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Can the Lakers compete tonight against the Spurs without Kobe Bryant? If the answer is no, (a) should Mike Brown consider resting Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and (b) does this mean The Mamba should merit more consideration for MVP honors?

These and other questions were tackled in today's chat. Here's the link to the room.

Wednesday night, the Lakers knocked off the Clippers in what was their 19th game of a lockout-shortened 66-game campaign. For those not doing the math at home, one month in the Lakers have already completed 29 percent of their schedule.

A lot of time? No, but by this season's standard not a bad sample size, either.

From a scheduling standpoint, Wednesday also marked a natural dividing line between the home-heavy start and what amounts to a national tour for the purple and gold, as 11 of their next 16 games come away from Staples Center. Put together, it makes for a natural moment to stop and assess what we know about this season's Lakers. When the lockout (tentatively) ended back on Nov. 26, we published a list of 34 questions facing the team this year in the wake of last spring's playoff disaster.

Why 34? Because 20 isn't enough when the league lets you sit around all summer thinking about stuff. Below is that list, each with some answers.

Strap in, people. We've got a lot of ground to cover.

1. Who wins the battle between the well-rested knee of Kobe Bryant (and his ankle, back, finger and general skeletal structure) and a compressed schedule?

Knee? What knee? I thought we were worried about his wrist. (Which, by the way, we’re increasingly less worried about.) Meaning 19 games in, the answer is Bryant in a walk. He leads the league in scoring (30.2), a nearly five-point improvement over last season, while maintaining a solid shooting percentage (45 percent). Asked to carry an almost comical burden in the Lakers offense, at least as measured by his league-leading usage rate (35.9), Bryant has been outstanding. And spry. Very, very spry.

Basically, the man is a running, leaping billboard for German medical engineering.

2. Who wins the battle between the well-rested will of Bryant and the authority of Mike Brown?

The relationship between Kobe and Brown has been a success. Bryant has expressed nothing but admiration for his new coach, praising on multiple occasions Brown’s work ethic and emphasis on defense, noting the team wants to win for him because they see how much Brown wants to win, too. They know he puts in the work.

Doesn't mean the questions about Bryant's shot selection, balance, or how he's used offensively have stopped, but those would be asked whether the coach was Brown, Phil Jackson, Brian Shaw or Rick Adelman. They are, in sports terms at least, eternal.

To this point, though, one major concern -- Brown's ability to "manage" Kobe, has been a non-issue.

3. What will Brown's system look like, and how quickly will the Lakers be able to pick it up?

Not totally sure, and not very.

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Brian and I have spent a lot of time recently debating the likelihood of Dwight Howard getting traded, whether to the Lakers or otherwise. I think he will be. Brian doesn't. However, we do agree if Howard relocates before the deadline, it'll come down to the wire, unless the Magic experiences a seemingly unlikely tailspin. Until that time arrives (or doesn't), the Lakers are a team in need of help, and the trade exception from the Lamar Odom deal provides the flexibility to obtain a player without sending one out in return.

One such candidate I've recently pondered is Grizzlies reserve guard O.J. Mayo. From a skill set perspective, he addresses some glaring needs: Mayo is a wing capable of creating his own shot and connecting from outside, plus serving as a reasonably reliable play-maker. He's hardly a panacea, particularly on the defensive end, but at the same time, the Lakers have considerably more issues scoring than stopping, and beggars can't be choosers. Mayo could provide a real shot in the arm. He's been shopped by the Grizzlies before, and would actually be a Pacer right now were it not for last minute snags.

I've wondered over the last couple weeks if the Griz might be willing to pawn him off simply for the privilege of no longer paying his salary. From there, it's a matter of the Lakers picking up a $5.6 million tab, and unless the front office is already writing off this season, they'd have to consider it.

Now, though, it seems this scenario may not be likely. Via Ronald Tillery, Commercial Appeal:

Truth is, Griz management isn't seriously thinking of dealing Mayo nor is his possible, restricted free-agent status this summer a major concern. Mayo likely will remain with the Griz this season because of his productivity and the Grizzlies' ability to control his future with the right of first refusal on contract offers.

Although Mayo is eligible to negotiate a long-term contact extension with Memphis by Wednesday, the Griz aren't compelled to agree to a deal or trade him at the moment.

"It remains to be seen whether something happens or not," Griz general manager Chris Wallace said about a Mayo contract extension. "If it doesn't happen I wouldn't read much into it. We didn't extend Rudy and re-signed him. It's a floating situation. I wouldn't say (Mayo) is a lock to be with us after this year and I wouldn't say he isn't. There's so much ground to be covered between now and July."

