For Bryant, Lakers, It’s Time to Regroup

Kobe Bryant walked off the court for the last time this season, the heavy burden of a defeated franchise weighing on 26-year-old shoulders.

The Lakers lost again, 106-103 to the Portland Trail Blazers, an inconsequential setback Wed- nesday in a 2-19 skid that officially ended one of Bryant’s most jagged seasons.

He shot poorly, struggled defensively and missed the playoffs for the first time in his nine-year career. He had tiffs with Seattle SuperSonic All-Star Ray Allen and future Hall of Famer Karl Malone, and was hit by Shaquille O’Neal’s season-long barrage of cross-country insults.

He was energetic at times, enigmatic at others.

He tried to lead by badgering and cajoling, often behind closed doors at practice, but it grated at teammates who were also annoyed by his failure to pass the ball despite double and triple teams in games.

Point guard Chucky Atkins protested publicly toward the end of March, derisively calling Bryant the team’s general manager, and there were more private examples of friction.

During a film session in March, coaches pointed out to Bryant that Jumaine Jones was open for a three-point shot on three consecutive possessions the night before against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Bryant had shot the ball instead. On the third possession, Jones’ body language suggested frustration, perhaps disgust.

The team then went from the film room to the practice court and an irritated Bryant refused to pass to teammates in a lengthy scrimmage. He also rebuffed coaches’ demands to substitute out.

His demeanor improved over the season’s last weeks as the pressure of making the playoffs subsided when the Lakers were officially eliminated, but he barked at Coach Frank Hamblen on Monday because he felt he was left in too long in a 27-point loss against the Golden State Warriors.

“It’s been tough, man, it’s been tough,” said Bryant, who scored 37 points in the season finale. “It’s been a tough experience, it’s been a humbling experience both for me and for everybody. It makes you want to work that much harder to come back next season and show people what we’ve got.”

With the Lakers finishing in a tie with the Golden State Warriors for 11th in the Western Conference, there are doubters.

“It’s just going to be fuel,” he said. “They can talk all they want. We’re going to work hard during the off-season and come back hyped.”

The perception that he orchestrated the departures of O’Neal and Phil Jackson, coupled with the team’s collapse this season, hurt Bryant’s status among some Laker fans, although he still commands a foundation of followers.

A season-ticket holder was booed by a crowd of 600 last week at Staples Center when he asked Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak at a “town-hall” meeting if owner Jerry Buss was blindingly enamored with Bryant.

On a larger scale, Bryant’s jersey was the league’s fifth-highest seller this season according to figures released by the NBA.

Bryant averaged 27.6 points, second only to Philadelphia 76er guard Allen Iverson, and on Wednesday became the youngest player in league history to score 14,000 points.

But he shot only 43.3% this season, his worst accuracy since 1997-98, his second season.

The first page of the Laker media guide showed Bryant making an assortment of game-winning shots last season. He provided one winning buzzer-beater since then, against the expansion Charlotte Bobcats on March 12. The Lakers won only twice after that.

Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $136.4-million deal last July, has a no-trade clause over the next two seasons and would have to approve any trade that involves him. He was asked Wednesday how quickly he thought the Lakers could turn around after a 34-48 season.

“Hopefully, next season,” Bryant said. “The organization and its track record has been pretty much flawless.

“We should have all the confidence, us as players, and the fans, that things can turn around pretty quickly.”