Even He Can’t Answer All Laker Questions

The Lakers have won three consecutive NBA championships, but they are struggling at 10-17 after Thursday night’s one-sided loss to the New Jersey Nets, whom they swept in last year’s NBA Finals.

With Shaquille O’Neal slowed by a toe injury, Kobe Bryant has embraced his role as team captain and leads the league in All-Star voting released Thursday.

Question: What is your assessment of where the team is, and why has this season been so turbulent?

Answer: It’s always tough to get four in a row. There’s always going to be ups and downs just in trying to repeat. So it really magnifies trying to get four. It’s much harder. That, plus all the pieces of the puzzle weren’t here at the start of the season. Guys were injured and Shaq wasn’t here. Our chemistry hasn’t been there all season so it’s a matter of working on that. So we’re just going through a process right now, and it’s been rough. We’re just trying to toughen things out and get through it.

Q: Can this team be what it was or are you concerned?

A: Well, our focus isn’t about being where we were but being the best that we can be. We have to forget about our past successes. That’s how we’ve approached every season that we’ve won. We haven’t looked at what we did the previous year. We’re just trying to maximize our potential for this season and we have a ways to go. We’ve got to try and continually get better so when we go into the playoffs we have a nice head of steam. So, yes, for the moment I’m concerned, but not for the long term. We will get it together.

Q: What caused you to lash out at your teammates?

A: I was just trying to light a fire underneath them. It wasn’t out of frustration. I think a lot about what I do. So it was important to try and light a fire to try and get them going. Some of them took it the right way and some of them didn’t. Like Samaki [Walker]. I talked to him. Maybe I was a little too hard on him in the media, but I was just trying to get him and these guys going. It was never personal.

Q: Was it effective?

A: I think they got the message. Sometimes the guys have sent messages to me. I have tried to learn from what they have said. I didn’t always agree, but I tried to understand what they were telling me. So it goes both ways.

Q: How is your relationship with Shaq these days?

A: It’s been great. No problems. I’m really glad that he is back out there doing the things he used to do.

Q: What did you think of his recent dissatisfaction and statements about the team?

A: He spoke his mind. I had no problem with it. Just like when I said what I did, some guys took it OK, others didn’t.

Q: Does it bother you that you work as hard as you do in the off-season, that you prepare and want to improve and that other guys don’t work as hard and they need more work on their game than you do?

A: No, I mean, this is who I am. This is what I do. This is one of the reasons I was able to jump from high school to the pros, because I work so hard on my game. I don’t expect them to go out and spend eight hours in the gym, in the summertime, like I do. I expect them to just work hard at their jobs, be professionals, be in the best possible condition they can be in and play the game the right way. But I don’t expect them to go out there and do what I do.

Q: Do the Lakers need another player? Should somebody else be added?

A: I don’t know. That’s totally up to [General Manager] Mitch [Kupchak] and [Coach] Phil [Jackson]. That’s their job, not mine. My concern’s really just to maximize the potential of the players that we have here. I’m the one who’s trying to orchestrate on the floor, making sure I’m reading these guys well. If they feel they need to bring in somebody else then that’s totally up to them.

Q: You just mentioned why you were able to go from high school to the pros. LeBron James is in all likelihood going to make the jump next season. What do you think of his game and him coming straight into the NBA?

A: I wish him luck. He has a great deal of talent. I haven’t had a chance to see him play in person yet, but I’ve seen highlights of him on television. He appears to have all the skills and he loves to play the game. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and he’s a very mature person.

Q: Will you play in the Olympics in 2004 and will you qualify this summer if that’s part of the condition to play in Athens?

A: If I’m healthy I’m definitely playing in the Olympics. As far as playing in the games this summer to qualify, I don’t know. It’s such a long season. But we’ll see. I definitely want to represent my country.

Q: How come you haven’t signed the contract extension that the Lakers have offered?

A: No reason really. I’m just being patient.

Q: By being patient do you mean the longer you wait the better you think it will be because you expect the salary cap to go up?

A: It’s not something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind right now. I’m trying to win ballgames. My wife and I are expecting our first child. I’ve also got a shoe contract to deal with first. So those things are what I’ve been concentrating on.

Q: Do you think that the organization is surprised that you haven’t thought much about it or signed the extension yet?

A: No, I don’t think so. Mitch and I have talked about it a little bit and he knows this is the place I want to be, so he’s not sweating it.

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Jim Gray hosts “Monday Night Football” on the Westwood One radio network. He works with Showtime, and is a contributor to NBC’s “Today Show” and ESPN.