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Whatever ails the Lakers apparently won't be automatically solved by home cooking. Sunday's 98-96 loss to the Pacers marks the third defeat in the row, and their fourth in five recent tries against playoff caliber teams. That ain't good. We tackled several issues during the show, and like the Lakers, our execution left something to be desired, so be aware of some technical issues at the outset. Among the talking points:

- The failure on several counts during a critical possession with about 30 seconds remaining in the game. The players did a lousy job manufacturing a good look, and Mike Brown, by his own admission, should have called timeout beforehand to set up a play.

- The decreased defensive efficiency after a stifling first quarter. In particular, the Lakers did a bad job minding the three-point line, repeatedly collapsing whenever a Pacer would penetrate. As a result, Indiana drilled nearly 56 percent (10-18) of their shots from behind the arc. As Brown noted, the general intensity waned after the opening 12 minutes.

- The offense was relatively improved, but problems still linger when it comes to generating points. For one, the place where Pau Gasol operates (almost solely the high post) feels problematic. Obviously, he can be used to good effect as a facilitator from the elbow and above -- 10 dimes on the night -- but such a talented scorer down low shouldn't spend so much time away from the basket. Pau, for one, would like to operate more in the low post. Unfortunately, between Andrew Bynum's limitations in the high post and the team's shortage of creators, keeping him there over long stretches becomes difficult.

Click below the jump for videos from Kobe Bryant, Mike Brown, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace.

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Christmas Day fast approaches, along with a regular-season opener against the Chicago Bulls. It's a challenging way for the Lakers to tip off the 2011-12 campaign, as the visitors offer a plethora of questions. How will the Lakers slow down reigning MVP Derrick Rose? Will Joakim Noah be able to annoy Pau Gasol out of rhythm? Can Devin Ebanks, in his first career start, hang with the multiskilled Luol Deng? Will Tom Thibodeau's defensive schemes bottle up Kobe Bryant? Will Carlos Boozer actually play defense?

With so much wonder in the air, it felt like high time to hit up our buddy Nick Friedell from ESPN Chicago for some thoughts on the Bulls. And since Nick has incredible taste, he naturally wanted my insight on the Lakers. Blog exchange time! First, Nick supplies responses to my question about the Bulls, then the process is reversed.

Andy Kamenetzky: What steps does Rose need to take, on the court and mentally, for the Bulls to reach the Finals or beyond? Is he ready? And how much do you expect the new contract, playing as more of a marked man, etc., to affect him?

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Vibrant conversation this morning. No surprise in light of Monday's result.

If you missed it, or simply want to re-live it, click here for the transcript.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After two weeks of anger and confusion following the collapse of the Chris Paul trade and the inexplicable dumping of Lamar Odom, a night of civic embarrassment at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers and a day to let the first wisps of public criticism from his new coach sink in, Kobe Bryant coolly emerged from the Lakers' training room Tuesday afternoon with a message.

If there is a solution to what is ailing the Los Angeles Lakers, as far as Bryant is concerned, new coach Mike Brown will be part of it.

For months we waited and wondered whether Bryant would finally give his seal of approval to Brown, who was hired by Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak without any conversation or consultation with the franchise's best player.

Bryant had been left out of the loop, and while he's never publicly said he was miffed at that decision-making process, his silence spoke volumes.

In the first few days of training camp, Bryant paid Brown some light compliments. Then Tuesday, without much prompting, he went all the way and tried to make an ally for however long they are both charged with righting the Lakers ship.

"What I've heard about him [before this season] was he was a pushover, he doesn't say what he's thinking and all this other sorts of stuff," Bryant said. "I haven't seen that at all. He's been the complete opposite. He's been detail oriented, he's been up front and open and honest. He praises guys when they do well, he jumps on them when they're messing up right away."

It was an interesting statement to make on the day after Brown had criticized Bryant's defense in the Lakers' blowout loss to the Clippers in an exhibition game Monday night.

A way of symbolically blessing the Brown hire, and letting his teammates know they needed to buy into the new systems and culture Brown and his staff have been preaching since camp opened almost two weeks ago.

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Here are your 10 additional things to take away from the Lakers' 114-95 preseason loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday ...


There wasn't much for Mike Brown to smile about after the Lakers trailed by as many as 27 en route to a 19-point rout.

But, after opening his postgame remarks by admitting it was an "ugly game from us," Brown couldn't help but break out a grin and chuckle a little bit when talking about how rookie point guard Darius Morris played.

