LAKERS NOTEBOOK: BRYANT NO LONGER SHY ABOUT SOUNDING OFF.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and - Like a budding poet, Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. has found his voice, and he won't hesitate to use it. Even if it means picking up the occasional technical foul technical foul n. Sports A foul, especially in basketball, that is called on a player, coach, or team for unsportsmanlike conduct or infringement of a rule and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent during play. . As the Lakers returned to work after a two-day break, Bryant remained unapologetic about his run-ins with officials, and his resulting ejection, Saturday night. The days of quietly going about his business are over. The New Kobe isn't just more aggressive in his game, he's also more outspoken. ``Yeah, I would say so,'' he said Tuesday. ``For the most part, when I first came into the league, I was out here to earn the respect of my peers and of the officials, so for the most part I didn't say anything.'' That changed this season, the 22-year-old's fifth in the league. ``I guess you could say that (it's part of becoming a leader),'' Bryant said. ``That's always been something that I've been as a person, but I just held it back. I didn't feel like it was my place to step up and say something. And it was very frustrating doing that. It was more frustrating doing that than it is voicing your emotions and getting your point across.'' It's still rare to see Bryant earn a technical, but it's no longer unusual to see him complaining to officials after a missed call A missed call is when a cell phone user calls another and cuts off deliberately before the called party has a chance to pick up the call. Missed calls are used to notify another person of the caller's presence or to conveniently obtain a person's cellphone number. . ``I think it's just taking a stand,'' he said. ``A lot of times when I go to talk to the officials, it might be a call that went against Rick Fox or went against Horace (Grant) or something like that, that we feel was an unjust call. And I talk to them, I let them know about it. I don't scream at them, I don't yell at them.'' Saturday's ejection, he promises, will continue to be the exception and not the rule. ``I know when to hold back,'' Bryant said. ``I know I'm not going to do that in a key game, I'm smart about it. Let's just say I'm not Rasheed (Wallace) or something.'' Without Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). (who fouled out), the Lakers needed overtime to beat the Clippers. ``I think that was actually good for our ballclub, to be able to play in the overtime without myself or Shaquille,'' Bryant said. ``It just builds character.'' --Back to work: The Lakers had a spirited practice session after taking two days off and figure to be as healthy and well-rested as they've been this season when they play the Utah Jazz tonight. ``Everybody came in here with a good frame of mind,'' Ron Harper
Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in said. ``We ran hard today, and we played well today. So two days off felt great. It definitely helped out the old guys a lot.'' --Not Jazzed: Utah beat the Lakers opening night, ruining their championship-ring ceremony, but the Jazz return tonight in a bit of a funk. Utah has lost three in a row, including an 11-point loss to Golden State. Karl Malone ``It's getting to be like Utah's supporting cast is really important to their function,'' coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. said, ``and we have to find a way to do a job on to harm badly or destroy. See also: Job Malone, so we can make them have to carry their team.'' LAKERS vs. UTAH Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish) Lakers (22-10) update: Kobe Bryant, who leads the league in scoring at 29.6 ppg, was named NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= Player of the Month for games played in December. Bryant averaged a team-high 32.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in December. Jazz (20-11) update: Karl Malone has scored fewer than 20 points in 13 games this season, and the Jazz has gone 4-9 in those games. Utah is 15-2 when Malone scores 20-plus. The Jazz has had five days off. - Daily News Staff and Wire Services CAPTION(S): box Box: LAKERS vs. UTAH (see text) |
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