Bryant: Return Saturday Is a ‘Definite Possibility’

Kobe Bryant participated in a half-court, four-on-four scrimmage Wednesday morning and then said Saturday night’s game at Phoenix was “a definite possibility� for his return.

Bryant, rehabilitating the knee that required arthroscopic surgery in July, did not play in the Lakers’ 109-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, primarily, club officials said, because his knee was sore.

“It just gets weak,� Bryant said. “After about 15 minutes, the leg just gets weaker. That’s when the pain starts to come in.�

As of Wednesday, he said, with two practices and a shoot-around before Saturday’s game, “It’s looking pretty good.�

Soon, then, Bryant would have to step again into the lineup that wore him out in two exhibition games.

“If he plans on playing Saturday,� Derek Fisher said, “this is an important week for him and for us.�

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In a potentially significant reversal, Bryant said he didn’t really mean it when he said he would opt out of his contract at season’s end.

That is, he said, he still might opt out, but that he’d only said he would, “so I wouldn’t sweat it during the season.�

He added, “When the time comes, I’ll think about it then.�

For about seven months, Bryant had insisted he would opt out of his Laker contract after this season.

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If certain Lakers don’t like each other, Coach Phil Jackson said, the least they can do is to keep it out of the streets.

A hidden feud is almost as good as no feud at all.

“I think that’s been our message to them,� Jackson said, “and that’s been their message to the press. I would add a third emphasis, and that’s if indeed we do have a reoccurrence of it, it’s going to be inside our locker room or on our practice court. That’s what we want.�

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In his first NBA game, Luke Walton committed three personal fouls in a one-minute 11-second span of the second quarter, put his head down and walked straight to the bench.

While not particularly humored by it at the time, Walton smiled about his brief debut Wednesday morning.

“Normally,� he said, shrugging, “I’m not a hack.�

The Staples Center crowd already has embraced Walton, greeting him with calls of “Luuuuuke!� when he returned for four foul-free minutes in the fourth quarter.

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The last time the Lakers had six players score in double figures, as they did Tuesday night, was April 8 against ... the Dallas Mavericks.

In that game, Devean George led the Lakers with 21 points, the only time all season the Lakers’ leading scorer was someone other than Shaquille O’Neal or Bryant. Gary Payton led with 21 points Tuesday.

Something about that Don Nelson defense -- such as it is -- brings out the balance in the Lakers.

“I didn’t expect that to happen [so quickly],� Jackson said. “I think we have the capabilities of being there, with that kind of stat-sheet look, but I didn’t think it would happen the first game. It just came about. I think Shaq had what I would call a subpar game. Not a subpar game, he just saw the focus was intensely on him and moved the basketball ... to the players that were open. Normally, he’s going to be much more of a force in a game. I like to see that diversity, that parity.