Four on the Floor, but No Shift in Mood

The good news has less and less staying power for the Lakers. These days the happiness seems to last for the duration of a sunset, and then the darkness comes down on the franchise all over again.

The moment the Lakers had waited for and the decision they’d dreaded came Monday, the gap between good news and bad shrinking to mere hours.

For the first time the Lakers had their quartet of future Hall of Famers on the court for a full-speed scrimmage behind closed doors. Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone -- the Fantastic Four, the Quad Squad -- together at last.

Bryant, working his way back from knee surgery in July, had been the missing piece. For a man who loves basketball so much he looks forward to shooting jumpers in an empty gym, the chance to finally play with some of the best talent in the NBA (even if only for 20 minutes) didn’t seem to lift his spirits very much.

His legs looked skinny as he walked off the court, and his face showed nervousness when he came back out to meet the media, not like the confident young man he had been in the past -- or even as recently as the team’s media day on Oct. 10.

Bryant said he would play in an exhibition game against the Clippers Thursday, but it was as if he knew that wouldn’t be the big news of the day, at least not when it came to him.

A little more than an hour after he left the HealthSouth training center came the word that a Colorado judge had ruled that Bryant must stand trial on a charge of felony sexual assault.

And so the up-and-down cycle for the Lakers continued, reaching its lowest point yet, but certainly far from its finish.

It started in July, when the Lakers brought out the purple-and-gold jerseys for Payton and Malone in a joyous news conference on the sunlit suite level at Staples Center. It was about 24 hours later, following the announcement by Eagle County Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert that Bryant would be charged, that Bryant and his lawyers held a news conference of their own below ground, in the Staples Center media room. Bryant admitted having sex with his accuser, an Eagle, Colo., hotel worker. He said he was sorry to his wife and mad at himself, but he also said he was innocent of the charge.

When the Lakers arrived at training camp, not even the scenic setting of Hawaii could reduce the organization’s stress level when Bryant informed them -- secondhand -- that he wouldn’t be there for the first day. When he did show up he wasn’t close to game shape.

The Lakers got off to a rollicking, fastbreaking start in their exhibition opener against the Golden State Warriors, then looked lethargic in their second game the next night. That served as a reminder that the Lakers are considerably older this year, and the effects could show when they play games on back-to-back nights.

Bryant already had left for his preliminary hearing in Colorado, and the next day the nation heard graphic details of the woman’s allegations.

Then Bryant showed up at media day in El Segundo the next afternoon, acting cool and confident, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened -- even though he had been to three states in three time zones in three days, and even though he had accusations associated with him that could forever alter his image, regardless of the outcome of the trial.

“No big deal,� he said.

He looked sturdier than he had in Hawaii, as if the worst was behind him and he knew something better lay ahead.

Six days later, when the preliminary hearing resumed, his attorneys were able to raise doubts about his accuser’s credibility in the public’s eye during the courtroom proceedings in what was generally viewed as a good day for the defense.

But that wasn’t enough to prevent the case from going to trial.

This wasn’t a surprise development, given that the burden of proof to force a trial is much lower than the case it takes to win a conviction. But now that it’s a formality, the next step is to expect the unexpected, to wonder what effect Bryant’s comings and goings will have on this season.

Already we can look to Nov. 10, when Bryant’s next court appearance is scheduled and a trial date could be set. Later that day the Lakers play the Grizzlies in Memphis. That’s seven games into the season, right around the time the Quad Squad should be getting accustomed to one another.

The trial could begin as soon as May 10 -- which would coincide with the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Bryant was asked whether he would play a full season, and he replied, “I don’t see why not.�

He got a strong indication later in the day.

Monday’s court ruling made it even more certain that this season will be unpredictable. How can Las Vegas bookmakers even give odds on the Lakers if we don’t know whether Bryant will be available in the playoffs?

And should we keep referring to the Lakers as having four future Hall of Famers? Does Bryant’s seven-year career to date merit a spot in the Hall of Fame if he is convicted and never plays again beyond this season?

His 10,658 points are not enough to crack the top 230 scorers of all time. Among active players, he trails people such as Vin Baker, Juwan Howard and current teammate Horace Grant, none of whom will be enshrined in Springfield. Would his playoff heroics and three championships be enough to vault him ahead of them?

The voting of the Hall of Fame committee now takes a back seat to the verdict of a still-unformed jury. If Bryant is innocent, it’s up to 12 other people to say so.

The player who was so successful at exerting his will on NBA games now must entrust his fate to a dozen strangers, who on this day loomed much larger than a collection of four great players.

J.A. Adande can be reached at [email protected]