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Selected with the 46th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, in his first interview with a local press corps unfamiliar with him and his skill set, Andrew Goudelock filled in the blanks. "Unless something happens, unless I gain some kind of disease where I forget how to shoot, I'm gonna keep shooting until the day I die," he said.

Certainly he'd done just that at College of Charleston, where Goudelock averaged 23.7 points a game as a senior, and over four years hit over 40 percent of his 3's. This as an undersized 2-guard. But in the NBA, would he be able to get his shot off? Would he be able to defend guys far bigger than he? (Goudelock is no more his listed 6'3" than I am.)

He addressed that back in June, as well.

"Being competitive on the offensive end also means being competitive on the defensive end. So I'm gonna get better every day," he said. "I'm gonna strap down on defense and if it means I'm gonna have to guard somebody 6'5" or 6'6", I'm gonna have to do that. I'm gonna have to figure it out, just like I figured out everything else."

The last phrase is key. Goudelock carries the shoulder chip of a guy told at every level he wasn't good/big/quick enough to make it, and always found ways to succeed. It's an appealing quality, but nonetheless after the draft a lot was stacked against him. Thanks to the lockout, he couldn't work out at the facility, learn the new system, or gain experience in summer league.

In the end, though, the lockout may have worked in Goudelock's favor, particularly after the Chris Paul trade was nixed by the league. Had it gone through, the Lakers suddenly would have had a full complement of guards -- Paul, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, and Kobe Bryant -- and no space for him. But it didn't, the Lakers were put in scramble mode. Goudelock showed enough in the truncated preseason to impress Mike Brown and his staff, and voila!

Goudelock was a Laker, and surprisingly enough, the kid came in handy.

STATISTICS

4.4 points per game, 39.1 percent shooting, 37.3 percent 3-point shooting, .8 rebounds, .5 assists in 10.5 minutes over 40 games played.

HIGHLIGHTS

Goudelock hit a pair of triples in the season opener against Chicago, but playing time was hard to come by until Steve Blake suffered a rib injury in December. Pressed into service on a guard-thin team, Goudelock showed he could score at the NBA level, notching 14 points against the Clippers on January 25th, 13 on the 28th in Milwaukee, 12 two days later against Charlotte, and 13 more against the Nuggets on February 3. Goudelock showed confidence from distance, and a willingness to put the ball on the floor to attack, where he'd typically finish with a nifty floater. Still, like most rookies, he was on a short leash, and Goudelock struggled to find minutes as the season went along.

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Word on the street was that if Darius Morris had remained at Michigan one more season, he might have been a lottery pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. Instead, he opted to make the jump to the NBA and found himself selected by his hometown Lakers. Between the presences of Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake and (at the time) Derek Fisher, backcourt minutes figured, then proved, difficult to come by. Even by the typical standards for rookies playing on veteran teams with championship aspirations, Morris didn't get much run.

Statistics
19 games, 8.9 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.8 apg, .8 rpg, .429 FG, .444 3-PT

Highlights
The early part of his unexpected seven game stretch (1/11-1/22) filling in for Steve Blake. A rib injury to the veteran left Mike Brown no choice but to throw the kid into the fire and for the first few games of this stretch, Morris did a credible job considering the he had yet to log a minute's worth of regular season run. Four assists were doled out against the Cavs and Clips, with seven points to lead all reserves in the local contest. (He even drilled a half-court buzzer beater! The rookie didn't make anybody forget about Blake altogether, but at the very least, we saw glimpses of the potential that prompted the front office to draft him.

Lowlights
The latter part of the aforementioned seven-game stretch. Whether the result of more tape of Morris for opponents to study or simply the rigors of NBA ball catching up to Morris, the more games he played, the more he struggled to make an impact. It's one thing for his scoring to turn inconsistent, yet quite another to log just one assist over four consecutive contests. Morris looked increasingly in over his head, and Brown eventually opted to bench the Wolverine in favor of fellow rookie Andrew Goudelock as a quasi-point guard to provide the reserves a scoring punch.

