Cubans

— Count Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti among those who have been impressed with outfield prospect Yasiel Puig. "He's been very exciting," Colletti said of the 22-year-old Cuban defector, who hit a three-run pinch-hit homer Sunday in the Dodgers' 5-1 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians. Puig raised his spring batting average to .421 and leads the team in runs with five. Manager Don Mattingly has another word to describe Puig. "Raw," he says. In reality, Puig probably falls somewhere between the two adjectives.

DALLAS — Maybe the old legs of the Lakers were cracking and burning with the early tipoff. Maybe Dwight Howard's self-acknowledged lack of conditioning cost him another game at the offensive end. But maybe the Lakers still have that familiar burst of offense from the one guy who can throw them all on his shoulders when needed. Kobe Bryant turned back the calendar with a impressively efficient 38-point effort in a 103-99 victory Sunday over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

DALLAS — Mavericks owner Mark Cuban loves to poke and prod the Lakers. Witness his Kobe Bryant "amnesty" comments a few days ago. But Cuban said it hasn't been as entertaining to zing the Lakers since former coach Phil Jackson and, yes, Shaquille O'Neal left. "It's nowhere near as fun. They would always take the bait," Cuban said Sunday. Of course, that was before Bryant wrote "Amnesty THAT" on Twitter after ripping through Dallas for 38 points in the Lakers' 103-99 victory Sunday.

The Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, 103-99, days after Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested that the Lakers may consider using their amnesty clause on Kobe Bryant this summer. After leading the Lakers to victory with 38 points, Bryant sent out the following tweet: Amnesty THAT - Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013 Cuban responded with a pair of tweets: Nice to know there is a least one team and their players, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say. - Mark Cuban (@mcuban)

Looking ahead LAKERS AT DALLAS: Sunday at 10 a.m. PST. TV: Channel 7 Leave it to Mark Cuban to add sizzle to what seemed like a dull matchup only a few days ago. The Mavericks owner suggested Friday the Lakers should consider using using their one-time amnesty provision on Kobe Bryant, the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Severing ties with Bryant would indeed save the Lakers millions of dollars as more punitive luxury taxes commence next season. It also might trigger riots on the same route where fans are more accustomed to holding title parades.

The Lakers have heard Mark Cuban's comments about Kobe Bryant. They're not amused. On Friday, the Dallas Mavericks owner said in a radio interview that the Lakers should consider using their one-time amnesty provision on Bryant. Bryant has one more season and $30.5 million left on his contract. He is one of four players the Lakers can amnesty, and next season is the last chance they can use the money-saving device. The Lakers weren't thrilled with the speculation. “We're aware of Mark Cuban's comments and feel they are inappropriate,” Lakers spokesman John Black said Friday.

With the Lakers facing tremendous luxury taxes next season, could the team cut ties a year early with Kobe Bryant? Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggests that it's not necessarily a black-and-white issue. "If you look at their payroll ... you've got to ask that question, 'Should they amnesty Kobe?'" Cuban said on ESPN's "Ben and Skin Show" in Dallas. The Lakers still have their one-time amnesty provision that would allow them to waive a single player. Though Bryant would still earn his entire salary, his contract would come off the books when computing the team's total payroll and luxury tax.  The Lakers who qualify for amnesty include Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Steve Blake and Bryant.

The Lakers heard Mark Cuban's comments about Kobe Bryant. They weren't amused. The Dallas Mavericks owner said in a radio interview Friday that the Lakers should consider using their one-time amnesty provision on Bryant this summer. Bryant has one more season and $30.5 million left on his contract. He is one of four players the Lakers can waive via the money-saving device after this season. "We're aware of Mark Cuban's comments and feel they are inappropriate," Lakers spokesman John Black said.

Tributes to Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died Monday at 80, are beginning to pour in, with people expressing their admiration for Buss. From Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, via Twitter: "RIP Jerry Buss. Your encouragement and support along with your stories of staying true to yourself had an enormous impact on me. " From L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: "Dr. Jerry Buss was a cornerstone of the Los Angeles sports community and his name will always be synonymous with his beloved Lakers.

MEXICO CITY -- Cubans now for the first time have the right to travel off the island without a special exit permit, the latest in reforms that the communist government is slowly enacting in hopes of reinvigorating its troubled economy. The new and much-anticipated regulation went into effect Monday. Eager to take advantage, Cubans lined up from early hours and all day long outside travel agencies and the state offices that issue passports. Remarkably, it appeared that several longtime Cuban dissidents who have been repeatedly denied permission to travel will also be allowed to leave from and, importantly, return to Cuba.