Jackson Under No Stress

While there seems to be no end to the distractions Kobe Bryant has experienced since early July, Phil Jackson said he did not believe today’s hearing in Colorado would be one of them.

“I don’t think it’s that difficult,” he said. “I don’t think he’s going to be under that much stress. He said max it’s going to be is half an hour. Then he’s back on a plane and headed back home again.

“The whole ordeal is getting up in the morning and flying over there.”

The Lakers played the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. According to team officials, Bryant was to fly early this morning to Eagle, then hurry back.

Bryant is not even expected to miss practice time because of the hearing, his first appearance in Eagle County District Court before Judge Terry Ruckriegle. Jackson scheduled a later practice today in El Segundo so that Bryant would have a chance to make it.

Charged with felony sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel employee on June 30, Bryant could enter a plea today.

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Some see turmoil. Karl Malone sees a work in progress.

Gary Payton, one of a handful of Lakers who was held up by Wednesday evening’s rain and traffic, had been frustrated by short playing time in games in New Orleans and Memphis. He’d told Shaquille O’Neal he’d hoped to talk to Jackson about it on Tuesday, but that was put off until Wednesday before the game, and put off again because of Payton’s tardiness.

Malone said Payton’s dismay -- or confusion -- was healthy.

“You know what that is? His competitive spirit,” Malone said. “That’s one thing you can’t take away from him. That’s just GP being competitive. He is a competitor. Anybody’d rather have that problem and it’s not disruptive at all.”

The final two games of the trip had Payton average 27.5 minutes and 6.5 points in losses, probably not what Payton had in mind at any time of the season, not even early November.

“We don’t worry about that,” Payton said. “That’s over with. Phil thought my legs, my ankle was bothering me. He didn’t want to chance it. That’s the coach. He wants to look out for me.”

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Brian Cook, the Lakers’ first pick in the June draft, had the pin removed from his left ring finger -- by a pair of pliers, he noted with some lingering horror -- on Wednesday afternoon.

Doctors told Cook it would be three or four weeks before he could start normal basketball activity. He already has started on light range-of-motion exercises.

He had surgery a month ago to repair a fracture-dislocation of the finger.

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After missing a few early jump shots, Bryon Russell got a surprise call from old shooting coach Bob Tate, and the two have worked together to restore his stroke over the last few days.

An assistant under Seth Greenberg when Russell was at Long Beach State from 1989 to 1993, Tate drove from Irvine to El Segundo on Tuesday.

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Brian Shaw, who along with Payton, Greg Foster and Antonio Davis received a key to the city of Oakland for his recent charitable work there, is working on a fishing show in the “American Sportsman” genre.

He filmed the show in Cancun, Mexico, last week and hopes to have it picked up by a network.

Oakland City Council President Ignacio de la Fuente honored the four players for their contributions to the city’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for the needy.

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Slava Medvedenko said he would “probably” practice today. He is recovering from a bruised left heel suffered during training camp.