Prospects for 2012-13
To some degree, this could be dictated by other point guards on the roster. Ramon Sessions (opt out), Blake (amnesty provision/trade) and/or Goudelock (potential free agency) all could find themselves part of new teams next season, which might open the door for Morris to play a larger role. (Assuming the Lakers make a qualifying offer of a little under a million bucks to retain his services, as I expect they will.) Were all three to return, Morris may once again be on the outside looking into a crowded backcourt. And I got the distinct impression from his exit interview playing time is a factor he'll use to weigh his options, should he have any. Darius is rightly concerned with establishing his credentials as an NBA-worthy player, and the process can never begin too early.

In any event, the Lakers could use more youth at this position, which leaves a door open for Morris, assuming he proves worthy of walking through it.

Grade
C

Previous Report Cards

• Christian Eyenga

About a year before Christian Eyenga joined the Lakers via trade, he made his mark on the franchise by dunking on Pau Gasol.

After being part of the purple and gold for the final third of the 2011-12 season, that dunk on Gasol remains the most lasting moment Eyenga has had involving the Lakers, which tells you just about all you need to know about his role as the 14th man on a 14-man roster.

Statistics

8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, 1.0 tpg, 50.0 FG%, 0.0 3-P%, 100.0 FT%*

Highlights

Eyenga made the Lakers’ pregame layup lines must-see material once again, making up for the absence of Shannon Brown and proving that his “Skyenga” nickname is well deserved. Eyenga remained a bit of a mystery to Lakers fans outside of his pregame dunks and funky No. 88 uniform as he didn't even have an introductory press conference after being acquired in the Ramon Sessions deal at the trade deadline because of travel issues leaving the D-League's Canton Charge and getting to L.A. Still, in Eyenga's one game played with the Lakers in the regular season finale (* = that's why Eyenga's statistics line looks a little funny, because it only reflects one game), he made the most of it and scored eight points in 19 minutes against the Sacramento Kings.

Lowlights

Perhaps my favorite statistic associated with the Lakers’ season was the fact that Eyenga speaks more languages (five) than he played in games (four – three in the playoffs, one in the regular season) since joining the team in March. As fun as that stat might be, it means that Eyenga was not able to carve out a spot in Mike Brown’s rotation. The Lakers found Eyenga to be more valuable with their D-League affiliate, the L.A. D-Fenders, where he averaged 33.0 minutes, 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds on 53.4 percent shooting in six regular season games. But even Eyenga’s D-Fenders stint didn’t go as smoothly as he would have liked as his numbers dropped to just 10.4 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds on 41.7 percent shooting in five D-League playoff games.

Prospects for 2012-13

Eyenga has one year remaining on his rookie contract, worth approximately $1.2 million. If the Lakers do not re-sign Matt Barnes and or Devin Ebanks, he could try to find a role as Metta World Peace's backup at small forward. The Lakers coaching staff has also worked with the 6-7, 210-pound Eyenga on his guard skills in hopes of him being able to play some backup shooting guard in the future as well. It will be an important season for Eyenga as he'll try to establish an identity as a reliable player in his third year in the league.

Grade
Incomplete.

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

If evidence is needed that Steve Blake's second campaign with the Lakers bested his first, one need only take a trip down "2011 Exit Interview Memory Lane." The man spoke for less than three minutes, and much of that time was filled by awkward silence. Horribly, horribly awkward silence. There are only so many ways you can ask a prideful dude not inherently chatty to begin with about his struggles in the triangle before the whole thing falls to pot. This year, Blake talked nearly 10 minutes, indicative of a season still plagued by a fair amount of lows, but capped with a nice regular season finish and some key postseason buckets.

"Over time, you get more comfortable with your teammates and they know more about you," explained Blake about gradually discovering his rhythm. "You know more about them. You kind of figure each other out. For me, it was definitely much more comfortable throughout this whole season and the playoffs."

As for why it took Blake a while to getting rolling this season, he couldn't necessarily put a finger on why.

"I think during the season some moments where you're just not playing your best basketball. But you push through it and continue to work on the things you might not doing well and you get back on track. I think for the most part, I got to a good place where I felt good and felt like I was playing pretty well."

Not just playing well, but often outplaying Ramon Sessions, imported as a theoretical answer to fill a long-time void moving forward. Sessions got off to a white-hot start, but cooled as the season continued, then appeared overwhelmed by the playoffs, where he was often outplayed by Blake. I'm guessing -- and it's purely a guess -- Sessions will exercise his player option, but if he decided to test free agency, the Terp could find himself as a potential starter. And even if Ramon returns, a legitimate argument could be made the reserves (and Sessions himself) were better served with him among them. Either way, however, Blake doesn't particularly care what role he plays, as long as it's on a winning team.

