Lakers Guard

Kobe Bryant will forgo surgery on his right pinkie finger and report to training camp as scheduled when it begins later this month, the Lakers' guard and reigning NBA most valuable player announced Tuesday on his website. Bryant said on kb24.com that he consulted with "numerous hand specialists" before making his decision, and opted not to endure a post-operative recovery period that would cause him to miss the start of camp on Sept. 27. Initially, reports put the recovery period at six weeks, but Bryant said he was told he could've been sidelined as long as three months.

Steve Nash will miss a sixth consecutive game because of hip and hamstring soreness, Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni said Friday morning after the team's shoot-around. “He's getting closer, obviously,” D'Antoni said. “There's not many games left. Hopefully for Sunday, but we don't know yet.” The Lakers have two games remaining after Friday's meeting with Golden State at Staples Center. They play San Antonio on Sunday and Houston on Wednesday, also at home. The Lakers (42-37)

When TNT announces Monday the participants for the 2010 NBA All-Star game dunk contest, Lakers guard Shannon Brown said that's when he'll know if he was selected. Brown has had his Lakers teammates, Lakers fans and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard , who won the dunk contest in 2008 and was the runner-up in 2009, all say they want to see him in the contest that will be held Feb. 13 of All-Star weekend at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Brown has become a YouTube sensation because of his dunking exploits, and there has been a groundswell of support on Facebook called "Let Shannon Dunk."

The Lakers climbed to a season-best four games over .500, finishing Week 20 with a 36-32 record. Dwight Howard's return to Orlando for the first time since he was traded by the Magic to the Lakers was a hot topic of conversation .  Of course that didn't stop Metta World Peace from trying to steal a little bit of thunder. The Lakers defeated the Magic, 106-97, as Hack-a-Howard backfired when the center hit 25 of 39 free throws. After the game, Time Warner Cable SportsNet aired a one-on-one interview with Howard -- who talked about the Lakers, his future and his past with the Orlando Magic.  Howard admitted that he needs Kobe Bryant to keep pushing him . The Lakers' four-game winning streak ended on Wednesday night in Atlanta, 96-92, despite a monster third quarter from Bryant.

So, Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic , where is "The Machine"? "The Machine is here," Vujacic said. "I'm just not playing." OK, then, why aren't you playing? "I don't know," Vujacic responded. Coach Phil Jackso n " has a group right now that he's playing. I'm just going to try to be patient." Mostly, Vujacic has found himself in games when they already have been decided. That's an issue for him. "I play a couple of games in garbage time," Vujacic said. "That's not where I see myself.

For most of his career in the NBA, there have been two Kobe Bryants, each evolving in mirror universes. One is a 6-foot-6 Los Angeles Lakers guard who grew up playing Double Dribble, a video game released in the 1980s, with his cousins during summer visits to his grandmother's house. The other is also a basketball player, albeit a digital one created 10 years ago by Visual Concepts, a video game developer in Novato, Calif. If the real Kobe built up his shoulders, so would the virtual Kobe.

Reporting from Dallas — Despite all the accolades for Ramon Sessions , the Lakers haven't forgotten about Derek Fisher . They were well aware he signed with Oklahoma City for the rest of the season. They'll see him March 29 when they play host to the Thunder, as if that game needed any more story lines. "It's going to be emotional, I'm sure, for everybody, him and I in particular," Kobe Bryant said. Or as Metta World Peace said: "Kobe and Fish … mmm mmm mmm. Didn't they win five rings together?"

And for his next trick, Kobe Bryant will throw a baseball in the air behind his back, catch it on a fingertip and spin it like a basketball. That actually was the scene Wednesday at Lakers practice, where Bryant donned a Dodgers cap and did the seemingly impossible in a promo for the baseball franchise across town. The ball hit the court when Bryant threw it skyward, with the catch and spin (presumably) to be added electronically later. But the symbolism remained: Nothing is out of reach for the Lakers guard.

For a short while Tuesday evening, Kobe Bryant drove far away from his Newport Beach mansion and completely abandoned his opulent lifestyle. He arrived at skid row. It's a place filled with garbage and littered with human waste -- but among the despair, he found hope. "You get to hear the stories, you get to see firsthand what's going on," Bryant said Wednesday at an event in Hollywood to promote his work with homeless people. While walking around downtown L.A., Bryant met one man in particular who seemed to have a deep affect on the Lakers guard.

