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Per Dave McMenamin, Steve Blake was medically cleared to participate in Wednesday's practice and will be a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Celtics. A return to action basically coincides with the timetable for recovery from a fracture near his ribs.

"I've just been patient with it, trying to let it heal," Blake said during Wednesday's practice. "I really had no preconception of when I was coming back. I didn't know if it was going to be sooner or later. I really had no idea. To me, it's on time...[Practice] felt good. My rhythm is a little off, but that will come with time. Hopefully whenever I do play, I'll be ready to play and able to contribute."

Obviously, Blake's potential availability is a big deal. Not that the bench ran like a Swiss watch with him in the lineup, but he was nonetheless the best second unit play-maker, and by a long shot. That the reserves have struggled to do much in Blake's absence beyond feed the ball to Andrew Bynum or watch Andrew Goudelock generate his own looks is no coincidence, nor terribly surprising. With Blake back, the second unit offense will hopefully run a little smoother, and he'll hopefully add a few buckets to the mix.

In the meantime, I assume Goudelock will assume two-guard duties, allowing him to operate more of a pure scorer, rather than outside his comfort zone as a quasi-point guard. I also imagine Mike Brown will give more minutes to Goudelock than Jason Kapono as a reserve shooting guard, which will hopefully help limit Kobe Bryant minutes. For that matter, Blake on hand should also mean equal Derek Fisher's minutes reduced, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Blake and Fisher can also finish games together with Kobe at small forward in games where Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes aren't offering much, which has been too often these days.

Considering the glaring limitations of the Lakers roster, any options gained are a welcome development.

In what's considered one of the greatest basketball games of the history of the sport, the United States beat Spain in the gold medal game at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The storylines attached to the game are endless. From the significance of the "Redeem Team" putting USA Basketball back in the gold medal winners' circle for the first time since 2000; to the sneak preview aspect of USA's roster putting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together long before "The Decision"; to a teenage Ricky Rubio showing off his skills on the world's stage.

The biggest story for Lakers fans, however, was the fact that before Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol had won a championship together for the purple and gold, they competed for a championship against one another for their countries.

The 2012 London games are still six months away, but the trash talk has already started between the two.

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A stunning 1986 performance as Sid Vicious announced a largely unknown Gary Oldman as an actor to watch. He made good on that promise with indelible, often volcanic work in movies like "Prick up your Ears," "State of Grace," "JFK," "Dracula," "True Romance," "The Professional," "Immortal Beloved" and "The Contender." In recent years, he became part of the "Harry Potter" and "Batman" series, reintroducing himself to audiences in sympathetic, likable parts.

In 2011, Oldman solidified his status of one of Hollywood's premiere chameleons with his portrayal of George Smiley in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." Reprising a role made famous by Sir Alec Guinness in a 1979 BBC production of the spy novel, Oldman remains understated and quiet, but powerful nonetheless. The performance earned him a well-deserved Academy Award nomination.

We were thrilled to get Oldman in studio for nearly an hour to talk about "TTSS," his career and even a little sports. THE ENTIRE SHOW CAN BE HEARD HERE , and a breakdown is below with links to specific sections:

- (4:27): Oldman explains his initial terror at following in Guinness' footsteps for "TTSS." A week before shooting began, he debated backing out, but ultimately geared himself up to meet the challenge.

"I viewed it as a classical role that had been played before," Oldman said. "I imagined what it would be like to play Lear or Hamlet and then be measured against all those wonderful actors that had played the role before and that the comparisons would be inevitable... I sort of played a trick on my head. It's all in my head. Yes, Guinness gave this incredible performance. But the dragon, like all dragons, they're in your head and you have to slay them. So I kind of played a trick on myself to get me to walk through the fire."

- (5:30): Oldman explains the differences between playing a iconic character and a real-life icon like Sid Vicious, Beethoven or Joe Orton.

- (14:28): Oldman's "TTSS" role is the polar opposite of what he's spent the majority of a career playing. And that's not by accident. Over the last several years, Oldman's moved away from the eccentric, over-the-top parts that once defined him. In part, because he was concerned about increasingly limited options as a typecast actor. But also because he grew to find these characters dissatisfying on an artistic level, which killed his passion for the craft.