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Rookie Andrew Goudelock began this season as the surprise winner of Kobe Bryant's primary backup at the two-guard. Later, he played some minutes as a quasi-point guard of sorts. He's a considerably more natural scorer than playmaker, but has the literal stature of a lead guard. So what position do the Lakers see him playing sown the road? As it turns out, they may wanna split the difference.

"They see me as a combo guard," explained Goudelock. "They see my size as point guard size but my game as more two-guard. So right now, I'm a two-guard, in the future, I strive to be a point guard who can score. A point guard that can play the two. A better combo guard. I think once I get more comfortable running the point guard position, I didn't run it until this year and I was learning it in the game on the fly. So that's really tough in the NBA. I think once I get more comfortable doing that, I'll be okay.

"One thing that I keep hearing from a lot of people around the league is [I] can shoot really well and there's a need for that. As long as I can shoot, I'm always gonna be okay. But for me to be successful as I wanna be, me tweaking those other areas, it's really important. Nobody wants to be a one-dimensional, two-dimensional player. I strive to be like some of the guys I came up watching. I always watched Allen Iverson, but you know, I don't think my career is gonna be anything like this. You have to be more realistic when you have watch guys and you wanna pattern your game after guys.

"I've always liked Chauncey Billups. Right now that's probably the biggest guy I'm looking to be somewhat like. Just keep trying to get better."

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I don't envy Mitch Kupchak's job in the slightest. The Lakers have slipped a notch below the league's most elite teams, and don't have many assets -- whether in draft picks, young trade prospects, or salary flexibility -- with which to improve the team, and are working against a very punitive CBA.

Meanwhile, the Kobe Klock is ticking.

No offseason in L.A. is an easy one, but an argument can easily be made this one provides Kupchak his stiffest test as Lakers general manager. I don't know how he gets it done, but fortunately he's better at his job than I am, so there's hope for fans.

Wednesday in El Segundo, Kupchak met with the media and relative to his normal "You'll never get the launch codes from me, reporter! Never!" standards, was frank about the need for improvements, and that the Lakers would explore just about every option available in order to facilitate them.

Here are a few choice quotes. Click below the jump for full video coverage of his press conference.

On Pau Gasol: "I don’t suspect that he’ll ever be the same based on what took place this year. I thought personally that he did the best anybody can do, being professional and saying the right things, being a good teammate and having a really good season up until I met with him a couple hours ago. He’s the consummate teammate, consummate professional. But what took place is hard for a player to deal with and I’m sure there’s a little bit of trust that’s not quite the same. But, like you said, he understands and our exit meeting with him was really good. I think he and I are on the same page. I have not met with ownership. I do not know what direction the team is going to go, what the parameters are going to be going forward so there wasn’t really anything additional to share with Pau or to share with you people about what may take place between now and the draft, or now and July 1st or post July 1st."

(Note: Asked what he meant by "I don't suspect he'll ever be the same," Kupchak said he was talking only about the trust issue between Gasol and the organization, not his on court performance.)

On whether the Lakers would be active in the trade market: "Why not? Sure. When you lose, and we went through it last year and we didn’t make really, other than at the trade deadline, we didn’t do anything last year, but when you lose before you think you should have lost, you have to open up all opportunities."

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Click below the jump for full video coverage of Bynum's exit interview.

At this point, the concerns about Andrew Bynum are well documented. The NBA, like all professional sports, places a premium on predictability, particularly for superstars.

Bynum, a superstar talent in his ability to change games on both sides of the ball, failed the predictability test in significant ways during the 2011-12. Not necessarily in his statistical output -- the numbers were very strong -- but more often in his effort and engagement. There were too many nights Bynum didn't clock in, or decided to clock out early whether figuratively (allowing his defense to be dictated by his offense) or literally (two silly ejections).

And since on any given day what comes out of his mouth could easily be any combination of insightful, candid, or cartoonish, like you I was very curious to see what Bynum would say to the media after an extended exit interview with Mitch Kupchak and Mike Brown this afternoon in El Segundo.

