Bryant Continues His Climb

Sometimes, there is a personal price for the posters, the commercials, the shoes with that name on them, and the 40-foot pictures of that face on the sides of old buildings.

Often, there is a personal price when the player’s game appears to bleed through the team fabric.

Kobe Bryant will wobble along that line. It is unavoidable.

So Bryant bears the criticism, public and otherwise, smiles and just plays basketball.

He arrives in the 26th game of his fifth season as the NBA’s scoring leader, a half-point in front of Detroit’s Jerry Stackhouse, 1.4 points in front of Toronto’s Vince Carter. The Lakers play Carter’s Raptors this afternoon, and Bryant again will make his choices and let everyone else judge.

“Well, at times this year we’ve maybe singled out, as we’ve struggled, we’ve all singled out Kobe, from the media, to fans, to players and his teammates, as being a kid or still growing and making mistakes,” Laker forward Rick Fox said. “But, for the times that if that it is his fault, as we all want to say, for maybe some inconsistent play, we have to also remember that it’s his fault that a lot of good things happen too.”

If it is not his own coach who airs Bryant’s lapses, it is the media. Or it is his teammates, who are more subtle in their presentation.

“You’re on the firing line and the medal stand at the same time,” Fox said. “He has the ability to rise above human basketball status at times to immortal, but there is a flip side to that. He must be human.”

Two months ago, General Manager Mitch Kupchak sat behind a desk in his office and mulled the maturation of his 22-year-old superstar.

“There’s no doubt he’ll get there,” Kupchak said. “Five years ago, he was light years away. He’s very close. He’ll still, from time to time, struggle or try to do it all on his own, because he knows he can.”

TODAY

at Toronto

10 a.m., Channel 9

* Site--Air Canada Centre.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 16-9, Raptors 12-11.

* Record vs. Raptors--1-1.

* Update--The Raptors had won two in a row and three of four, then lost Friday night in Milwaukee when Carter missed 11 of 17 shots. Center Antonio Davis averages 13.7 points and 11.0 rebounds. How shallow is the Eastern Conference in centers? Davis leads all pure centers in scoring.