-13) visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-7) on Thursday evening at Chesapeake Energy Arena:

1. The Lakers must slow the tempo down. There's absolutely no chance the Lakers can maintain a run-and-gun offense, even if it features Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum scoring at a prolific rate. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden will run laps. As ugly as the Lakers' offense has looked at times, they still remain 11th in the league in points per possession. To what degree the Lakers can show efficiency is predicated on their ball movement, reads on double teams and taking smart shots.

That doesn't mean the Lakers shouldn't find easy baskets. But that mostly points to things beyond running the floor. The frontline needs to immediately establish post position after a defensive stop or rebound. The Lakers have to own the offensive glass. They need to make quick effective swing passes to throw Oklahoma City's rotations off balance. And Bryant needs to avoid shooting in isolation sets.

This strategy doesn't guarantee victory. Oklahoma City's 119-104 victory Wednesday over the Boston Celtics featured a 30-3 run after Boston opened with a 22-12 lead. The Thunder also run 15.6% of their offense off transition, according to Synergy Sports Technology. But slowing the pace down gives the Lakers their only chance in staying in this game.

2. The Lakers must remain disciplined on pick-and-roll defense. Another game, another concern on how the Lakers can stop a speedy backcourt. It's inevitable the Thunder will exploit this. OKC runs 20.5% of their offense on pick-and-rolls between either the ball handler (16.4%) or post-up (6.1%) so it remains critical that the Lakers address this the right way. That involves Derek Fisher and Steve Blake communicating to their frontline so they can show out in time to stop dribble penetration. But it also involves Gasol and Bynum making sure they don't do so, while leaving the paint vulnerable. This will require plenty of communication and crossmatching. It's a losing cause, but it's something the Lakers can at least minimize. 

1. The Lakers made it harder than necessary in securing a 96-91 victory Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks. They should feel happy by collecting a rare road win. But it didn't have to be this hard. Despite leading 93-86 with 1:06 remaining, the Lakers nearly squandered the game. They missed six consecutive free throws. They gave Jason Terry a wide-open three-pointer and failed to box out Dirk Nowitzki on a tip-in, plays that cut the lead to 93-91 with 29 seconds left. But the Lakers still prevailed, partly because Matt Barnes secured a rebound off Pau Gasol's second missed foul shot. Barnes then made both free throws to secure the win.

2. Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum played aggressively. It's easy to psychoanalyze the reason behind Gasol's 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting  with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. This came days after Kobe Bryant publicly blasted the front office for not providing clarity on Gasol's future. It also marked his first visit to Dallas since the Lakers' sweep by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals, a series in which Gasol proved a huge factor in the Lakers' fall. Whatever it was, Gasol looked agressive right from the first possession.

He attacked the Mavericks on hook shots in the lane, turnaround jumpers and putbacks. Gasol made two crucial baskets late in the game. He tipped in Bryant's miss, tying the score, 80-80, with 6:41 to play. Gasol also converted off Bryant's jump pass to him inside, extending the Lakers' lead to 91-86 with 1:29 remaining. Despite having trouble guarding him in last year's playoffs, Gasol held Dirk Nowitzki to 25 points on nine-for-22 shooting by forcing him to take off-balance shots that even he couldn't make. He didn't avoid the brutal contact Brendan Haywood delivered with his elbow with 20 seconds left.

Gasol wasn't perfect. He committed five turnovers and missed his two free throws in the fourth quarter. But his aggressiveness, enthusiasm for greeting the bench after a hot start and high-fiving Bryant throughout the game demonstrated his sharp focus.

As for Bynum, his 19 points on six-of-10 shooting, seven free throws, 14 rebounds and one block appears more impressive than it does on paper. That's because his production mostly hinged on Bynum making himself big in the post, restablishing position after kicking out of double teams and making putbacks. The Lakers need to involve him more, but it shows Bynum's growth that he can still produce on his own.

3. Derek Fisher had a strong shooting night. Don't look now, but Fisher has put a string of performances that shows he's still capable of providing some supplementary shooting. He scored 15 points on six-for-eight shooting. He successfully advocated for an official's replay in the third quarter on an out-of-bounds call that went the Lakers' way. Fisher held possession off an inbounds pass with 27 seconds left despite facing a double team. 