Which Bynum would we get?

The candid and self-aware one, as it turns out. Bynum's answers weren't the sort of self-flagellation/mea culpa more self-righteous corners of sports media love demanding, but without getting too specific he certainly acknowledged shortcomings and noted skills away from the court requiring development. "I definitely need to mature and get the locker room to follow me," he said. "Have a presence, have an aura that demands my teammates’ respect. That’s something I can definitely work on."

That, and consistent energy and investment during every game, more a mental than physical challenge. "It’s hard for anybody, I think, to focus at all times. That’s what makes people get to that superstar status when they’re able to do that four out of five games. That’s the difference. That’s the next step for me," he said.

Like many, at this point I have taken a "show, don't tell" approach with Drew, and in Mitch Kupchak's shoes certainly would be nervous about giving Bynum the keys to the kingdom. He's a smart guy, and there's time for him to grow out of the immaturity plaguing him this year. Kupchak reiterated today faith he would and the team's plan to pick up Bynum's $16.1 million option for next season.

We'll find out in a few months if today's words translate eventually into change next season.

Among other highlights:

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This was no easy season for Pau Gasol, between the weight carried from a poor 2011 postseason, being traded/untraded for Chris Paul, hearing his name swirl around the rumor mill like a Hollywood Starlet in the pages of US Weekly, and a new role that didn't play to his strengths in a compressed season that offered little time to practice out the kinks. His streak of three consecutive All-Star bids came to an end, replaced instead by a streak of public comments from Kobe Bryant cajoling him to be more aggressive.

Beyond receiving the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, Gasol's reasons to smile were limited this season. And the rediscovery of a toothy grin may come while donning a different uniform. Even before Mitch Kupchak acknowledged later in the afternoon a shakeup could be coming, Gasol's demeanor and body language wasn't that of someone banking on a return next season. He was the odd man out of this year's system -- and a pricey one at that -- which could lead to being out altogether. For the time being, however, he remains in his customary state: Limbo.

"I wish I could have clarification, but they can't give it to me right now," said Gasol. "I think management still has talk to ownership to see what direction this thing will be going next year... If they knew it would be good to know obviously, but I understand. We just finished playing two days ago, things don't work that easily. I wont really worry too much about it. It's something I've been through already this year, so if something does happen, it does and if it doesn't I'll be happy to be back next training camp ready to go, and Hopefully have much more peaceful year, and just focus on our goal, which will be to try to win another championship."

Besides, as Gasol noted, he, Mike Brown and Mitch Kupchak didn't spend nearly as much time talking about the future as the recent past. The pow wow lasted about an hour, which is very long by exit interview meeting standards. But considering the chaos of Pau's season, it's not surprising extra time would be required to hash out matters. Unlike the airing of grievances that accompany Festivus, Pau didn't present the sitdown as heated or hostile. His recounting of events came with the typical Gasol-ian politeness. But it's clear he got some things off his chest.

"I told them it was hard for me at times," shared Gasol. "I never had to search for offense or for looks in teams I've been on. They've always been, not given to me, but I always had them because of what I bring to table. So to have to go and search, I have struggled at points, at times with that. But obviously when you have certain players are also very good contributors on the offensive end, you have to make sure combine all those weapons, make them work at their best. And that takes a little bit of time, too.

"I always like to be aggressive and proactive, but I was still trying to adjust to the fact it was different. I wasn't getting the same things I was getting before. I'm not used to attacking from different positions on the court. Analyzing a little more made me think of it a little more. But I don't like excuses at all. It's just analyzing and seeing the fact and understanding why things happen a certain way."

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For any NBA rookie, the inaugural season is a learning experience, but for Darius Morris, this was truly the case. Without the benefit of much playing time (just 169 total minutes over 19 games), the L.A. native wasn't left with much to do beyond gain an education. Thus, he made the most of a campaign spent primarily on the inactive roster, as he explained Wednesday in El Segundo.

Morris learned while observing opposing point guards from the bench, paying close attention to the "little tricks" in the back pockets of folks like Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker. He learned from Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace, the former with whom he forged an additionally strong friendship and the latter a self-appointed mentor. He learned what it took to win a lot of games at the NBA level.

But perhaps most importantly, he learned how to "stay ready," a refrain constantly repeated by players out of the rotation.

"As young players, we kind of embraced that, because you see how quickly things can happen, explained Morris. "I wasn't even dressing and active, and then Steve Blake goes down, I'm thrown into the fire. That right there. Everyone has their little moments. Or Dev (Ebanks), not being in the rotation and Kobe goes out. You would never expect it... It's just something you've got to do. This is your career. You are getting paid to stay ready and not have any excuses."

For his willingness to accept that and other challenges, Mike Brown praised the rookie during his exit interview for growth the coach witnessed between December and April.

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For most of the season, Kobe Bryant made a point of noting the Lakers were a championship caliber team, but working with very little margin for error.

In the playoffs, an important chunk of it went away with the disappearance of Matt Barnes. The team's most consistent bench presence throughout the season, Barnes was playing some of the best basketball of his career down the stretch, averaging 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists over 26.8 minutes in 13 April games before suffering a sprained ankle against Oklahoma City in the second-to-last regular season game.

He never recovered. Barnes' playoff averages plummeted to 3.5 points on a terrifying 27.1 percent mark from the floor, including only 16.1 percent from downtown. Things were so bad, Mike Brown sat him entirely in Monday's Game 5 loss. Wednesday in El Segundo, Barnes admitted he wasn't fully healthy in either playoff series, and it wasn't just the bum ankle.

"What I tell you now isn’t going to be used as an excuse by any means, because I’m not like that, but the ankle didn’t heal and then I did something to my neck where I had to take some shots to even move my neck," Barnes said. "It’s still sore, but the way I look at it is you’re hard pressed to find anybody at this point in the season that’s healthy. So you can never use that [as an excuse]."

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When Josh McRoberts arrived last fall, it seemed like a good fit. Young and athletic with decent ball skills, and his career appeared to be on an upward trajectory after a mini-breakout campaign with the Pacers in 2010-11. The Lakers needed bodies behind Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol -- particularly with the departure of Lamar Odom -- and for a reasonable $3 million, McRoberts made sense.

Initially, at least, returns were solid. Starting the first four games of the year in place of a suspended Bynum, McRoberts quickly grew into a fan favorite for his hustle and ability to finish on the break. "McLob" became a common hashtag on Twitter during Lakers games. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was a new experience coming here and getting an opportunity to play right away. It was kind of a whirlwind."

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. In early January McRoberts injured the big toe on his left foot, and from there everything about his season grew totally inconsistent. He fell out of the rotation entirely, found himself back in, then back on the bench when Mike Brown went to Jordan Hill, who basically out-McRoberts-ed McRoberts.

Though he never caused a stir, I know from conversations throughout the year the lack of rhythm and consistency in his minutes was frustrating, as it would be for any player. "I would have loved to be out there. I would have done everything I could to try to help where we needed help," McRoberts said Wednesday in El Segundo.

Now McRoberts, entering the second of a two-year deal with the Lakers, faces a significant season in 2012-13, not only in regards to his future in L.A. (assuming there is one). "It's not something I'm going to lose sleep over, because I know I'm going to put in the work to get to where I need to be and to have the opportunity to show what I can do," he said, "but I definitely understand it's going to be a big year for me, career wise."

(Click below for video from McRoberts' exit interview)

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MORE EXIT INTERVIEWS:

• Ramon Sessions
• Jordan Hill
• Metta World Peace

Second year forward Devin Ebanks began the year as the starting small forward, playing 81 minutes in the first four games before Mike Brown replaced him in the first five with Matt Barnes.

Over the next 52 games, Ebanks logged a total of 73 minutes before a shin injury to Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace's suspension put him back in the starting lineup for the last 10 regular season games and the first six against Denver in the opening round of the playoffs. In the first five games after World Peace's return, Ebanks played a total of four minutes. Monday night in Game 5, Ebanks served as the backup 3 over a slumping Barnes, playing 16 minutes.

Fair to say Ebanks rode the playing time roller coaster this year, a difficult thing for young players.

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Never let it be said Metta World Peace isn't an eternal optimist. Despite exiting the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, MWP doesn't consider the Lakers in need of radical change. Heck, he's still struggling to conceptualize the Oklahoma City Thunder as a team superior than his in the first place.

