Solution Might Look Like a No-Brainer, but It Isn’t

Now comes the hard part for Phil Jackson, trying to convince the Lakers that systems outweigh superstars after a weekend split that screamed otherwise.

Kobe Bryant’s transcendent 41-point performance got the Lakers a victory over the Washington Wizards Friday. On Sunday evening, Houston Rocket money man Tracy McGrady undid what few things the Lakers did right with one drive to the basket for a 76-74 Rockets’ victory.

It only reinforces the notion that it’s the guys with the shoe commercials who win NBA games. And it serves as a reminder that, almost a third of the way through the season, the Lakers still haven’t found an identity.

Bryant tried taking all of the shots himself and that didn’t work. Then the Lakers tried a more balanced approach with better results. Then a clunker like this game comes along, when Bryant does his best to involve everyone else and it isn’t enough to beat a depleted Rocket squad.

You’ll have to forgive a certain tights-wearing star if he isn’t quite sure what to do next.

“Maybe I should take it upon myself a little bit more,” Bryant said. “Tonight, I don’t know. It’s just [about getting] good looks. We’ve got to keep it rolling. I’ll just gauge. Certain games I need to take it over, some games I don’t need to take it over.”

He thought Sunday was one of the latter. He kept the shots to a minimum and finished with as many assists (six) as field goals (six on 13 attempts). He exerted a lot of energy on defense. He led a dedicated effort by the Lakers to find their big men, only to have Chris Mihm miss all five of his shots and Kwame Brown to miss three of five in the second half (and miss four of seven free throws overall).

Brown chased down five offensive rebounds and made the surprising hustle play of the night when he blindsided McGrady and turned a steal into a breakaway dunk that tied the score with 19.4 seconds left. But Brown also was one of the frontcourt players who didn’t seal off McGrady when he drove past Devean George for the game-winning layup with 0.3 seconds left.

If the Laker big men can’t dominate the paint when Yao Ming is back in Houston with a toe injury, when can they? Their inconsistency is the biggest Laker flaw, one that even has the coach perplexed.

“I don’t know if expecting anything is reasonable with this group right now,” Jackson said. “We just take what we get.”

The victory in Utah at the start of the month seemed to be a turning point. The Lakers prevailed in overtime even though Bryant fouled out. They bought into the offense, executing it with more zest, resulting in an average of 22 assists over the next nine games after averaging 18 assists in the previous six.

“I think when a couple people start doing [passing], more people start doing it,” Luke Walton said. “We joke around in the locker room. Now other guys start to pass. I think it is contagious.”

Bryant bought in too, his shot totals dropping while the victories piled up.

We like to write transformation stories in sports, proclaim everyone as reborn. Except, by and large, people don’t alter their fundamental personalities.

“I’m not going to qualify Kobe as changing,” Jackson said in response to a pregame question that asked him to do just that. “I think he’s the same person. I think he’s grown into or matured over [time]. But this is the same guy. Same guy that’s determined to win, who’s gonna encourage his teammates through the most vocal means necessary to get them to play hard, do all those things it takes to win ballgames in the most intense way. He’s the guy that’s going to jump through hoops that are on fire to win games.”

Jackson was asked if Bryant has recognized that he can’t win games by himself.

“He may recognize that,” Jackson said, “but it still doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.”

Sometimes he even has Jackson’s blessing.

It’s important to notice the distinction Jackson has made, maturation vs. transformation.

That’s one reason the Lakers should not make a run at the Indiana Pacers’ Ron Artest. Never put your money on crazy, not even with new scenery.

If a season-long suspension and millions in lost salary couldn’t change Artest, do you think a few palm trees and even Rodman-level tolerance by Jackson will?

You hear about the ways Artest can help teams with his defense and improved scoring. But how can he help anybody if he isn’t playing?

The Pacers have given Artest the Terrell Owens treatment for the last five games, bringing the career total of regular-season and playoff games he has missed by suspension/deactivation to 108. That’s the only Artest stat that matters.

Any Lamar Odom trade speculation would be moot if he had more games like this, producing five turnovers and three points.

Less Odom normally requires more Bryant, but Houston’s defense wouldn’t allow it.

“I could force the issue and shoot the ball through a double-team and get a pretty good look myself, but they were just standing out there wide open all night long,” Bryant said. “Next time, they’ll knock them down.”

Then again, the next time McGrady has the ball on the final play, Bryant said, “I’ll guard him.”

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Adande, go to latimes.com/adande.