It's unrealistic to think Fisher will sustain the 8.8 points on 62.5% shooting he has averaged in the last four games. But at least against the Mavericks, Fisher played with great efficiency. His shots came in rhythm and off great ball movement. That included a sequence that entailed Bryant facing a double team and feeding to Gasol at the left elbow, Gasol passing to Bynum inside and Bynum kicking the ball out at the top of the key. Fisher nailed the three-pointer to give the Lakers an 87-82 lead with 4:13 remaining. He then made a floater in the lane on the next possession, a shot Fisher usually never makes. For his strong play, Fisher played the last 5:28 of the fourth quarter. Brown usually has granted that time to Steve Blake both to rest Fisher's body and because of his shooting and defensive struggles. But against Dallas, Fisher rightfully earned the 27 minutes.

In the middle of the night, Kobe Bryant often sees something on film and texts Mike Brown a thought or a question.

The Lakers coach texts right back.

Moments after stewing about the Lakers trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks, Bryant visited Mitch Kupchak's office. The general manager maintains the meeting remained jovial and involved more than just why the Lakers traded their most valuable reserve.

Soon after the Lakers' 103-92 victory Monday over the Portland Trail Blazers, Bryant spoke at an informal meeting. Just like they do during practice and games, his teammates' ears perked up.

Unfortunately for Bryant, executive Jim Buss hasn't extended the same courtesy. He didn't heed any of Bryant's suggestions during this offseason's coaching search for Phil Jackson's replacement. Buss didn't even alert him ahead of time the Lakers would hire Brown. The same can be said about Odom's departure, the franchise's direction and pretty much any imaginable topic. The silence has remained so rampant, Bryant revealed in an interview with the New York Post's Peter Vescey in December that he couldn't recall the last time he spoke with Buss.

It shouldn't be that way. That's why Magic Johnson suggested in a conference call that Buss should personally meet with Bryant, who "just wants to be informed as a leader and future Hall of Famer and a guy who has brought five championships to the Lakers."

"He wants more communication, probably like he did when [former coach] Phil Jackson was there and he worked well with Mitch," Johnson said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "I don't think Kobe feels he has that type of relationship or the communication has been there with Jim. What probably has to happen is they need to sit Kobe down and sit Jim down. Dr. [Jerry] Buss was the master at taking you to lunch or taking you to dinner and going over what he was thinking and what he wanted to do with the team. Jerry West was good at that as well. Kobe, Mitch and Jim just have to get on the same page and things will be OK."

1. Can the Lakers win on the road? If it sounds redundant, that's because it is. The Lakers have a 5-11 road record and have shown few signs of turning that record around. But perhaps that will change at Dallas. This marks the first time the Lakers have played there since the Mavericks eliminated them in a four-game sweep in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals.

The Lakers met informally following their 103-92 victory Monday over the Portland Trail Blazers to discuss putting away frustrations involving trade rumors, the coaching staff and other issues. L.A. showed the right energy level and ball movement against Portland, but that was at Staples Center and Dallas is a much better team. Wednesday night's game provides a huge signal whether the Lakers can play with the same purpose and execution on the road.

2. Dallas is a much different team than when the Lakers last played them. Don't use the Lakers' 73-70 victory Jan. 16 against the Mavs as a barometer. Back then, the Mavericks had an 8-5 record, Dirk Nowitzki was averaging only 17.7 points and Jason Kidd had back issues that had sidelined him for four games. Now, the Mavericks are 21-12 and have won eight of their last nine games. They rank fourth in scoring defense (90.7 points per game) and first in field-goal percentage allowed (.415) after finishing 10th and eighth respectively in those categories last season. In the last 10 games, Nowitzki has averaged 25.4 points on 49.5% shooting.

3.Gasol vs. Nowitzki is always crucial to watch. With Pau Gasol's confidence appearing to strengthen after Kobe Bryant publicly supported him, this will be a good test to see whether the Spaniard can sustain it. In the last outing, Gasol compensated for a poor offensive night (three of 11 clip) by limiting Nowitzki to 21 points on eight-for-21 shooting. Nowitzki is unlikely to drop off from his 29.3 points he's averaged in the past three games. Meanwhile, Gasol has only averaged 14.3 points on 40.5% shooting. Nowitzki relies more on his fall-away jumper, while Gasol settles more on his mid-range game.

The Lakers have already crossed the path where they began embarking on an uncertain future.

It happened when the Lakers seemingly rid themselves of everything associated with the Phil Jackson era and brought in Mike Brown. It happened again when the NBA rejected a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, and, days later, when the Lakers traded Lamar Odom and a second-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round pick and an $8.9-million trade exception. It's happening again as the Lakers, as first reported by ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard, met for a players-only meeting following the Lakers' 103-92 victory Monday over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Of course, all these events are interwoven. The players, led by Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, addressed numerous frustrations. The ones involving Mike Brown: his extended practices, thick playbook and shuffling rotations. The ones involving the front office: General Manager Mitch Kupchak maintained in a statement that the roster will remain uncertain leading into the March 15 trade deadline, and executive Jim Buss has kept the organization's hands tied. The performances: The Lakers (19-13) remain fifth in the Western Conference, have a 5-11 road record and an inconsistent identity.