"The rook came in and he was either feast or famine, which was OK," said Brown. "It was his first taste of NBA experience."

That first taste was more than just a nibble because starting point guard Derek Fisher sat out Monday as a preventative measure as he continues to work himself back into playing shape. And so Morris played just 34 seconds less than Steve Blake on Monday and was the lone true bright spot for the Lakers, finishing with 11 points, three assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes.

"Coming out that tunnel, it was just an honor," the L.A. native and Winward School graduate said of wearing his No. 1 Lakers jersey for the first time.

Morris made an immediate impact when he checked into the game as Brown's first substitute midway through the first quarter.

After Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum combined for three straight turnovers, Morris found the ball in his hands as the shot clock was winding down on the possession. Rather than playing hot potato with the ball and dumping it off to a teammate, Morris rose up and connected on a 22-footer before the 24 seconds had eclipsed.

"I think that was like the ice breaker for me," Morris said. "For that one to go in was a huge boost for my confidence."

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There is no way of discussing the Lakers' forwards without discussing Lamar Odom. His abrupt trade to Dallas would be the elephant in the room, except that would require everyone to stop talking about it. It's no exaggeration to say the potential effect of his absence has been obsessed over. How will the Lakers bring in a player to serve as the same key cog in back-to-back-championships and three consecutive trips to the Finals?

Honestly, they won't. Because it's essentially impossible to replace Odom.

Kobe Bryant has stated this. Ditto Pau Gasol. And Derek Fisher. And Matt Barnes. Even Mike Brown, who never coached LO so much as a day in practice, seems to agree. Beyond the personality, presence and heart Odom provided, his impact on games is virtually limitless.

Odom can play either guard spot, either forward spot or even as a center in a small lineup. Whether leisurely bringing up the ball to initiate half-court sets or running the team's best break, his ballhandling skills and court vision are exceptional. He cleans the glass. He can finish at the rim and, if last season's career-high 38 percent 3-point clip is maintained, his outside shots are now dangerous. On the other side of the ball, he plays some of the NBA's most varied (and underrated) defense. Plus, he allowed the Lakers to endure Andrew Bynum's inevitable injuries without becoming a discernibly worse team.

One player offering half of what LO's worth is rare. Everything? That list is exceptionally small and includes no current Laker. That being said, what's most important is that LO's ex-teammates chip in to pick up his slack. And in theory, the forwards trotted out by the Lakers this season could combine to form a sum equal to Odom's parts. Let's look at the list, shall we?

Pau Gasol
El Spaniard has been an afterthought of sorts this preseason. A terrible playoffs removed him from Lakers fans' good graces, and with his name persisting in trade rumors, there's a feeling he'll be removed from the roster. But for now, he remains in purple and gold. And assuming he bounces back (as I believe he will), Gasol is a cornerstone for the Lakers' title hopes as a player similarly versatile as Lamar. He'll provide more consistent scoring than LO, and if the outside shot he has been developing grows reliable, perhaps from as many spots on the court. His forays leading the break are rare, but operating from the high or low post, he's every bit the facilitator Lamar is. Defensively, he's neither as consistent nor as versatile as Lamar, but he's also hardly a slouch when dialed in.

It also doesn't hurt he's actually a better overall player than Lamar.

Obviously, the blame for any doubts surrounding Pau are his to bear, along with the burden of regaining the Laker Nation's trust. But playing like "Pau Gasol," he lays a championship foundation with Kobe and Drew, allowing the other forwards to fill cracks.

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Chris Paul is officially a Clipper. What does this mean for the Clips, the Lakers and L.A. NBA basketball moving forward? Along with Dave McMenamin, we break down the particulars.

For Lakers fans, the focus on Chris Paul and Dwight Howard over the last few weeks has grown into something close to obsession.

In that context, Wednesday was not a good day.

The morning began with news the Orlando Magic were talking seriously with the New Jersey Nets to send Howard up the coast. Then, word spread the Magic simply weren't talking. At least not right now, and not until offers improve substantially and/or they're fully convinced Howard can't be persuaded to stay. If that wasn't disappointing enough, a day after snagging Chauncey Billups essentially for nothing, the Clippers went ahead and pulled off the Chris Paul deal. Suddenly the team with the buzz, the great young stars, the exciting brand of basketball, and high-end upside wears red, white and blue.

Strange days indeed.