"I was bored," Oldman says. "I was just going through the motions and it just didn't interest me and I lost my love for it. I sort of lost my way a little. I lost my love for acting and did not look forward to it and that was the rut I was in. You deal with sports. There are great players and they're just pitching well or they're not hitting well. ... I found it quite debilitating and boring. I started to sort of hate the job. And I've never really felt [that]. I feel very privileged and very lucky that I do what I do, and it's never, ever really felt like I go into work. Let's face it. And so I went through a patch there."

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When Kobe Bryant passed Shaquille O'Neal to become the NBA's fifth all-time leading scorer, it prompted a flurry of debates about his place in basketball history, but also his ranking among great Lakers, as in this video with ESPN's Tim Legler.

I don't love his list -- Wilt Chamberlain (Legler's #4) fits better among the five greatest players in NBA history than the five best greatest Lakers -- and Jerry West, excluded by Legler, should be in the top 5. Still, there are two big notables. First, Legler has Magic Johnson ahead of Kobe Bryant for the top spot, but admits there is subjectivity and historical bias in play. Namely, Magic is elevated not just by his accomplishments but also Legler's respect for the NBA though the 1980's.

Johnson tops my list, too, but I've long thought the G.L.O.A.T debate is generational. For fans, say, 35 and over, it's tough to put anyone ahead of Magic, just as it was likely tough for the previous era to put Magic ahead of West. In time, though, I suspect more often than not Kobe will land at the top, because more "voters" will come the pool of fans who grew up watching him, and only know Magic from highlight reels.

Second, lists like these reinforce the almost absurd levels of success and star power of the Lakers' franchise, historically speaking. Pundits and fans alike routinely assemble Top 5's like this one, and Hall of Famers James Worthy and Gail Goodrich don't get a sniff. For many -- maybe most -- there's no room to squeeze in Elgin Baylor. Elgin Baylor!

Pretty incredible.

It was a lively day in the chat-o-sphere, as one would expect with an erratic road trip halfway in the books.

Among the talking points were potential trade targets (Rondo, Sessions, Howard, etc.), the role of Andrew Goudelock upon Steve Blake's return and Mike Brown's rotations. Plus, fare thee well, Derrick Caracter.

For those who couldn't attend, here's a link to the transcript.

Fifteen is now 14.

Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers released second-year forward Derrick Caracter.

Selected with the 58th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, the UTEP-via-Louisville product, who suffered a knee injury during the preseason, hadn't appeared in a game with the Lakers. In four games with the NBDL's Los Angeles D-Fenders, he averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 23.5 minutes.

Last season, Caracter shuttled between the D-League and the big club, played 41 games for the Lakers, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.2 minutes. He's a guy with some skill around the basket. Pretty good hands and good feet given his size. Unfortunately, the size issue with Caracter still constitutes a problem. For him to carve out a long NBA career -- and I do think he'll get a chance to play again in the league -- D.C. will definitely need to get slimmer and stronger.

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Monday afternoon at the team's shootaround in Philly, Kobe Bryant was asked if the Lakers, as constructed, can win a title.

"We can, but we have to play very solid, near perfect basketball, particularly with our second unit. Which we’re capable of doing," he said. "We’ve done it in stretches. So we’re capable of contending, but our margin for error is not as great as some of the other teams."

In the art of the qualified yes, Kobe has done museum quality work.

When a guy starts talking about the need for "near perfect" basketball and a small margin for error as part of a potential title run, what he's effectively saying is "no," straddling the line between creating headlines and making sure his opinion is fully understood. Kobe didn't say anything most people haven't picked up by now -- that the Lakers have too many holes to successfully navigate the postseason without upgrades has been apparent for a while now -- but to this point he hasn't quite said it this way.

He'll take some help, thanks. That much is clear.

Big picture, Bryant told Stephen A. Smith following the game he's not interested in playing somewhere else. "That ship sailed, in '07 or whatever it was. If there was ever a time I was going to move and go play someplace else, that time was then," he said. "I'm not going to jump ship to go chase a sixth ring. I'm just not going to do that. It's either going to happen here, or it's not going to happen."