But it remains to be seen whether the Lakers can truly live up to the approach Fisher outlined to reporters afterward.

"Our success and what we're going to do and accomplish as a group lies on the players," Fisher said. "We can't put it off on our coaches. We can't put it off on management. We can't put it off on the condensed schedule. We'll have to continue to hold ourselves accountable."

For the first weekend through training camp, Pau Gasol wore a Lakers uniform, unsure how soon he'd have to take it off.

The NBA rejected the Lakers' attempt to trade him to Houston in a three-way deal involving Chris Paul. So while the Lakers kept trying, Gasol kept reiterating his desire to wear purple and gold, provided endless interviews to the media spouting his positive attitude and practiced as if nothing fazed him. That hardly impressed Kobe Bryant, though.

"You have your job to do and you come out and do your job," Bryant said in an unsympathetic tone. "You can't worry about it."

Three months later Bryant was worrying about it. Gasol recalled Bryant approaching him in recent days, saying how tough it must feel to remain on the trading block leading to the March 15 deadline. Bryant then took those sentiments public following the Lakers' 102-90 loss Sunday to the Phoenix Suns.

"If they're not going to do it, come out and say you're not going to do it," Bryant said. "This way, he can be comfortable and go out and can perform and play and he can invest all of himself into the game. You can't have one of our pillars not knowing if he's going to be here or not. Do something. One way or another, do something."

It's easy to note the contradiction in Bryant's statements and wonder about the ulterior motives. Believe Bryant initially remained detached because he thought the Lakers might acquire Paul. Argue that Bryant spoke out Sunday to leverage the front office into making a big deal three weeks before the deadline. Think he may have just had an emotional outburst to mask his 10 turnovers against Phoenix.

Those are all legitimate explanations. But there's also two others. First, the painfully obvious one. The Lakers' front office led by executive Jim Buss appears more and more unlikely to land a big deal before the March 15 deadline. A statement from General Manager Mitch Kupchak may have highlighted the absurdity to remove a strong trade chip in Gasol in future talks. But Bryant needed to call out the front office's misgivings, led by Buss, after giving them a three-month grace period where they accomplished little and informed him on nothing. Secondly, there's the more subtle sign.  Bryant's public support for Gasol serves as the latest example of his measured approach in leading the Lakers.

"He's not perfect," Lakers rookie guard Andrew Goudelock noted before making clear he loves Bryant's brutal honesty and perfectionist work ethic. But it's definitely calculated.

"You just have to go for feel," Bryant said. "It just depends. I can tell when [Gasol's] down and when enough is enough. He went through the first phase and played through it and got out of that. Then he gets hit with another one. Then I can tell he's down and this is a little harder to overcome. We have two [road] games coming up and I don't want that weighing on him and thinking about it. Will he still be thinking about it? Sure, but he knows we all support him here in the locker room and we all got his back."

Some things to keep an eye on when the Lakers (18-13) host the Portland Trail Blazers (17-15) on Monday evening at Staples Center:

1. How will the Lakers' energy hold up? If the Lakers had problems showing effort in their 102-90 loss Sunday to the Phoenix Suns, well, it's plausible to think that might be an issue again. The Lakers play Portland Monday on a back-to-back. Even in a double-digit blowout, the Lakers spent the second half rallying from a 27-point deficit rather than resting Kobe Bryant (35 minutes) or Pau Gasol (37). And Andrew Bynum told reporters that the team's morning shootaround Sunday likely exacerbated fatigue levels.

The Lakers didn't have a morning shootaround on Monday, but it's still possible the energy won't be there. One would think the Lakers would show urgency in their last home game before the All-Star break. It's easy to predict this to be a bounce-back game considering Portland's 5-10 road record. But the Lakers frankly remain unpredictable with their inconsistency.

2. What emotions will Pau Gasol show? Bryant issued strong support toward Gasol, insisting the front office needs to provide more clarity regarding his future with the Lakers. As I noted before, this demand seems pretty impractical considering the deadline is on March 15. The Lakers can't even trade players such as Josh McRoberts, Troy Murphy or Jason Kapono until March 1. But Bryant's statement surely served to comfort Gasol in hopes it would spark a rallying cry. Expect Bryant to make a concerted effort to get Gasol involved early to get his confidence up.