Monday morning in the wake of CP3-to-LAC 1.0, I prepped a post praising the Clippers for pulling off not just a quality trade on the floor -- Paul running pick-and-roll with Blake Griffin is enough to make any hoops fan salivate -- but one giving them legitimacy they've never had. A genuine superstar said he was willing to go there, and give them two years. Seems silly to a Lakers fan, but it's monumental for the Clippers as an organization. I wrote how the Lakers (who, by the way, should have Paul on their roster right now), needed to remain patient, and not overreact to a moment that will surely upset their front office and fan base alike.

That post never saw daylight, but turned into this one. The message was the same. The Lakers can't freak out. They have to count to 10 and understand that fundamentally, nothing about what happens to them going forward changes. Once the league decided (a) Paul wasn't going to be a Laker, and (b) it wanted a package of prospects and picks the Lakers simply couldn't compete with (not without help, at least), CP3 wasn't coming here.

Which leaves Howard.

He's off the market today. Probably tomorrow, too, and I'm even willing to push it into next week. But at some point, Howard will return. Otis Smith will start taking phone calls, this assuming he really ever stops.

The problem for the Lakers is one of timing, because fundamentally, that obsession with Howard/Paul is based on two basic fears surrounding the team. First, that it's not good enough to win a title this season, squandering one of Kobe's last years as a truly elite player. Second, that the Lakers don't have another superstar in the fold to take over for Kobe when that day comes, ensuring a seamless, star-to-star transfer of power. Kobe runs his flag down the pole, the other guy runs his up. Easy peasy.

Except it's very difficult to do both of those things at the same time. Rebuilding, which is really what we're talking about here, is never a fully painless process in the NBA.

Think of a Venn diagram in which one circle is "Improving Now" and the other is "Securing the Future." The overlap between the two, that sweet spot where the colors change and all good things happen, isn't very big. Even the original deal for Paul, sending out Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol and bringing back CP3 and the same $8.9 million trade exception they eventually got from Dallas, didn't make the Lakers better right away. They would have had massive holes to fill in the frontcourt, and no clear path to Howard save everyone assuming it had to be the next move.

Maybe it was. We'll never know.

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Mitch Kupchak talked Monday about how Lamar Odom's response to being included in the scuttled Chris Paul trade. In short, he didn't take it particularly well, and unable move on emotionally, he asked to be moved. ESPN Dallas' Jeff Caplan covers LO's new team, the Mavericks, and relayed some elaboration from Odom about why he was so upset.

As Odom explained, he wouldn't have liked being a Hornet, but he could have lived with it. The mechanics of how everything went down, however, left too bitter a taste in his mouth.

"It wasn't about going to New Orleans. It was just about how they did it. I felt a little disrespected. After being here for so long and going through so many things, I felt like they could have just told me and I probably would have accepted it. If someone is telling you that you can't be here or there's no more room for you, you got to understand that. I think because it's just how they did it is the reason why I took it so personal.

"Usually, I would hear something from (agent) Jeff (Schwartz) early on, but it was just like overnight he told me they wanted to move me to New Orleans and we didn't feel like that was in our best interest. I told (Kupchak) that what he should do for me, I'd be thankful if he could work with my agent, my representation so I could play for a team like the Mavs."

I expect mixed reactions to these sentiments from Laker fans. Some will say NBA basketball is a business, getting traded is part of said business, so quit your crying. Others will note how the Lakers always claim to be not just a franchise, but a family, so a seven-year member of said family deserves more consideration. Personally, I'm in the latter camp, if not even for the courtesy I'd personally want to receive in LO's shoes, but the practical ramifications: It reflects well on the organization, whether for fans or perspective players who may one day be pursued. Class stands out, and conversely, a lot of NBA players of stature (and LO qualifies as such) would take a sucker punch trade as anything but classy. In addition to the negative fallout from this situation, Kobe Bryant and Brian Shaw receiving no heads up about Mike Brown's hiring clearly rubbed them the wrong way.

It might behoove the front office to learn from this repeat pattern as similar scenarios undoubtedly present themselves down the road.

Based on comments from a few of LO's now ex-teammates at Tuesday's practice, they would concur. Here's a sampling of what was said.

KOBE BRYANT

“Yeah. I know about that whole process. Not knowing about coach Brown and so forth and so on. But the Lakers do things a certain way. This is the way that they do it, and you can’t take it personally. This is how they do business."

On whether he gets Odom feeling “disrespected"
“Yeah. You want to be told things before they obviously come out in public. Somebody that wins a couple championships with you, you’d think that’s what would happen. But it’s nothing personal. This is the way they go about doing it.”

"Lamar is a sensitive guy, though. Takes a lot of things personally. He won’t see it that way... You take it how you take it. But they’ve done it to him, they’ve done it to me, they’ve done it to Brian Shaw. It’s nothing personal, it’s just how they handle it… You can’t take it personally.”

