When the Los Angeles Lakers donated Lamar Odom to the defending champions and the Nets emerged as the frontrunners to acquire Dwight Howard, I wondered:

Are the curtains being brought down on the Kobe Bryant era in L.A.?

In spite of the fact that Byrant had publicly lobbied for both his former teammate Brian Shaw to receive the head coaching job and for keeping the championship nucleus together, the Lakers hired head coach Mike Brown without consulting the Mamba and attempted to blow up the team, twice.

Then, Los Angeles shipped a gift-wrapped Sixth Man of the Year to the Dallas Mavericks, and we all knew Kobe would be furious.

To put Kobe Bryant’s frustration into perspective, he actually joked recently that he’d like to be traded to the Miami Heat and said of the Lakers: “I think we’re terrible … we’re going to be worse [than last year].”

Jokes aside, almost every comment out of Kobe lately is negative. His remarks range from sarcastic to fatalistic and his friend and ESPN insider Stephen A. Smith appeared on SportsCenter and predicted that “Kobe Bryant will demand a trade, and I am not budging from that. He’s livid. I’ve known Kobe too long. He is ticked off.”

Smith added that: “It’s not just because [the Clippers] got Chris Paul, which is a guy that he expected to have. It’s because Jim Buss seems to be doing the inexplicable. … It makes no sense. It’s one thing for the team not to have improved [after losing to the Mavericks], it’s another thing entirely for them to regress. If you know anything about Kobe, that is the last thing that he wants to do.”

Now, it should be noted that in a recent interview with Yahoo’s Marc Spears, Kobe dismissed this notion. When asked if he wanted to stay a Laker, Kobe said: “Of course. No question. Why not? I’ve been here for 16 years. I’m going to up and leave now? … I’ve been with this organization. I like being here. I like playing for the purple and gold. This is where I want to finish up.”

That said, I agree with Stephen A.’s prediction, anyway. I remember back during the Shaq years and even a few years after, Kobe always maintained that he wanted to retire a Laker. Saying that—and even genuinely believing it—didn’t stop a disgruntled Kobe from demanding a trade in 2007, however.

Now, with Pau offended by recent events, Bynum saying he doesn’t really care where he plays and Kobe habitually usurped and disregarded by the Lakers’ front office, I see this situation unfolding similarly.

Unless Los Angeles can trade for Dwight Howard or make other significant moves that make the team a legitimate contender, expect Kobe to demand a trade as soon as he starts feeling helpless again.

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Top 5 Reasons Dwight Howard will join the Los Angeles Lakers

Why Dwyane Wade is better than Kobe Bryant

Top 5 Most Likely Trades for the Los Angeles Lakers

Interview: Shaq threatened to kill Kobe

How the Los Angeles Lakers can land Dwight Howard

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The Los Angeles Lakers began the 2010-2011 season as the two-time defending NBA champions. It was not too much of a stretch to imagine this team winning a third straight title as they did from 2000 to 2002. While the Lakers fell short of that goal these five moments illustrate that the squad was a good team and by most standards they had a good year. After all, 57 wins against 25 losses and a division title in the regular season is a good year.

SEASON OPENER

The season opener is also a high moment for a team, especially when the team is the defending NBA champions. That means ring ceremony; the players receive their championship rings from the 2009-2010 season and the team hangs the championship banner. October 26, 2010 marked opening night in Los Angeles and the Houston Rockets provided the opposition. In the first half Houston made it clear it was not going to give the game to the champs. The teams went into the locker room with Houston leading 62-51. The Lakers came out strong in the third quarter and cut the lead to 5 going into the final quarter. In the end the Lakers prevailed 112 to 110 in a fitting tribute to the prior season. Pau Gasol lead the way with 29 points and Kobe Bryant chipped in 27.

OPENING WIN STREAK

It is always good to get any season off to a strong start and the Lakers started 2010-2011 like they were not going to lose. They ran off seven straight wins and on Tuesday November 9th the Minnesota Timberwolves arrived in Los Angeles with the Lakers looking for their eighth straight win. The Lakers were up to the challenge and carried the day with a 99 to 94 victory. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with 33 points. The Lakers would lose game 9 in Denver and the next game at home but then respond with 5 straight wins to run their record to 13-2.

