Kobe's time has arrived

LAS VEGAS -- The game is the same, as is the goal: win it all and bring home a gold medal from the Beijing Summer Games. Kobe Bryant sat down with The Times on Sunday to talk about Team USA before departing for New York, where he and his U.S. teammates -- including Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade -- will be formally introduced during a promotional tour.

Question: On a team full of stars on their respective teams, how does each find his individual role?

Answer: It's actually pretty easy. It's not necessarily about roles or what have you. It's just playing basketball. A lot of philosophies that we play with on the Lakers is the same thing we do here. Just hit the open man when you have the opportunity, make it quick. If not, you just move the ball and try to get an open shot.

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Q: Is it up to each player to find his own role?

A: Everybody's offensively talented, so whatever situation you find yourself in, you can make something out of it. So it's just about, if you're open and you have the opportunity, you take advantage of it. We all have well-rounded offensive games where we can take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

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Q: What did it mean to you when Coach Mike Krzyzewski at the start of Saturday's practice played the video of Marvin Gaye performing the national anthem?

A: I had seen it many times before, being in L.A., because that's where it took place. I had seen it time and time before, but to see it in that context, as far as us using it as our song, it put it in a little bit of a different light because you have more of an appreciation and it hit home a little bit more.

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Q: Is there any concern that Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the only true center on the team?

A: The European game is a little different. What we're trying to do here is use our strengths to our advantage, which are size, speed. We're one of those teams, when you look at Dwight and Chris Bosh, even though they're big, they have the mobility of a guard at 6-2. So, we're trying to use that to our advantage as much as we can.

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Q: How does international play differ from that in the NBA?

A: I think the NBA is actually a little less physical than international basketball. I think the international basketball rules and what they have, it's what the NBA used to be in the '80s, in terms of being able to hand-check and set screens and roll with the guard under, real physical in the paint. It's a much more physical game.