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To steal a line from "Blazing Saddles," what in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?

Seriously, can anybody get a bead on just what the heck is happening right now with the Lakers? Because I certainly can't, and more important, neither can the players.

The lockout's official end signaled a return to business, but for the Lakers, business has been anything but usual. Thursday's attempt to obtain Chris Paul in a blockbuster three-way deal got the kibosh from NBA commissioner David Stern, an unprecedented turn of events putting the Lakers in a painfully awkward situation. NBA trades, particularly involving superstars, are often likened to a game of high-stakes poker. Along these lines, the Lakers' front office was subsequently forced to play a brand-new hand with its hole cards exposed.

The rest of the league now knew with iron-clad certainty the plans to get Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, respectively shipped to Houston and New Orleans, became bystanders as a team they'd helped win two championships worked overtime to trade them again. Andrew Bynum, the obvious bait for Howard, was left to wonder if his exit papers were on the horizon. And for a veteran core determined to reestablish its championship mettle together, this situation represented more than just the unlikelihood of that opportunity.

It was a signal the front office doesn't entirely believe in them.

Whether you liked or hated the idea of swapping size for an elite backcourt, there's no denying how radically different the Lakers would have looked and operated with Paul in the fold. A massive sea change was in place.

I wrote on Thursday how this debacle represented the metaphorical bell that can't be un-rung. If anything, the din has only grown louder in the passing days.

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Andrew Bynum looks good. The eye test says he's thinner, but Sunday Bynum said he might actually weigh a little more. "I just turned a lot of fat into muscle."

By all accounts, Bynum worked his tail off through the lockout, and appears to be reaping the benefits.

"My knees feel really good," he said.

Whether it'll be the Lakers who potentially benefit remains to be seen, but as of now the news is all positive. Then, as only Bynum can, he managed to temper the enthusiasm of fans before they even had a chance to have any.

"Basketball is the hardest thing for [my knees], he said. "A lot of training, boxing, is great for footwork. It’s a lot of running. I do a lot of running, a lot of lifting, but there’s nothing quite like the hardwood when you have to run up and down. You’re always banging into people, defensive sliding, and jumping and things like that. Right now my knees feel great, and hopefully that will be the case for the long haul.”

So aside from all the stuff he's paid to do, he's totally set, right? Some of this is pure Bynum. By now, fans know Drew's unique ability to frame a situation with unusual candor, but it speaks to the elephant with whom he'll always share a room. No matter how well he plays -- and he's had moments of domination -- it's hard to feel comfortable going all in thanks to Bynum's physical history.

"When a team trades u and it doesn't go down? Now what?"

Lamar Odom didn't even require 140 characters to pose the $64,000 question.

For those who felt it impossible to top the PR nightmare that was the NBA lockout, prepare to scoop your jaws off the ground, because the unthinkable has happened. Shortly after a newly ratified CBA announced the Association officially back in business, a huge deal was agreed upon by three teams. Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom, plus some assorted ex-ex-Rockets, to New Orleans. (Conventional wisdom also dictated this trade was a signal the Lakers were going full steam in their pursuit of Dwight Howard, with a still-on-the-roster Andrew Bynum as bait.)

Was it ironic, since the new CBA supposedly made "superstar leaving his small market team for a marquee franchise" deals difficult? No doubt. Still, the Lakers sacrificed two very good players to obtain Paul. The Rockets got a four-time All-Star. And while I think the Hornets could have done better, they nonetheless obtained some quality players, including the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. The deal was hardly outrageous. Apparently, David Stern disagreed, because he decided out of nowhere to veto it. According to numerous reports, the Commissioner nixed the transaction due to pressure from owners. NBA spokesman Mike Bass disputed this, issuing the following statement:

"It's not true that the owners killed the deal, the deal was never discussed at the Board of Governors meeting and the league office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons."

It's an explanation that reeked of "pants on fire" even before Yahoo! obtained an email from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert urging Stern to veto. No word as to whether the opus was written in Comic Sans Font.

This is an absolute disaster for the NBA. It creates the appearance of a league office, not to mention players, at the mercy of a spite-driven agenda by owners. If Quasimodo, Anita Ward and Tattoo from "Fantasy Island" all joined forces to ring a 10-ton bell, it wouldn't make this much noise. And once that bell's been rung, you can't escape the sound.

And beyond the muck Stern submerged his league into, for the Lakers, a season already filled with question marks and the complications of a compressed schedule just grew even stickier.

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