ANDREW BYNUM RETURNS

The Lakers had been playing without its big center Andrew Bynum for the first 24 games. So it naturally was a high point in the season when he returned for game 25 on December 14th against the Washington Wizards. Although Bynum did not start and played only 17 minutes scoring 7 points, his return was huge. The Lakers needed his size and talent if they were to challenge again for the championship. The Lakers won the game 103-89 to extend the season’s record to 18-7.

RECORD WIN

On January 11 2011 the Cleveland Cavaliers with a record of 7-30 arrived in Los Angeles to meet the Lakers who were 27-11. No one expected the Cavaliers to win but the margin of victory exceeded anyone’s expectations. The first quarter ended with the Lakers up 27-12 and that turned out to be just the beginning. At halftime the Lakers lead 57-25 and fans wondered if this could be a record; one for the fewest points scored against the Lakers since the shot clock went into effect. The Cavaliers did improve slightly in the second half but still could only manage 57 points for the entire game, a figure which matched the Laker output in the first half. The final was 112-57 and it is unlikely a team will match that low figure anytime soon. LakersUnivere.com noted the 57 to be indeed a record low against the Lakers since the advent of the shot clock. Seven Lakers scored in double figures and 11 of the 12 players on the team scored. Nine players played at least 16 minutes so the Lakers took advantage of the big win to hand out playing time all around.

KOBE’S RECORD SCORING

One continuing theme of the season has been the movement up the list of all-time scorers in NBA history by Kobe Bryant. He started the season in 12th place and on March 8th in Atlanta against the Hawks he scored 26 points to reach 27,423 for his career according to LakersUniverse.com. This put Kobe at number six and any further movement will have to wait until the 2011-2012 season. The team won the game 101-87 to improve to 46-19 on the season.

NOTE: I have followed the Lakers my whole life. From Jerry West to Magic Johnson to Kobe Bryant with all the other great players they have been and continue to be a truly great franchise. The Lakers have won sixteen titles; five as the Minneapolis Lakers and eleven in Los Angeles

Sources:

The Official Site of the Los Angeles Lakers http://www.nba.com/lakers/

Basketball-Reference.com Los Angeles Lakers http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2011.html

LakersUniverse.com Season Details 2010-2011 http://www.lakersuniverse.com/seasondetails/2010_2011_season.htm

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Gotta run!.

After rumors cropped up Friday, Oct. 21, that the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to add former NBA player and D-League coach Darvin Ham to the coaching staff, the deal has finally come to fruition.

On Monday, Oct. 24, the Lakers officially hired Ham to join the team as one of the pawns in head coach Mike Brown’s army of assistants.

Despite the questionable future of a 2011-2012 NBA season that may never begin, the Lakers and Brown have already added five assistant coaches to the roster. Ham will now join the likes of John Kuester, Ettore Messina, Chuck Person and Quin Synder as Lakers assistants who will work as Brown’s wingmen on the sidelines.

With this latest move, Brown has already surpassed the number of assistants that former Lakers head coach Phil Jackson had during his reign.

“I’m very happy to have Darvin join our coaching staff,” Brown said. “I’ve known Darvin since his rookie year in Denver and have watched him make the transition from player to coach. He has put in the hard work that is necessary to have success at this level and I look forward to having him on our staff.”

As Brown mentioned, him and Ham go way back to the new assistant’s 1996 NBA rookie season. After going undrafted out of Texas Tech, he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Denver Nuggets. At the same time, Brown was working on Denver’s basketball operations staff.

To go along with his ties to Brown, Ham also has numerous connections with other Lakers staff members. He played under Kuester when he was a member of the Detroit Pistons from 2003 to 2005. As a member of the D-League Austin Toros in 2008, he played under Synder. Although it doesn’t have as much meaning, he did also compete against Person a few times during the three years that they were both playing in the NBA.

