--The Times' Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner report that the Lakers and Orlando haven't had trade talks in "a while." Still, Kobe Bryant has had at least one in-depth conversation with Dwight Howard about coming to the Lakers, but he doesn't think he would be the Lakers' top option.

 Game stories

--The Times' Bresnahan details the Lakers' poor execution in their 98-87 loss Thursday to the Miami Heat.  

--The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding argues the Lakers couldn't match Miami's energy.  

--The Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman credits LeBron James for scoring 31 points despite having flu-like symptoms.

--The Daily News' Elliott Teaford explains why the Lakers had no answer for James.

--The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman credits the Heat for having a balanced effort.

Notebooks

--The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Anthony Chiang highlights that Lakers Coach Mike Brown contends coaching James ultimately helped land him the Lakers' head coaching job.

--The Orange County Register's Ding explains that Brown played the starters in the fourth quarter to build up their tenacity.

--The Daily News' Teaford looks at the big beast Andrew Bynum faces Friday when he matches up with Howard.  

Sidebars

--ESPN.com's Tom Haberstoh hands out grades to the Heat's roster.

--ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin highlights Bryant's comments that the Lakers' offense remains a work in progress.  

--Sports Illustrated's Britt Robson ranks the Lakers at No. 6 in his latest power rankings.  

--Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Brown always felt like he was walking on egg shells when he coached James in Cleveland.

Columns

--The TImes' Bill Plaschke argues the Lakers don't have a championship-contending roster.

--The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde believes James wanted to send Bryant a message with his performance.

--ESPN Los Angeles' McMenamin examines the Lakers' poor road record.

--The Miami Herald's Linda Robertson argues James dazzled while Bryant fizzled.

--Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson argues Bryant played as if he had an illness.Tomasson also believes Bynum has a lot to prove when he matches up with Howard.

--Yahoo! Sports' Wojnarowski argues Brown's taking a huge risk playing Bryant heavy minutes. 

Blogs

--ESPN Los Angeles' Brian Kamenetzky breaks down the Lakers' loss to Miami.

--Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin argues the Lakers lack depth.

--Lakers.com's Mike Trudell provides a running diary of the Lakers-Heat game.

--Silver Screen and Roll's DexterFishmore argues the Heat would've blown the Lakers out if Dwyane Wade played.

Tweet of the Day: " I played like $h!t 2nite, it won't happen again!" -- Matt_Barnes22 (Lakers forward Matt Barnes)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: "It's bad enough to not be able to compete with talent but the Lakers got outhustled and outplayed badly. They frankly didn't seem to show up against the Heat once again. And this is without Wade. Trouble is the Lakers need players - and they gave up a valuable one in Lamar Odom. Bummer revelation in Lakers Land." -- Leon Fisher

--Mark Medina

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

Photo: Lakers center Andrew Bynum tries to power his way past Magic center Dwight Howard during their NBA Finals matchup. Credit: Los Angeles Times / June 1, 2009.

--ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reports LeBron James was sent home after morning shootaround because of an illness. Windhorst also argues James and Kobe Bryant aren't' rivals.

--ESPN.com's J.A. Adande believes a Kobe-LeBron Finals matchup is on the horizon.

--The Times' Mike Bresnahan highlights Andrew Bynum's contention that the Lakers must win at least one game in their two-game trip against Miami and Orlando.

--The Orange County Register's Janis Carr compares the Lakers' Big Three to the rest of the league.

--The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Anthony Chiang mentions James' status remains a game-time decision. Dwyane Wade will not play against the Lakers because of a sprained left ankle.

--The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding argues Kobe Bryant's teammates must learn to match his aggressiveness.

--Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer muses on Dwyane Wade's $230,000 car.

--The Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman focuses on Eddy Curry's debut with Miami.

--ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh details how James and Bryant produce in the post.

--ESPN.com debates whether Bryant or James is the better player.

--ESPN Los Angeles' Brian Kamenetzky asks readers whether they're more interesting the Lakers-Heat game or the Lakers-Magic game.

--Sheridan Hoops' Mark Heisler believes Dwight Howard and Deron Williams could go to the Dallas Mavericks.

--Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe provides a detailed rundown on Bryant's game.

--NBA.com's Charley Rosen previews the Lakers-Heat matchup.

--The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz believes Shaquille O'Neal said Bynum is the NBA's best center simply to agitate Dwight Howard.

--Lakers.com's Mike Trudell provides a run-down of Derek FIsher's clutchness.

--Fox Sports West's Kiki Vandeweghe previews the Lakers' two-game trip.

--The Hoop Doctors' Brad Washington compared Bryant's performance in 2012 to Michael Jordan's 1995-96 season.

--The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman compares and contrasts Bryant's and James' scoring.

