2003 SPORTS: STORM BEFORE CALM IN LAKERS SEASON SMOOTH SAILING AFTER KOBE SCANDAL.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

The greatest hopes and darkest nightmares of a sports franchise were visited upon the Lakers this summer in a 24-hour span that will define the entire season.

On July 17, the team enthusiastically introduced its two newest players, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, Hall-of-Fame talents whose mere arrival made the Lakers the favorites to reclaim the NBA championship.

A day later, an Eagle County, Colo., district attorney announced that Kobe Bryant - among the league's most popular and dynamic players - would be charged with raping a 19-year-old hotel worker.

Hours later, Bryant himself appeared before the gathered media at Staples Center and, with his wife, Vanessa, at his side, looked into the cameras and proclaimed his innocence. Bryant admitted to having sex with his accuser, but said it was consensual.

The consecutive days of Staples Center press conferences set in motion what promised to be one of the most intriguing seasons in Lakers history.

So far, they have lived up to the hype on the basketball court and managed to steer clear of the drama emanating from the trial court in Colorado.

Malone and Payton quickly blended their talents and egos with those of superstars Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and the Lakers won 17 of their first 20 games, tying the second best start in franchise history.

Among the early victories were routs of the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, two of their biggest rivals for supremacy in the ultracompetitive Western Conference. The Spurs, last season's champions, knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs in May, ending their bid for a fourth straight title and sending them into the most tumultuous off-season in history.

Even as they coped with Bryant's legal troubles, team officials scrambled to reassemble the roster, jettisoning longtime veterans and fan favorites Robert Horry, Brian Shaw and Mark Madsen.

The new Lakers are deeper, stronger and more versatile than any team since the 1980s ``Showtime'' era, and the starting five is considered one of the best in NBA history. Only Bryant's case threatens to derail the team, but so far it has not been an issue.

Bryant has had to leave the team on a number of occasions to appear in court but has not missed a game. He continues to play at a high level, averaging 21.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

The media circus that engulfed the team at training camp in Honolulu in early October has long since disappeared, and Bryant is rarely asked about the case. A trial date has not been set, but legal analysts believe it will be scheduled sometime in the summer, after the season is over.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, tell the press he committed adultery - but not rape - in Colorado.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Future Hall-of-Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone, who later traded 32 for 11, show off Lakers jerseys.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer