Bryant Eases His Way Back Into Fold With Teammates

Nothing unusual to report. During this topsy-turvy season in Lakerland, that qualifies as news.

Kobe Bryant played his first game of the regular season, his first true road game of any kind since he was charged with felony sexual assault, and he was just sort of ... there.

Nothing spectacular, nothing excessively wild. Somewhere between ho and hum.

He dribbled around, he looked for his teammates, he pulled up for the occasional jump shot. His five shots in the first half were the fewest among the Laker starters, his 15 points in the game were on the lower end of a balanced group of Laker scorers in an unspectacular 103-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The crowd tried to boo Bryant every time he touched the ball, but it couldn’t really sustain it. One chorus of boos in the first half was quickly answered by chants of “Ko-be, Ko-be” by the numerous Laker fans in the building. In fact, I saw more fans wearing Bryant’s No. 8 Laker jersey than any other player’s. Bryant was booed when he won the All-Star game’s most-valuable-player award in Philadelphia, and he came into Saturday’s game at America West Arena expecting something even worse.

But the Phoenix crowd turned into a non-factor, his teammates carried their share of the load and all in all, “It was about the easiest 37 minutes I ever played,” Bryant said.

He needed it. If the fans had created a more hostile environment, if the Suns didn’t miss so many layups and posed a greater challenge, Bryant couldn’t answer the call. His sore, weak knee wouldn’t allow him to and he knows that. So he didn’t attack the basket; the majority of his 12 shots were jumpers.

Coach Phil Jackson called him “hesitant,” and Bryant agreed.

Not that there was too much wrong with the way the offense was going. Gary Payton (19 points, nine assists) continued to push and attack the basket, Shaquille O’Neal (24 points, 12 rebounds) took advantage of the Suns’ soft middle and Karl Malone (18 points), Devean George (12) and Derek Fisher (13) hit the open shots.

That’s six players in double figures in two games -- something that happened only four times in 82 games last season.

O’Neal couldn’t be happier with the way the offense is going.

“I love it,” O’Neal said. “Love it.”

As for Bryant?

“I’m just going with the flow,” he said.

But even when he tries to just fit in with the team, he can’t. Bryant wasn’t on the team plane to Phoenix on Friday; he flew in Saturday morning.

These are small things, but they’re detrimental to the Lakers forging an identity as a team.

There are daily reminders of this team coming together. Saturday it was Gary Payton -- who’s known as a roll-in, lace-em-up-and-play kind of guy -- telling Bryon Russell he would come to the arena early with him for some road games.

As for Bryant’s separate trip, Jackson said it was acceptable because Bryant told him it was related to a legal matter. But this regular disruption, these types of separations that were among the complaints O’Neal aired out a week ago, could add up.

“It’s a concern of ours,” Jackson said. “It’s not an issue, but it’s still a concern. It hasn’t gone from Code Orange to Code Red yet. We’re concerned about [Bryant] coming and being part of the team, yet we’re very aware that there are going to be things that have to happen in his strategic defense that makes sense.

“That’s one of the exceptions we made in that little preamble I made with the team in the presentation prior to the season, that we’re going to have to be patient, we’re going to have to give a lot of liberty and allowance and yet we’re going to be respectful of the distance it creates and there’s an end to it at some point....We don’t know what’s going to be the end point, but there’s got to be an end where normalcy comes back to our travel and our arrangements as a team.”

In the early stages, the separate travel itineraries and even that solar flare-up in the O’Neal-Bryant feud haven’t been enough to disrupt the offensive flow. The Lakers had 32 assists and six scorers in double-figures in the opening game against Dallas

“There’s nothing like that to keep a team in harmony,” Jackson said.

Would the Lakers be singing the same tune after Bryant’s return?

When Bryant was asked about his role in the offense the day after the opener, he said, “It’s going to be much, much easier. I just move without the basketball....Just move, cut, pass, cut. I don’t have to push the ball, give it up, get it back.”

And there he was Saturday, just another piece.

As good as it must have felt to get this out of the way, to have it go better than he expected, Bryant didn’t seem too excited. He addressed the media with his cap on backward and a bag slung over his shoulder, like a kid on his way to school. And he seemed in a similar mood

“It’s a long season,” Bryant said. “I keep my mind focused on winning that championship. It felt good to be out there playing, don’t get me wrong, but I want to win another ring.”

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com.