Still, the desire for one more piece of jewelry is strong. "I just want No. 6, man," Bryant said in the locker room Monday. "I'm not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, damn it."

I don't think Bryant, who has repeatedly said (and reiterated in his conversation with Smith) he won't stick around to be an 18 or 19 point a game guy, is being disingenuous when he says it's L.A. or nowhere. And I absolutely believe him when he says the desire to again reach the mountaintop burns. But at some point, those goals might prove mutually exclusive.

If that time comes, which "want" wins?

Another road game, another loss for the Lakers. They led early Monday night in Philly, but after a hot start from Kobe Bryant (good enough to pass Shaquille O'Neal for fifth on the all-time scoring list before the half was up), the Lakers slowed down in the second half while Philadelphia warmed up.

Final score, 95-90.

There was much to discuss on tonight's episode of Lakers Late Night, and discuss much we did. Including...

• Bryant passing Shaq on the all-time scoring list.
• Bryant's game against Philly. Red hot to start, ice cold to finish. What was the impact not just of the final numbers but how Kobe got there?
• The Lakers have myriad problems, but their Big Three aren't high on the list.
• Looking ahead to the Boston game Thursday evening.

All that, plus some interesting shootaround comments from Bryant.

If the Lakers are going to finish 4-2 on the trip, seen by many as a good measuring stick for success, they'll need to sweep the remaining three.

L.A. dropped yet another one on the road, overcoming a strong start with something less impressive down the stretch in a refusal to buck their negative trend away from Staples Center. In a vacuum, a loss to an elite team in their building isn't a big deal, except clearly the Lakers aren't living in one of those. Right now, every loss puts them further behind the eight ball in a tight Western Conference. Every road loss reinforces the notion this team can't win away from Staples.

Things have to improve, and quickly.

Here are five takeaways.

1. Kobe Bryant wanted to get past Shaq ASAP, did it in spectacular fashion, and then things went south.

He'll often play off the significance of days like this one, where he climbs another rung on some all-time list. Clearly though, this one meant something. Bryant entered the game needing 24 points to pass ex-teammate Shaquille O'Neal as the fifth-most productive scorer in NBA history. He didn't even need four quarters. By halftime, Bryant was there, thanks to an array of jumpers and range extending out to Allentown. A 29 percent shooter from 3-point land heading in, Kobe hit four of his first six hoists from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, while Bryant was strong, the Lakers never established much of an offensive rhythm. They were a decidedly outside-in team.

In the second half, Doug Collins had seen enough, deciding to send the kitchen sink at Bryant every time he touched it. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Lakers lost their way. The third quarter featured a run of turnovers over the first six minutes as the Lakers struggled to adjust. Periodically, there were moments Philly paid for the extra attention delivered to Bryant, whether from Kobe delivering passes out of the aggressive doubles and triples or finding the open spaces vacated by Sixers defenders.

The Lakers were also forced repeatedly into late clock situations. One action. If it worked, they got a decent look. If it didn't, they didn't. Too often, it was the latter.

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"No. It was inevitable."

This was Kobe Bryant's response when recently asked if it will mean anything to him to pass Shaquille's O'Neal place on the all-time scoring list. In some ways, this can be taken as little more than a matter-of-fact statement. Bryant's been putting up 20-30 points a night throughout the overwhelming majority of his career, a campaign now 16 seasons strong. Sustained excellence for so long does in fact make these achievements feel like a matter of "when" rather than "if." In that respect, Kobe was presenting the facts, and little more.

But contextually, this milestone represents more than just yet another player exhaling Bryant's dust as he climbs the list. Passing Shaq was inevitable in Bryant's mind, and on every level, before he was old enough to drink a beer. And this doesn't just apply to The Diesel, but any other past or future NBA Hall of Famer. It's a mindset that defines Kobe. It also famously helped lay the foundation for a push-and-pull between the big man and wunderkind respectively imported and drafted by Jerry West as championship run building blocks. This vision resulted in three consecutive titles, but not without enough infighting and drama to fuel the entire run of "The Young and the Restless."