Was the Dahntay Jones play that injury Kobe Bryant dirty? According to Bryant on his Twitter feed . . . absolutely. #dangerousplay that should have been called. Period. - Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 14, 2013 The Lakers guard suffered a severely sprained left ankle in the final seconds of the Lakers 96-92 loss Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks. With his team down two, Bryant took a baseline fadeaway that didn't drop.  Jones stepped under the jumping Bryant, who landed on Jones' foot.

INDIANAPOLIS - Steve Blake had one thing on his mind. "Duhon!" he yelled through a giddy Lakers locker room, craning his neck. "Where's Duhon?" College ties were still binding Blake, a Maryland grad who wanted to rub it in that his Terrapins beat Chris Duhon's Duke in the ACC tournament Friday. Other people in the locker room wanted to know about a different game. The one Blake just played. He had a season-high 18 points and added seven assists in the Lakers' 99-93 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Was the Dahntay Jones play that injury Kobe Bryant dirty? According to Bryant on his Twitter feed . . . absolutely. #dangerousplay that should have been called. Period. - Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 14, 2013 The Lakers guard suffered a severely sprained left ankle in the final seconds of the Lakers 96-92 loss Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks. With his team down two, Bryant took a baseline fadeaway that didn't drop.  Jones stepped under the jumping Bryant, who landed on Jones' foot.

And for his next trick, Kobe Bryant will throw a baseball in the air behind his back, catch it on a fingertip and spin it like a basketball. That actually was the scene Wednesday at Lakers practice, where Bryant donned a Dodgers cap and did the seemingly impossible in a promo for the baseball franchise across town. The ball hit the court when Bryant threw it skyward, with the catch and spin (presumably) to be added electronically later. But the symbolism remained: Nothing is out of reach for the Lakers guard.

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.

The death of Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Monday sparked an outpouring of support and respect for the man credited with the invention of Showtime and who figured out a way to make more money from high-value seats. Buss, 80, died of complications from cancer. Buss won 10 NBA championships after purchasing the team in 1979. In his first season as owner, after drafting Magic Johnson, the Lakers won the NBA title. It was a sign of things to come. Among those helping Buss along the way was the legendary Jerry West.

PHOENIX — One by one, the Lakers were introduced before their game. Predictably, loud boos followed. But Phoenix Suns fans couldn't dismiss the guy affectionately known as "Two-Time" around here. So they cheered when Steve Nash's name was called. There were some boos as well, some fans feeling slighted that Nash green-lighted a trade last July to the Lakers, a Pacific Division rival. If only they had heard what Nash told reporters before Wednesday's game. "It's a special, special place," he said, summing up his 10 seasons with the Suns over two tours.

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will wear a black protective mask Tuesday night against Detroit, ditching the clear one he used in his first three games after sustaining a broken nose. Bryant played well with the clear one, which will still be on hand if he decides to go back to it. He averaged 34 points and shot 54.3% in three games since taking a hard foul from Miami guard Dwyane Wade in the All-Star Game. Bryant went with the new mask after trying out another new one because, as a team official said simply, "it felt good.

Curators at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame should watch Steve Nash closely in the coming weeks. If recent trends persist, they may have to make the following addendum to his biographical blurb: Switched to shooting guard halfway through the 2012-13 season to help save one of the most disappointing teams in NBA history. In this most surreal Lakers season, the top point guard of his generation suddenly deferring ballhandling duties to Kobe Bryant has been the oddest twist.

Better put it behind glass Lakers guard Steve Nash , on what usually happens to a milestone basketball such as the one he used Tuesday to record his 10,000th assist in a game against the Houston Rockets: "Usually my 2-year-old ends up dribbling it around the house. " Keep your thoughts to yourself Memphis Coach Lionel Hollins , when asked whether he passed along comments to team management that he didn't want to break up a team that was 23-10: "If they didn't hear about it this morning, they'll hear about it tomorrow when you write a big, glorious column and I'll get the notes when I'm in Dallas [that]