“I’m truly honored and grateful for Mike Brown, Mitch Kupchak and the entire Lakers organization for presenting me with this amazing opportunity,” Ham said. “I look forward to making my contribution in sustaining the championship tradition that the Lakers have established throughout their history in the NBA. I’m very excited about our staff and players, and am ready to get to work to help bring another championship to this prestigious franchise.”

Whether there will be a 2011-2012 NBA season has yet to be seen. If and when it does begin, though, the Los Angeles Lakers will be more than ready to bring the best out in each and every one of their players with the tremendous versatility that this coaching staff possesses.

For a more in-depth look at Ham’s NBA background, read my previous article on the Lakers’ newest assistant coach.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a Los Angeles native who was born into a family of diehard Lakers fans. For more Lakers coverage, follow him on Twitter @GilAlcarazIV.

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Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

Read More: brian shaw lakers, brian shaw mike brown, Brian Shaw (A – LAL), Phil Jackson (H – LAL), Mike Brown (H – CLE), Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers hired Mike Brown as their new head coach in late May as Phil Jackson’s replacement, passing over longtime assistant — and Triangle offense disciple — Brian Shaw in the process. Unfortunately, the front office didn’t tell Shaw about this until he watched Brown’s introductory interview on ESPN.

Shaw doesn’t appear to be pleased by this, either, according to an interview he did on ESPN Radio.

“I wasn’t really told anything,” said Shaw, who had the public backing of players Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, among others, to take over for Jackson. “Unfortunately, I found about not getting the job and who was hired for the job on ESPN. I didn’t really talk to anyone for about three weeks after that.”

He had good reason to not talk to his former team, too, considering the way they passed him over despite his credentials and familiarity with the team.

“At that point, all the speculation and what I’ve heard, the powers making those decisions felt like the team needed a change of culture and a new voice, and head in a new direction,” Shaw said. “I thought that was kind of peculiar because in the 12 years I’d been there, all we had done was gone to the championship seven times and won five championships. I felt like there were 29 other teams in the league that would love to have that kind of culture and that kind of direction. … But I didn’t expect anything to be handed to me.”

Shaw has since found himself as the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers under Frank Vogel, but it sounds like he thinks he deserved to stay in LA. In all reality, he may have been right, though it’s clearly too soon to tell.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — We would be inclined to say “poor Mike Brown” if not for the fact that he has been and will again be well compensated.

Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA playoffs in all five of his seasons as the team’s coach, winning at least one series each year and highlighted by the run to the Finals in 2007 — albeit being swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, after a year off that followed his firing by the Cavs a year ago, Brown has been hired by the Los Angeles Lakers — the 2009 and 2010 champions — to coach them in the aftermath of Phil Jackson’s retirement.

That all sounds good. The “poor Mike” inclination is because after five years of dealing with, arguably, the game’s biggest ego, LeBron James, Brown will have to work with another player who holds himself in quite high regard, Kobe Bryant.

The difference between Bryant and James, of course, is infinity, as in five championships to none. James’ Miami Heat teammates’ can help him reduce that title-deficit to four when they play the Dallas Mavericks in the championship series that begins on Tuesday night.

Brown encounters a different fan base with the Lakers than with the Cavs. While Cleveland fans are patient, charitable in their estimations of people and thrilled with any degree of success, the Tinsel Town crowd expects flash, universal adulation and titles.

And while Brown took over for Paul Silas (and interim coach Brendan Malone) in Cleveland, he replaces the 11-time champion Jackson in LA.

Brown’s hiring has not been greeted with overwhelming acclaim from Lakers fans and media.

LA executive Jim Buss, the son of owner Jerry Buss, sat down and talked with Los Angeles Times reporter T.J. Simers about Brown’s hiring, Bryant and other Lakers’ matters — with mention of the Brown-James Cavs’ era, too.

Simers writes:

Not too many happy campers in Lakers Land these days, so much criticism that shortly before sitting down, he put a call into new Coach Mike Brown to apologize.

“I’m surprised by the reaction to Mike’s hiring,” he says. “I wish people heard him speak. Let him show you what he showed us.