Tweet of the Day: "The Lakers are 3-7 in their last 10 games in Miami and just 1-6 in their last 7." -- mcten (ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: It's a new coaching staff, and new system. I think in the current situation, and the ordeals that the Lakers face this season, they've done alright so far. don't count the Lakers out this season... at least not yet." -- Michael K. Yang

-- Mark Medina

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

Photo: Miami forward LeBron James might not play in tonight's game agaisnt the Lakers. He was sent home after morning shoot-around because of flu-like symptoms. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Kobe Bryant thrives on taking over in the fourth quarter. LeBron James thrives on shrinking when that moment comes.

Bryant remains the consummate workaholic, forever finding ways to maximize his talent through injuries and a high odometer rating. James remains the life of the party, finding ways to maximize his profile through one-hour decision announcements and guaranteeing "multiple championships" at a pep rally.

Bryant continues to dazzle fans by still proving there's enough in the tank to maintain his greatness. James continues to frustrate fans still waiting for that moment to come.

Yup, Bryant and James are two completely different players. After coaching James at Cleveland and currently coaching Bryant with the Lakers, Mike Brown has kind of noticed.

"LeBron likes to have a ton of people around him all the time," Brown said Tuesday night at the "Lakers All-Access" event sponsored by the L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission and hosted by Fox Sports West's Bill Macdonald. "It's almost like he's in high school or college. He's in college and would prefer to live in the frat house and live with 16 or 17 of his buddies. Everything he does includes all of his buddies, all the time."

And Kobe? Well, let's just say, had he gone to college, it would've been unlikely he'd pledge.

"Kobe is probably the opposite," Brown said. "He's a guy people would say, if he's in college, he's mature beyond his years. He'd go watch a movie by himself or go watch a movie with a friend or two and keep his group real small. He's more business-like than LeBron. Both of those guys are competitive and both want to win."

--The Times' Ben Bolch notes Mike Brown's belief that Kobe Bryant is more "serious-minded" than LeBron James.

--The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer talks to Brown about how he's adjusting to the Lakers. 

--The Orange County Register's Janis Carr says she believes that Andrew Bynum has a strong chance to make the All-Star team.

--Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer says he loves the story lines surrounding Bryant and James. 

--ESPN Los Angeles' Brian Kamenetzky explains why Steve Blake's rib injury severely hurts the Lakers at point guard.

--The Daily News' Elliott Teaford argues that the Lakers' next three games against Cleveland, the Clippers and Dallas could be emotional. Brown used to coach the Cavs, the Lakers nearly landed Clippers guard Chris Paul and former Laker Lamar Odom was traded to the Mavericks.

--Lakers.com's Mike Trudell does some number-crunching regarding Bryant's scoring.

--Silver Screen and Roll's C.A. Clark argues that the Lakers need Dwight Howard's teammates more than they need Howard.

Tweet of the Day: "The Lakers have just 5 home games in the next 32 days." -- ESPNChrisPalmer (Chris Palmer, ESPN The Magazine NBA writer)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: "The Lakers need to get themselves a pointguard someone who's going to put the bigs in a better position to score. Kobe contolling the ball takes the effectiveness away from Pau and Bynum. It's great Kobe is scoring lots of points but Kobe is not playing team ball. He's more concern about trying to catch Shaq." -- Ronald A. Mitchell 

-- Mark Medina

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

Photo: Lakers Coach Mike Brown and Kobe Bryant. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Team: Miami Heat

Lakers' record vs. Miami last season: 0-2

How Heat fared last season: Lost in six games to Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals

Why Miami is a threat to the Lakers: The Lakers' championship window is closing, while the Miami Heat's is just opening. Ridicule LeBron James' fourth-quarter collapses in the NBA Finals and the team's false expectations during a hastily arranged pep rally that they'd win "multiple championships." But after stripping away the hype, the Heat were two games away from winning the NBA title in only one season with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh playing together.

They showed more maturity as the season progressed in handling adversity, an area that will strengthen next season. Another season will also afford James and Wade time to figure out each other's roles, Bosh to become more consistent and President Pat Riley to pick up a free agent piece to bolster the roster. A healthier Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem will also give the Heat more depth.

There's a large segment of this blogosphere that believes Kobe Bryant can do no wrong.

If he misfires on a huge volume of shots, it's because he had no choice to shoot because none of his teammates played well. If he doesn't pass the ball inside, it's because Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum weren't getting open enough. And even if there's well-reasoned analysis on how injuries and basketball mileage have taken a toll on his body, well, those media members and journalists are just haters.

But even Bryant's most passionate supporters won't like to hear this. He's telling everyone, including you, to stop criticizing LeBron James.

"I think people need to lay off that kid, that's what I think," Bryant said in an interview with ESPN. "I've gotten to know him pretty well, playing with the Olympic team, and I think they just need to back off him and just let him play and let him live his life and let him make his decisions and let him mature as a player."