At the core of their issues was a mutual belief in themselves as the Lakers' best player. This consistently divided front made it seemingly impossible for fans and media to accept them as a duo of equal importance, even in the face of spellbinding teamwork and the obvious ways they complemented each other. Similar to today's political landscape or "Aniston vs. Jolie," taking sides became a national -- and seemingly mandatory -- pastime. And most fans and media jumped on "Team O'Neal." Shaq was older (if not necessarily more mature and certainly every bit a pain in the butt as Kobe could be). He was more established. He was also a big man like no other the league had ever seen, while Kobe was the latest wing player forced to play "Is the next MJ?" Phil Jackson typically -- and publicly -- sided with O'Neal as a means of maintaining order in a veteran locker room leaning in that direction to begin with. And yes, the Lakers' offense was in fact built around Shaq.

Do these factors offset entirely how Kobe's presence created more freedom for O'Neal to operate, and countless games closed out by the younger, springer guard with the more reliable free throw stroke? In the real world, of course not. But the world of sports debates are typically framed in black and white terms, which is their beauty and curse. On one hand, "pick one or other other" naturally lends itself to passion, the essential ingredient to every great barroom or barbershop discussion. On the other, nuance, gray areas and context typically have no use here. The goal is to make an "all or nothing" case, and more often than not, Kobe received bupkis.

By the time the time O'Neal was shipped to Miami, the narrative of those championship teams "belonging to Shaq" was basically written in stone. Even with three rings decorating his fingers, Kobe was being asked to prove he could win a championship. And back-to-back titles as a team's undisputed leader still hasn't resulted in popular sentiment awarding Bryant greater "possession" of his first three. Even as someone who blurred the lines between first and second option more than any player in recent NBA history, Kobe remains the "sidekick" in most storybooks. For some, he's just short of a dude along for the ride. Narratives, if allowed to stand for long enough, have a way of becoming history, even if the math is a little fuzzy.

But here's the thing. Even if history persists where those teams "belonged" to Shaq, Kobe owns something larger and perhaps just as impressive.

The Laker franchise.

To whatever degree it can be owned by a player, Kobe does, and more so than anybody besides perhaps West or Magic Johnson. By the time Bryant hangs up his sneakers for good, he'll possibly end up the most "Laker" Laker of any great who ever wore the uniform. And there are a lotta greats who've been a part of this organization. Including Shaquille O'Neal, whose career in purple and gold was pretty exceptional. His number will eventually, and deservedly, be retired, and his time in L.A. will never be forgotten. But his Laker career nonetheless won't resonate in franchise history the same way Kobe's undoubtedly will. That's something Bryant can take to the bank. Even if Shaq gets more credit until the end of time for those three championships, he'll never be remembered the same way as Bryant, despite his best efforts to dominate their co-opted spotlight.

In this sense, it's fitting Bryant passed O'Neal in the first half of tonight's game, the go-ahead bucket a long catch-and-shoot deuce off Matt Barnes' feed. Bryant was never big on waiting behind O'Neal to begin forging his iconic career. Should anybody have expected a leisurely pace while passing him in career achievement?

Why drag out the inevitable any longer than necessary, you know?

There have been ups and downs in this most unusual of seasons. With the Lakers sitting at 14-10 heading into tonight's game in Philadelphia, it's as good a time as any to evaluate the work of Mike Brown, even if he won't actually be on the sideline. Approximately one-third of the way into the season, does it appear the Lakers picked the right coach?

We discuss on the newest edition of the Forum, joined by 710 ESPN's Dave Miller.

Since starting the season 1-2, the Philadelphia 76ers have ripped off 16 wins in 21 games and vaulted to the top of the Atlantic Division with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. The results are no fluke. Last season, the Sixers started 5-14, and at one point were slogging along at 15-23. From there, they went 25-13 before a late swoon left them at .500 heading into the playoffs.

