Brown Injured; Bryant Plays

The mathematics of training camp 2006 continued Friday for the Lakers -- they got one player back, Kobe Bryant, but lost another to injury, Kwame Brown, at least for a day or two.

Bryant participated in a controlled scrimmage for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in mid-July, taking part in a lightly paced five-on-five game and showing further signs that he would be ready for the Oct. 31 season opener, if not earlier.

“It’s good to be out there, moving around,” Bryant said. “It’s not really sore, just not as strong as it used to be, but we’ve done all that we can do from that perspective, so it’s just getting out there and getting my legs underneath me again. It felt pretty good, so we’re just trying to ease it back so I can get to 100%.”

But the short-handed Lakers, still without Coach Phil Jackson on a full-time basis and center Chris Mihm at all, lost Brown to a sprained right shoulder. Brown was going up for a shot at practice when Andrew Bynum accidentally wrenched back his right shoulder.

Brown saw an orthopedic specialist Friday afternoon. When he left practice, Brown was walking gingerly to his car with an enormous ice bag over his right shoulder.

“It’s feeling hot right now,” said Brown, who is right-handed.

Lakers spokesman John Black said Brown’s injury status is day to day.

With Mihm still recovering from off-season ankle surgery, the Lakers are looking at Bynum, Brian Cook and Ronny Turiaf to play center in the short-term.

“Maybe we’ll have to go really small and throw Lamar [Odom] at the center spot,” assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Bryant is not expected to play in exhibition games Sunday against Phoenix or Tuesday against Sacramento, while Brown’s status is uncertain. Both games are in Las Vegas.

Although not fully healthy, Bryant did not shy away from contact at Friday’s practice and almost immediately challenged a shot by Cook.

“It was one of the first things he did when he walked out there on the floor,” Rambis said. “He wasn’t going to back down and take it easy. He went right after people. In his mind, he’s gearing himself up, getting ready to come back.”

Bryant led the league in scoring last season with a 35.4 average and returned to the NBA All-Defensive team after being left off of it the previous season.

“If there’s certain moves that I can’t do right now, I just don’t do them,” Bryant said. “I talked to our staff here and we’ll try to put it into our regimen so that I can get my legs stronger to be able to do those moves. I just pay attention to my body.”

Bryant’s return was welcomed by teammates.

“You could take both his knees away, [but] his instincts and his feel for the game is like no other,” Odom said. “He could be efficient at 40 years old, 45 years old, because he just knows the game, angles. That’s our guy. We need him out there.”

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The Lakers will play the Suns on Sunday for the first time since losing a 3-1 series lead and ultimately losing in the first round of last season’s playoffs. he Lakers were blown out in Game 7, 121-90.

“That game was over before it started,” Odom said. “Going into Game 6, guys were saying, ‘If we don’t win this game, we know we can’t go back there.’ That’s just youth.”

The Lakers begin the regular season against the Suns.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com