Bryant to be a star of moment, or two

NEW ORLEANS -- Ready, willing, or not -- h-e-r-e's Kobe!

Denying a Lakers request, NBA officials insisted Friday that Kobe Bryant remain in the starting lineup for Sunday's All-Star game, which Bryant said he would do.

According to NBA policy, a selectee who plays in his team's last game -- as Bryant did, scoring 29 points in Wednesday's win in Minnesota -- has to play in the All-Star game or sit out his next game.

Not that this case was like any other that had come up.

Only after the Lakers returned from their East Coast trip Thursday was Bryant's injury, thought to be a dislocated right pinkie finger, re-diagnosed as a torn ligament.

With hand specialist, Steven Shin, and management right up to owner Jerry Buss recommending that he undergo surgery, which would have meant sitting out at least six weeks, Bryant made the decision to keep playing.

The leading vote-getter in the West, Bryant attended Friday's media session here with his right hand in a brace and the last two fingers splinted.

He said he knew about the league's policy -- "It's a crappy rule" -- but would play if he had to.

"It doesn't seem to me to make sense," said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. "I understand it's the biggest showcase of the year for the NBA and that's all of us.

"But from a general manager's point of view, looking out for the interests of our club, to me it doesn't make sense.

"The doctor examining [Bryant] said, 'If you're not going to have surgery, give it time to heal.'

"Five or six days of healing are certainly better than two or three."

Not that Bryant, who was allowed to withdraw from the three-point contest, is expected to be in harm's way for long.

The West coach is the New Orleans Hornets' Byron Scott, a former Laker, once Bryant's teammate and mentor, who said he'd play Kobe as long as Kobe wants to play.

"The last thing I want to do is make the injury worse," Scott said. "I don't want to put him in any jeopardy.

"If he says, 'Give me a minute out there and take me out,' that's what I'm going to do."

Assuming Bryant sustains no further damage in his cameo appearance Sunday, Friday was more interesting for the things he said about his injury, Andrew Bynum's rehabilitation and Buss.

* He doesn't think he's taking an undue risk to continue playing.

Or, as Bryant, still bulletproof, at least in his mind, put it: