Text messages from press row. . .

So Jerry Buss says that he has not been able to find a trade for Kobe Bryant that makes sense for the Lakers. . . .

He’s not going to. . . .

Unless the Lakers could get Tim Duncan (fat chance!) or pry away a younger star such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, they would be foolish to trade the game’s greatest talent. . . .

And why would their teams trade James, Wade or Howard? . . .

Sam Cassell expects the additions of Ruben Patterson and Brevin Knight to bring a much-needed toughness to the Clippers this season. . . .

Says the veteran point guard of the Clippers’ failure to make the playoffs last season: “Sometimes we were basically punked on the basketball court, and with guys like Ruben and a veteran like Brevin, it won’t happen like that.” . . .

The Dodgers, similarly stocked with young talent, should be encouraged by the rise of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, whose youngsters have carried them into the National League Championship Series. . . .

Only one problem: The Diamondbacks and Rockies also play in the National League West, and obviously they’re a step ahead of the Dodgers. . . .

With 16 touchdown passes in five games, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is on pace to pass for 51 touchdowns this season, which would break the NFL record of 49 set by Peyton Manning in 2004. . . .

Brady has passed for at least three touchdowns in all five games. . . .

Next Thursday’s timely episode of “ER” on NBC will address the in-the-news healthcare issues facing former NFL players, with former San Diego Chargers running back Sam Scarber playing a 10-year NFL veteran who can’t afford a hip replacement and might have to sell his Super Bowl ring to help pay for it. . . .

Derrek Lee of the Chicago Cubs, playing himself, makes a cameo appearance in the episode, and a Jan. 17 “ER” episode will deal with the so-far incurable disease that blinded Lee’s 4-year-old daughter, Jada, in her right eye. . . .

Mark Sanchez, who will make his debut as a USC starter Saturday against Arizona at the Coliseum, is one of four former Parade magazine national high school players of the year on the Trojans roster. . . .

The others: Jeff Byers, Mitch Mustain and Joe McKnight. . . .

McKnight shared the award with Jimmy Clausen last season. . . .

As the NHL season chugs forward and they continue pondering retirement, Ducks-in-limbo Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne say they don’t want to be a distraction to their (former?) teammates, but of course they are. . . .

Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones might have a future in politics. . . .

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used steroids when he was a competitive bodybuilder -- though he decries their use now, of course. . . .

On campus today at Dick Enberg’s alma mater, Central Michigan will dedicate the Dick Enberg Academic Center in honor of the longtime sportscaster. . . .

Oh my. . . .

Alyssa Davila, the No. 2 scorer for the sixth-ranked USC women’s soccer team, is a daughter of former World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Alberto Davila, whose excitement over winning the title in 1983 ended quickly. . . .

Three days after Davila knocked out Kiko Bejines at the Olympic Auditorium, Bejines died. . . .

Former champions Larry Holmes, Ricardo Lopez, Efren Torres and Gerald McClellan are among those who will be inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame at a dinner Saturday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. . . .

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who turns 97 on Sunday, lists some of his favorite quotations from Abraham Lincoln, his all-time favorite American: “The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother”; “The worst thing that you can do for those you love are the things they could and should do for themselves”; “There’s nothing stronger than gentleness”; and, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” . . .

Says Wooden of Lincoln and Mother Teresa, another favorite, “I think they truly lived for others, not for personal gain, and I think what’s most important is to be truly considerate of others, whether you agree with them or not.” . . .

Wooden, whose collection of books includes more than three dozen about Lincoln, plans to celebrate his birthday with a gathering of former players tonight and with a family dinner Sunday.

jerome.crowe@latimes.com