Only in this media culture can James suddenly become a sympathetic figure.

Look: I don't fault Bryant for defending him in a very specific sense. With the 24/7 news cycle that we live in, it was a sure sign of the times that James' disappearing act in the NBA Finals against Dallas suddenly made everyone forget that he was extraordinary in every facet of the game in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Expecting Miami to leapfrog into the NBA Finals after assembling the Super Team proved unrealistic, because Dwyane Wade, James and Chris Bosh only played together for one season. And everyone's hatred toward the Heat reflected poorly on society's glee in watching people fail.

But to suggest James doesn't deserve any of this scrutiny is ridiculous.

It turns out LeBron James isn't the only one taking his talents to (South) Beach.

Minnesota forward and former UCLA standout Kevin Love is doing the same thing, but he's not announcing his decision in a one-hour TV special and he's not switching teams. With the NBA lockout still unresolved, however, Love decided he's not going to confine himself to working out on the hardwood and competing head to head with Blake Griffin in Jenga. He's going to hit the beach. 

The NBA's leading rebounder plans to play in next month's Manhattan Beach Open on the pro volleyball tour, providing more reasons for fans make it out to South Bay to lay out and kick back, the way many will this weekend at Manhattan Beach's six-man volleyball tournament. 

"I thought it was a great idea, a way for me to be out in the sun, be active and have fun during the lockout," Love told reporters in New York on Tuesday after practicing with pros for the first time. "It's sport, it's active, it's a way to stay in shape, so I just thought it was a home run."

It's too early to say whether it will be a home run for other NBA players, but as far as the Lakers go, teaming up in the sand would be a fun exercise in bonding without all the worry about injuries and fatigue. Below the jump is how some on the Lakers roster might fare. 

In a nearly two-week span, former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went from questioning the Lakers' loyalty to questioning Scottie Pippen's claim that LeBron James "may be the greatest player to ever play."

After arguing that the Lakers' failure to honor him with a statue serves as an example of the team disrespecting him, the NBA's all-time leading scorer is now arguing Pippen's willingness to prop up James on the heels of the Heat-Mavericks NBA Finals matchup reflects his lack of appreciation for NBA greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and even Pippen's former teammate, Michael Jordan himself.

You may agree with Abdul-Jabbar's assessment that a statue honoring him is long overdue and that he holds the credibility to question Pippen's knowledge on NBA history. You may disagree with the tactics, believing his public gripes about the Lakers come off as sour grapes and chastising Pippen comes across as bullying. But it still makes for interesting reading.

So without further ado, here is Abdul-Jabbar's open letter to Pippen, which was recently obtained by The Times:

How Soon They Forget: An Open Letter to Scottie Pippen

Dear Scottie,

I have nothing but respect for you my friend as an athlete and knowledgeable basketball mind. But you are way off in your assessment of who is the greatest player of all time and the greatest scorer of all time. Your comments are off because of your limited perspective. You obviously never saw Wilt Chamberlain play who undoubtedly was the greatest scorer this game has ever known. When did MJ ever average 50.4 points per game plus 25.7 rebounds? (Wilt in the 1962 season when blocked shot statistics were not kept). We will never accurately know how many shots Wilt blocked. Oh, by the way in 1967 and 68, Wilt was a league leader in assists. Did MJ ever score 100 points in a game? How many times did MJ score more than 60 points in a game? MJ led the league in scoring in consecutive seasons for 10 years but he did this in an NBA that eventually expanded into 30 teams vs. when Wilt played and there were only 8 teams.

Hearing his critical comments about the Lakers' defense and age repeated to the team at practice and games, dissected on talk radio and analyzed by various outlets, including this one, was a situation that Lakers Hall of Famer Jerry West described as "laughable" and just part of an "endless soap opera."

So what caused such a commotion?

Oh, nothing, other than appearing three weeks ago at the annual Orange County Automobile Dealers Assn. luncheon, as reported by the Orange County Register, and giving his take on various Lakers topics. The talk included concerns about the team's longevity: "I don't think the Lakers will be good for much longer. You can keep a car running for a long time by changing the tires, etc. You can't change a player's tires." It had a scathing critique of the Lakers' defense: "If there's a loose ball now, how often do they get it? The reason you 'can't play defense' is because you can't!" And it expressed more optimism about an arch rival's championship chances. "I think Boston is a very dangerous team. I would not want to play them every other night."

Fresh off the Lakers' 92-86 victory Thursday over the Celtics, West, speaking Friday at a promotional event in Malibu in connection with his role as executive director of the Northern Trust Open, said the public took his comments too much at face value.

"You can't even have an opinion anymore," West said. "Everyone has an opinion. I was joking."