"The best team in the NBA lost in five," insisted MWP. "The best team in the NBA should be up 3-2, playing tomorrow. But the better team that took advantage of the moment, that took advantage of their time, they seized it and they grabbed it. They held onto it. So we gotta find a way to hold onto our moments."

MWP's time with the media was peppered with the phrase "should be up 3-2," and the overarching theme of his comments could be labeled "confidence." He's confidence in the form discovered after several months laboring and working himself back into shape. (The lockout prevented MWP from consulting the training staff to address a nerve issue in his back, and his conditioning in turn suffered.) The process was slow, and MWP was admittedly unsure he'd ever come close to the two-way dominance of his prime. But come April, slimmed down and healthy, Metta finally broke through and has no doubts this version will be the one gracing the hardwood moving forward.

"I just feel like I want to pick up right where I left off, and kind of prove something," proclaimed the former Defensive Player of the Year. "I never like to prove anything, but this time around, I kind of want to prove a little bit."

Metta also emphatically stressed the importance of this self-confidence trickling down to certain teammates. Particularly when it comes to deferring to Kobe Bryant. As far as MWP's concerned, the Mamba may be one of the greatest ever, but during crunch time those alongside him must start viewing themselves as equally worthy of making plays.

"I think at the end of the game, guys gotta trust themselves more," said MWP. "I think sometimes, not myself, but sometimes guys, they look to Kobe too much. I think they gotta understand Mitch (Kupchak) brought you here. Mitch also assembled teams that won championships, so he knows what he's doing. And he brought you here for a reason. Because you're good. So believe in yourself.

"When I first got here, I know Kobe is an amazing player. I know me and Kobe had a lot of conflict when we were on opposite teams, but I still looked up to Kobe because he played like (Michael) Jordan and Jordan is my favorite player. So when I got here, sometimes I would be in awe of Kobe, watching Kobe to see if he would make the shot. Wanting to see him win the game with the game-winner. And every game I'm like, 'He's gonna win! He's gonna win!' But I'm not making an impact on the game. I'm watching Kobe. Guys moving forward have to believe in themselves. I think if guys believe in themselves, you're gonna see a whole different team.

"You're playing with a great player. Five championships. I don't know how many people can say they got five championships in any sport. So no matter who the player is, you come to this team, you will look at Kobe as one of the greatest players ever. You know? But playing with Kobe for a long time, I understand I gotta chip in. I must chip in. So I think the young guys, not the older guys, a lot of young guys went through it this year. And I think coming back next year, they just have to understand, we gotta chip in.

"Chip in. Don't watch... chip in so Kobe can get his sixth ring, so I can get my second, and Pau (Gasol) can get his third, and things like that."

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Yesterday we asked our Twitter and Facebook audience for advice on what the Lakers should do to get back into the NBA Finals. No surprise, Lakers fans were passionate, emotional and quite funny. Here are some of your responses.

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If you haven't yet read this piece from ESPNLA's Ramona Shelburne on Kobe Bryant, do so.

In it, she details the new world in which he and the Lakers live, as the team tries to move past the Phil Jackson era and change shrinks Kobe's proverbial circle of trust. Throughout his career, Bryant has exerted as much control as possible on an occupation generally mocking that sort of thing. He's worked harder on his body and his game, searched for every edge, cribbed every move and absorbed any and every bit of information he can mine from anywhere, in or out of basketball. All in the interests of wining. Shelburne notes how this season, the second straight in which the Lakers fell well short, illustrated how little control Kobe might ultimately have in his chase for a sixth ring.

"There is no way to know when the end will finally come for Bryant. Only that he's closer to it with each passing year. He'll be 34 before next season, his 17th in the NBA. His legs are still strong, even if they aren't as spry. He can still dunk to prove a point. (He dunked four times in Game 5, so don't tell me he wasn't thinking about it.)

"It's different from being 21 and you think there's endless amount of opportunities," Bryant said Monday. "At 33, the ending is much, much closer."

He's hungry still. He's got time left. But you get the sense he only wants it if there's a chance to do something good with it. To win.

That's less certain now. He can shoot all night in the gym, it might not matter."

It's a great look at a chaotic season, and also sets the table for what could be a dominant theme in any discussion about Bryant in the next few years: What happens if or when it becomes clear the Lakers can't assemble a championship caliber team fast enough to capture Bryant's last best seasons?