Bryant Wants Past Behind Him

Laker training camp ended Friday, excerpts and insults having come and gone in the 11 days since the Lakers arrived at the University of San Diego.

Six injured players stood on the sideline as one last scrimmage took place, Kobe Bryant putting his team ahead in the waning seconds with a baseline jumper, only to be outdone by a buzzer-beater from Brian Cook atop the key.

Bryant, for once, was not the center of attention, although that ended quickly as cameras and reporters moved in to record his thoughts on the first camp since Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and -- perhaps -- Karl Malone left the franchise.

Bryant joked and jousted with the media, on one hand smiling while saying he and his teammates swam with dolphins and killer whales at Sea World -- not true -- and on another hand sharply serving notice how tired he is of fielding questions about last season.

“I don’t know how many times people want to talk about last year,” he said. “It’s a new year. You’ve got to come up with a new question.”

There were many lobbed Bryant’s way the last two weeks.

Excerpts of Jackson’s tell-all diary of last season painted Bryant as a central controversial figure who defied Jackson’s coaching and engaged in a petty battle of wills with O’Neal.

And four-time All-Star Ray Allen picked a peculiar feud with Bryant this week, predicting the Laker star would be selfish on the court this season and possibly demand a trade if he doesn’t “win a championship in about a year or two.”

All the while, O’Neal has sent jagged words at Bryant on an almost daily basis from his new ZIP Code in Miami.

Bryant sidestepped O’Neal’s barbs and indicated he would settle his differences with Allen on the court.

As for Jackson, Bryant subtly underscored a distinction between the old coach and the new, Rudy Tomjanovich.

“Him and Phil are completely different as far as their relationship with players and how they approach the game,” Bryant said Friday. “Everybody here, we all love Rudy. Rudy’s great for us, him and his coaching staff. It’s fun to be around them.

“He speaks to the players every day. Every player, one through 14, can go up to him and just talk to him about the game, just be open with him and converse with him. I think players like that.”

Tomjanovich, for his part, has said he and Bryant are comfortably familiar with each other, but he batted down a question Friday about team chemistry. Too early. Too many injuries. Ask again later.

“We haven’t had guys healthy,” he said. “Our small forwards -- Luke Walton, Caron Butler, Devean George -- haven’t even played [lately]. I don’t even know what we are.”

*

Forward Slava Medvedenko became the latest Laker to wear street clothes during practice, sitting out Friday after sustaining a bruised right heel. Butler, George, Walton, Vlade Divac and Kareem Rush also sat out.... Bryant on Slovenian rookie Sasha Vujacic, who has been backing up Chucky Atkins at point guard: “He’s a terrific young player. He has a world of talent. That was a nice steal for us in the draft.”