The Lakers (37-16) enter Friday's game in New York (26-25) winning their first three games of a seven-game trip, which West said proved that getting away from the local media scrutiny eased the pressure on the team. But he still didn't hold back on providing comments that will likely again gain traction, though he acknowledged the Lakers have made progress in fixing the problems described below.

"To a lesser degree, I think the Lakers biggest problem defensively has been their offense," West said. "If they don't run patiently with their offense. They have two big guys, and when they get down in their set, they're very good. But if they turn the ball over and have quick shots, they can't get back. You have to give the other teams credit. All coaches do the same thing. Some have better talent. The Lakers have great talent, and they should be favored to win. But as I say, they're not going to win if they don't run their offense correctly, which will lead to bad defense."

That was just one of many things West enthusiastically addressed. The topics were wide-ranging, including the upcoming Northern Trust Open that will take place Feb. 14 -20 at Riviera Country Club and has confirmed 21 of the 30 top money winners, including Phil Mickelson. He also talked about the Lakers' plans to unveil a statue in his honor outside Staples Center on Feb. 17, his belief that Lamar Odom was snubbed from the All-Star game and, of course, the state of the Lakers.

With the Lakers defeating Boston on Thursday, a game West described as a "great win," he said he's more optimistic about their championship chances -- but that comes with qualifiers.

He argued that the great unknown involves how healthy the players can stay for the duration of the season. While he said that "losing Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol would destroy this team" and that the Lakers in that case would "become a common team," he said the same would be true if Miami lost LeBron James or Dwyane Wade ("they would not be a threat to win a championship") or if the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce.

And getting a season split on the Celtics didn't ease West's worry about the Lakers' arch rival one bit. 

"I would not want to play Boston in a seven-game series, regardless of who it's going to be," he said. "There's a long way to go."

-- Mark Medina
Twitter.com/latmedina

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

Ron Artest refused to watch the Heat-Suns game on Thursday, opting to spend time getting ready for the holidays. But there's one thing he knows very well about LeBron James.

"He plays better and he entertains more when he's upset," Artest said of James.

Which is the exact reason why he wants to find a way to make James angry when the Lakers host the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. In Artest's mind, "It's best to get people's 'A' game so then if you play bad, you can't make excuses." So at some point during the Lakers' game on Saturday, Artest will do and/or say something to get under James' skin. But he's not going to share what it might be other than to say, "I'll do something tomorrow to make him mad."

That leaves it to me to help out with a few suggestions.

1. Announce James as the winner of Artest's championship ring raffle. At 11 a.m., Artest is scheduled to announce who will win his championship ring, with the funds going to mental health charities. He's already raised $600,000, and it's going toward a good cause. But it'd be funny if Artest jokingly announced James as the winner and proclaimed he needs it because this gives him the only chance to have a ring.

2. Give James a hug before the game. Artest sarcastically asked a reporter if he should do that after he fielded endless questions about Miami following the Lakers' 98-79 loss Tuesday to Milwaukee.

3. Clap chalk in James' face. After all, it's a custom for the King to do so before the game. Now he can be on the receiving end of it.

4. Remind James of his own NBA rankings. Artest boasted at the beginning of the season that Kobe Bryant is the league's best player, followed by Thunder forward Kevin Durant. But when asked where he would rank James, Artest replied, "You have to ask him." When pressed further, Artest said with a smile, "I only count to two. I've been out of school for 10 years. I only count to two."

5. Artest can remind James of his tweet when he announced his decision to go to Miami. Artest sarcastically tweeted, "What team did lebron go to?"

6. As he runs up and down the court defending James, Artest could recite the lyrics to his song "Champion." Something tells me it would be pretty aggravating for Artest to recite the first verse after each defensive stop: "Moment of silence for the champions."

7. Artest can reveal to James that he actually was the person hosting an anti-LeBron party this summer in New York. Although Artest made it clear in a statement he wasn't associated with the party, it never hurts to lie if it gets under an opponent's skin.

8. James plans to debut on Christmas Day the newest pair of Nike shoes called LeBron 8 V/2, a bright red shoe with green shoelaces called "Run on Red." Kobe Bryant might be stealing James' spotlight by debuting the Nike Zoom Kobe VI shoe in Grinch colors, but he doesn't have to be the only one. Artest can find a way to steal James' shoes and wear them himself for the game. If Artest can't pull that off, he can always toss James' shoes much like he did last season to former Lakers forward Trevor Ariza. 

9. Bump into James, just like he did with Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra and former Cleveland Coach Mike Brown.

10. Artest should just do his job. As much as he prides himself on matching up with the best players, Artest struggled to defend James last season, allowing him to score an average of 31.5 points in two games. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson simply wants Artest and Matt Barnes to contain James, limiting his defensive rebounds and points in transition. Focusing on that task could prove more valuable than worrying about how to upset James.

--Mark Medina

Twitter.com/latmedina

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