Lakers

Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, Coach Mike D'Antoni can turn his attention to moving into the house he and his wife, Laurel, just bought in Manhattan Beach for $6.9 million. Set on a walk street, the ocean-view home features a three-stop cherry-paneled elevator, which should come in handy for carting beverages from the 2,000-bottle basement wine cellar to the 400-glass wine bar on the top floor. The open-plan house, built in 2003, includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,000 square feet of living space.

We have a major difference of opinion. And I understand why you are wrong. You began the season thinking, and being told by the media, the Lakers were going to be great because they had so much talent. You didn't get it in the first five games, so Mike Brown was dismissed as coach. Then you heard they were talking to Phil Jackson only to hear Mike D'Antoni announced as new coach. You're not used to being so disappointed by Lakers management. You might have to adjust your thinking.

On farewell day, they waved until their hands hurt. Kobe Bryant pleaded for Lakers management to pay millions to Dwight Howard, millions to Pau Gasol, millions for the luxury tax, anything to keep the Lakers together for the final year of his contract. "It's a lot on the table for them . . . it's a tough call to make," Bryant said. "But then again, it is one more year . . . it's one more year. " Mitch Kupchak confirmed the Lakers still want to re-sign Howard, then pleaded for him to make his decision quickly so they can figure out if they can keep Kobe happy.

There's unanimity within the Lakers. Kobe Bryant and General Manager Mitch Kupchak both want Dwight Howard to return. There's also a problem within the Lakers: Howard isn't so sure. He declined to reveal which way he was leaning after his one-year run with the Lakers. "I'm going to take my time, get away from the game, my phones and everything and just clear my head," Howard said Tuesday in an end-of-season interview at the team's practice facility. "I'll do what's going to be best for myself, what's going to make me happy.

Jason Collins had long been keeping a secret. As a standout high school player at Harvard-Westlake School, as a star at Stanford and through a 12-year NBA career, he had hidden something fundamental about himself from his family, friends and teammates. On Monday Collins came out, becoming the first active male athlete in a major U.S. professional team sport to acknowledge he was gay. The reaction was swift. President Obama, who just last year gave his support for gay marriage, called Collins to say "he was impressed by his courage," according to a White House Twitter post.

Steve Nash couldn't finish this season because of injuries, but he knew where to start next season. With Dwight Howard. Nash was "very hopeful" the soon-to-be free-agent center would return to the Lakers. "I think this is the place for him," Nash said Monday. "He's in the prime of his career. He's got his best years ahead of him. He can play for one of the greatest franchises in sports and an amazing city. This has got to be the place for him and I'm hopeful that he sees it that way. " Howard, 27, can sign a five-year, $118-million deal with the Lakers in July or a four-year, $88-million deal with another team.

The free giveaways made sense, handed off to all Lakers fans as they entered Staples Center. White towels to wave. The Lakers completed the symbolism by waving the white flag, throwing in the towel, whatever metaphor you chose in a season-ending 103-82 playoff loss Sunday to the San Antonio Spurs. BOX SCORE: San Antonio 103, Lakers 82 Even the fourth-quarter "We Want Phil" chants weren't very forceful as the Lakers got swept in the first round for the first time since 1967.

It is the chant that has defined the season, yet somehow has not defined the man. The most amazing thing about the derisive jeer that has rained upon Mike D'Antoni's slumped shoulders for the last six months is that not once has he jeered back. "We want Phil," scream the fans. "I understand," says the coach who is not Phil. Before the Lakers take the Staples Center court Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs in probably the last game of the most disappointing season in franchise history, perhaps it is time to consider the fortitude of the man who has borne the wrath of that shame.

His exit from the Lakers' season was as regal as his entrance, Dwight Howard surrounded by screams and gasps as he swaggered through the Staples Center tunnel into the shadows of summer. Problem was, the season wasn't done. The game wasn't finished. There were still 9 minutes 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter. There were still thousands of fans in the stands and the last trudging steps of a difficult journey to be completed. When his team needed his leadership most Sunday, Howard's mouth earned him a second technical foul and ejection from a loss that swept the Lakers out of the playoffs, a 103-82 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.

That was a waste of a season. Now what? The Lakers' headaches won't get any smaller after a first-round sweep by San Antonio. Will Dwight Howard stay or go as a free agent this summer? If he remains, will Pau Gasol be traded or waived via the amnesty provision? What about Coach Mike D'Antoni, who still has two more years and $8 million on his contract? And a host of lesser players whose contracts expire in June? General Manager Mitch Kupchak will be a busy man, though it won't start for a while.