Signs certainly pointed to Philly as a potential team on the rise, and this year they've definitely made a major leap. While the Sixers lack a definitive go-to scorer, coach Doug Collins has plenty of effective offensive weapons at his disposal. Not that it matters all that much, since Philadelphia is the league's best defensive team through the first third (give or take) of the year.

And, as Kobe Bryant pointed out after the loss in Utah on Saturday, the Sixers are young and fast, representing a major challenge for the "old, slow" Lakers. To gain a little more insight into the surging Sixers, we hit up Carey Smith of Philadunkia, part of ESPN.com's TrueHoop network, with some questions:

Land O'Lakers: By nearly every metric, the Sixers are the league's stingiest defense. What accounts for their success?

Smith: First and foremost, it’s the 76ers' commitment to playing defense that is the key. Doug Collins has gotten these guys to buy in to the idea that you have to play solid team defense to win in the league, and given the results when compared to the brief-but-disastrous Eddie Jordan era, Collins is 100 percent correct. The other factor is that the Sixers have some phenomenal perimeter defenders in Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner. Add in Thad Young (another solid defender), and you have a nice collection of players who can make it really difficult for the opposing team’s guards and wings to score the ball.

Land O'Lakers: The team's leading scorer is Lou Williams, who comes off the bench, but nine players average more than nine points a game. Is this a reflection more of a great team-first ethic or the lack of a true go-to scorer?

Smith: Great question. Honestly my answer is it is a chicken-or-the-egg situation. Collins preaches team, team, team, and then still more team, and the Sixers have played that way very successfully over the last two seasons. They do a great job with the little things that make balanced scoring work -- making the extra pass or setting screens for each other or rotating the ball quickly or finding the hot hand. But if Collins had a superstar like he did, say, in Chicago with that guy named Jordan, I wonder if the offense would flow the same way.

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Realistically speaking, a split in the first two games of the road trip felt like a win heading in, and that's what the Lakers have after dropping Saturday's game in Salt Lake City.

Still, after what the Lakers did the night before, they will surely be disappointed with how they performed tonight particularly in the second half. Here are six takeaways...

1. The Lakers have the grit thing down.

Playing on the wrong end of a back-to-back has been rough for teams throughout the NBA this season. Friday night in Denver, the Lakers were the beneficiaries, playing a Denver team that played a night earlier and didn't get back into town until about 4 a.m. Friday. On Saturday, it was the Lakers' turn. They landed in Salt Lake City in the wee hours of the morning, and while they played a strong first half, their legs clearly began to go in the second.

Not an excuse, but it's definitely a factor.

Still, rather than fold up the tent and get ready for Philly, the Lakers continued pushing. They couldn't score much in the third quarter -- 18 points-- but stayed strong defensively and held the Jazz to 20. When Mike Brown's ejection (see below) sparked a big run from the Jazz, the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant's big burst of offense for the evening, pushed back. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol continued crashing the boards, each earning fourth-quarter putbacks.

They didn't play well for 48 minutes, but they did play hard. When compared to efforts against Miami and Orlando, for example, it's a big improvement, and combined with Friday night's showing against Denver, it's a sign the Lakers are moving in the right direction as a road team.

That had better be the case, because at 3-8 away from home, they don't have any wiggle room.

2. The question of "How many nights of questionable officiating can Brown watch before going ballistic?" has been answered.

Two.

While the work from the whistle bearers Saturday didn't approach the shoddy performance of their cohorts Friday night in Denver, the game was still undeniably physical and very intense. So when Gasol appeared to get mugged at the top of the key by Earl Watson, coming from behind on a strong double team to steal the ball while Gasol went to the floor, Brown lost it. As Derrick Favors finished with a dunk at the other end, Brown was already on the court, making his outburst against the Clips during the preaseason look tame by comparison. He had to be restrained by Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace, said some things later requiring the big pixel treatment so the KCAL folks could show the replay without running afoul of the FCC and was -- no shock -- tossed from the game.

Unfortunately, the incident pumped up the Jazz more than the Lakers. Following Brown's ejection, Utah ripped off an 8-0 run, effectively sewing up the game despite a valiant late push by the Lakers.

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