NBA
NBA notebook: Lakers' Bryant in spotlight, but says he'll sit out opener

By Gannett News Service and The Associated Press

	KAREN WARREN / AP NBA commissioner David Stern contends the Kobe Bryant case will not overshadow the play on the court this season.
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NEW YORK — The Kobe Bryant saga threatens to overshadow everything this NBA season.

But David Stern, who has just about seen it all as league commissioner, says that won't happen as he starts his 20th season in the position.

"I don't think it's going to be an important issue as the season unfolds. I think it's an important issue as an allegation, as a trial and as the tragedy that affects two lives. But the game is one that is in good condition, and the fans want to see it."

Bryant's sexual-assault trial is part of what is in store for the NBA and Stern, who said nothing he has seen compares to what lies ahead as the NBA tips off its 58th season tonight in Philadelphia, San Antonio and Los Angeles.

Bryant said he probably will miss the Lakers' opener against Dallas, and again lashed out at Shaquille O'Neal.

"My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is, I will play," Bryant told ESPN by phone yesterday. "I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready."

Bryant, coming back from offseason knee surgery, and O'Neal traded barbs through reporters over the weekend. Neither spoke with reporters after yesterday's practice, although Bryant did a telephone interview with ESPN.

The Lakers said the report is premature.

"Our understanding is that Kobe might not play because of the knee injury," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "We think he probably will."

Bryant said he didn't need O'Neal's advice on how to play hurt.

"I've played with IV's before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball," Bryant said. "I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place."

O'Neal was hampered by an arthritic right big toe throughout the 2001-02 season and underwent surgery on Sept. 11, 2002. O'Neal missed the first 12 games of last season — nine of them losses.

Stern is confident because he has seen the league move from huge financial losses to prosperity. Total attendance was 10 million in his first year and 21 million last season. The average yearly player salary has grown from $250,000 to $4.1 million.

He has been there for the coming and going of Michael Jordan, dealt with Magic Johnson's HIV crisis and weathered the only lockout in league history. He also led the NBA to an innovative salary structure and a highly regarded drug policy and treatment program.

Yet Bryant's travails and the arrival of rookie LeBron James are among the story lines that could make this season Stern's greatest challenge:

Bryant's commute between Los Angeles and a Colorado courtroom has trumped the Lakers' signings of superstars Karl Malone and ex-Sonic Gary Payton.

The Miami Heat's Pat Riley retires from coaching and Larry Brown moves to yet another team as 11 franchises, 38 percent of the league, make coaching changes.

Though the three biggest free agents, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets and Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers, re-signed with their teams, no fewer than nine former All-Stars and a host of other big-name players changed teams.

"I can't remember a year like this ever in any sport," Stern said. "It's a season of rebirth."

This combination of factors has left no fewer than six teams thinking that they made the necessary changes to put them in position to take the title from the Spurs — from Los Angeles to New Jersey, from Sacramento to Minnesota and from Dallas to Detroit.

"There is enthusiasm in more than one city that this is the year the big change is coming," Stern said. "This is a time of extraordinary hope."

The Bryant case

Bryant is under a different kind of microscope because his problems go beyond the court. And he is able to find refuge only when he plays the game.

A Colorado judge last week ordered Bryant to stand trial on sexual assault charges. He is to appear in Eagle County district court Nov. 10. He could enter a plea at that time, and unless he waives his right to a speedy trial, the trial will be held within six months, either during the NBA season or the early rounds of the playoffs.

"When you're playing the game, you don't think about anything else but the game," Bryant said. "You come to work, you do your job, and I love my job. I'm thankful for that."

The only thing that hit Stern in the gut with the impact of the Bryant situation was Magic Johnson's HIV-positive status.

"Based upon what we knew at the time, Magic testing positive for HIV was almost a certain death warrant, and our sport had a decision to make on how we could support him," Stern said. "When the book is finally written, it will say that Magic Johnson was a turning point in HIV understanding and education, and we are proud to be associated with it. We allowed him to play, and, right or wrong, AIDS had a face that America could love.

"There was incredible sadness when I first heard (of Bryant's situation)," Stern said, "not only because it was an NBA player, but because it was Kobe. You are ultimately going to be defined by your weakest moment, not your strongest. That's the cautionary tale we tell our players."

At the same time Bryant's legal issues have created an unwanted three-ring media circus for the league and the Lakers, James comes into the league under more scrutiny and with more hoopla than anyone before him.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no delusions about winning the title this season, but they do have perhaps the league's biggest attraction in James.

Stern scoffs at the notion James is a savior as Jordan was in the 1990s when he led the Chicago Bulls to six championships.

Stern says the NBA doesn't need saving. He points out James is still a teenager waiting to play his first regular-season NBA game — even if he does wear No. 23, the same number worn by Jordan.

"A successful year for LeBron would be if he can negotiate the incredible pressure that the media is putting on him," the commissioner said. "We are not promoting LeBron James any more than we are (promoting) anyone else."

Notes

• The Washington Wizards placed forward Jerry Stackhouse on the injured list, ruling him out for the first five games of the season.

Stackhouse had scar tissue removed during surgery on his right knee on Oct. 22.

• The Utah Jazz placed center Curtis Borchardt, a former standout at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, on the injured list with a broken finger and waived guard Jermaine Boyette.

Borchardt, a second-year player from Stanford who missed all of last season while recovering from foot surgery, collided with a teammate during practice on Oct. 6.

• The Chicago Bulls placed first-round pick Kirk Hinrich on the injured list because of a viral infection that has sidelined him for more than a week.

• Former Sonic Jelani McCoy will get a longer look from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who gave the free-agent forward/center their final roster spot to open the season.

• Guard Desmond Mason signed a three-year contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He was acquired last season in a trade with the Sonics.

Season openers

The NBA season tips off today with three games: Heat at 76ers, 4 p.m.; Suns at Spurs, 5 p.m. (TNT); and Mavericks at Lakers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT).

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company