Dime Dropper
All-Star
Chances are that a poster of Kobe Bryant dunking wouldn't be allowed on the walls of Ron Artest's estate in Loomis.
But this is different.
In the room of Artest's 5-year-old son, there is a picture of the Los Angeles Lakers' star smiling with little Jeron in the halls of Staples Center, Bryant having just scored 28 points in a victory over the Kings last March.
Now as the Lakers land at Arco Arena tonight, the Kings hope there are no postgame smiles from Bryant in their home.
Just as the Kings finally have found a groove by winning four of their past five games, they'll have to contend with the talent who continues to add to his list of forces that can't hold him back. The latest is knee surgery, with Bryant undergoing an arthroscopic procedure in July that had plenty wondering if he'd ever be back to his all-world self.
And while his scoring is down from last season (35.4 points per game to 28.7), he has scored a combined 93 points in the past two games. The bulk of the breakout came Friday, when Bryant had 58 points in a triple-overtime loss to Charlotte.
Two days later came a 15-for-22 shooting night and 35 points against Philadelphia, and suddenly every picture of Bryant comes with a smile. Predictably, tonight's Kings plan will feature a heavy dose of Artest guarding Bryant. Swingman John Salmons said he expects to spend some time on him as well, all the while -- in a strange way -- enjoying the show.
"Anytime the Lakers are in town, it's a show," Salmons said. "Everybody wants to see Kobe play. Players want to see Kobe play. We just don't want him to kill us. ... You don't want nobody scoring 80 (points) on you. That's embarrassing, win or lose."
The Kings have no bigger Michael Jordan fan than shooting guard Kevin Martin, who has been known to don Air Jordan hats, shoes, outfits and the like. But Martin scoffed when it was suggested that Bryant had yet to reach Jordan's status.
"I definitely don't think he's a notch below (Jordan)," Martin said. "He's a special player, and L.A. is having a great year. (And) it's within the conference, so that's a game we want to get."
A happy Bryant is nothing new, but the Kings seem to have no lack of love in their camp as well. With the trade rumors regarding Artest and Mike Bibby dying down for now, the two Kings never looked more cohesive than they did Tuesday against New York. One day later, Bibby was outspoken for the first time about his recent relationship with Artest.
"No one knows what they're talking about," Bibby said. "No one's here at practice. I have no problem with Ron. I sit next to Ron on the plane every day. I've got nothing against anybody. I'm the easiest-going guy in the world, I think."
By the way, here's the link. http://subscriber.sacbee.com/user_r...o=http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/102878.html
But this is different.
In the room of Artest's 5-year-old son, there is a picture of the Los Angeles Lakers' star smiling with little Jeron in the halls of Staples Center, Bryant having just scored 28 points in a victory over the Kings last March.
Now as the Lakers land at Arco Arena tonight, the Kings hope there are no postgame smiles from Bryant in their home.
Just as the Kings finally have found a groove by winning four of their past five games, they'll have to contend with the talent who continues to add to his list of forces that can't hold him back. The latest is knee surgery, with Bryant undergoing an arthroscopic procedure in July that had plenty wondering if he'd ever be back to his all-world self.
And while his scoring is down from last season (35.4 points per game to 28.7), he has scored a combined 93 points in the past two games. The bulk of the breakout came Friday, when Bryant had 58 points in a triple-overtime loss to Charlotte.
Two days later came a 15-for-22 shooting night and 35 points against Philadelphia, and suddenly every picture of Bryant comes with a smile. Predictably, tonight's Kings plan will feature a heavy dose of Artest guarding Bryant. Swingman John Salmons said he expects to spend some time on him as well, all the while -- in a strange way -- enjoying the show.
"Anytime the Lakers are in town, it's a show," Salmons said. "Everybody wants to see Kobe play. Players want to see Kobe play. We just don't want him to kill us. ... You don't want nobody scoring 80 (points) on you. That's embarrassing, win or lose."
The Kings have no bigger Michael Jordan fan than shooting guard Kevin Martin, who has been known to don Air Jordan hats, shoes, outfits and the like. But Martin scoffed when it was suggested that Bryant had yet to reach Jordan's status.
"I definitely don't think he's a notch below (Jordan)," Martin said. "He's a special player, and L.A. is having a great year. (And) it's within the conference, so that's a game we want to get."
A happy Bryant is nothing new, but the Kings seem to have no lack of love in their camp as well. With the trade rumors regarding Artest and Mike Bibby dying down for now, the two Kings never looked more cohesive than they did Tuesday against New York. One day later, Bibby was outspoken for the first time about his recent relationship with Artest.
"No one knows what they're talking about," Bibby said. "No one's here at practice. I have no problem with Ron. I sit next to Ron on the plane every day. I've got nothing against anybody. I'm the easiest-going guy in the world, I think."
By the way, here's the link. http://subscriber.sacbee.com/user_r...o=http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/102878.html
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