“I wanted him to know they are picking on me, which explains why they are picking on him. But it’s a reflection on me, not him. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

As for Bryant, he supposedly favored the hiring of former teammate and Lakers’ assistant coach Brian Shaw as Jackson’s replacement. The Lakers say they interviewed Shaw and Rick Adelman besides Brown.

According to an ESPN.com report, sources say “that Bryant has great respect for Brown and is on board with the hiring, despite not being consulted about the choice.”

Simers writes in his Los Angeles Times story, quoting Jim Buss:  

“Looking back on it, we should have contacted Kobe,” Buss says. “Kobe said it was management’s job to pick a coach. He just said, ‘Defense first.’ That’s what we were doing, but we should have reached out to him.”

How will Kobe take to Brown?

“The way Mike impressed the three of us, I would think Kobe would be impressed as well,” he says. “Mike is a workaholic and Kobe is the workaholic.”

If Brown couldn’t control LeBron James on offense, how is he going to do so with Kobe?

“I’ve seen Kobe go off the place a few times, but I’m sure the coach will know how to handle it,” Buss says. “My dad loves Kobe and so do I; we think he has a lot left. And I know Mike has some ideas on how to elongate Kobe’s career.”

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — We would be inclined to say “poor Mike Brown” if not for the fact that he has been and will again be well compensated.

Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA playoffs in all five of his seasons as the team’s coach, winning at least one series each year and highlighted by the run to the Finals in 2007 — albeit being swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, after a year off that followed his firing by the Cavs a year ago, Brown has been hired by the Los Angeles Lakers — the 2009 and 2010 champions — to coach them in the aftermath of Phil Jackson’s retirement.

That all sounds good. The “poor Mike” inclination is because after five years of dealing with, arguably, the game’s biggest ego, LeBron James, Brown will have to work with another player who holds himself in quite high regard, Kobe Bryant.

The difference between Bryant and James, of course, is infinity, as in five championships to none. James’ Miami Heat teammates’ can help him reduce that title-deficit to four when they play the Dallas Mavericks in the championship series that begins on Tuesday night.

Brown encounters a different fan base with the Lakers than with the Cavs. While Cleveland fans are patient, charitable in their estimations of people and thrilled with any degree of success, the Tinsel Town crowd expects flash, universal adulation and titles.

And while Brown took over for Paul Silas (and interim coach Brendan Malone) in Cleveland, he replaces the 11-time champion Jackson in LA.

Brown’s hiring has not been greeted with overwhelming acclaim from Lakers fans and media.

LA executive Jim Buss, the son of owner Jerry Buss, sat down and talked with Los Angeles Times reporter T.J. Simers about Brown’s hiring, Bryant and other Lakers’ matters — with mention of the Brown-James Cavs’ era, too.

Simers writes:

Not too many happy campers in Lakers Land these days, so much criticism that shortly before sitting down, he put a call into new Coach Mike Brown to apologize.

“I’m surprised by the reaction to Mike’s hiring,” he says. “I wish people heard him speak. Let him show you what he showed us.

“I wanted him to know they are picking on me, which explains why they are picking on him. But it’s a reflection on me, not him. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

As for Bryant, he supposedly favored the hiring of former teammate and Lakers’ assistant coach Brian Shaw as Jackson’s replacement. The Lakers say they interviewed Shaw and Rick Adelman besides Brown.

According to an ESPN.com report, sources say “that Bryant has great respect for Brown and is on board with the hiring, despite not being consulted about the choice.”

Simers writes in his Los Angeles Times story, quoting Jim Buss:  

“Looking back on it, we should have contacted Kobe,” Buss says. “Kobe said it was management’s job to pick a coach. He just said, ‘Defense first.’ That’s what we were doing, but we should have reached out to him.”

How will Kobe take to Brown?

“The way Mike impressed the three of us, I would think Kobe would be impressed as well,” he says. “Mike is a workaholic and Kobe is the workaholic.”

If Brown couldn’t control LeBron James on offense, how is he going to do so with Kobe?

“I’ve seen Kobe go off the place a few times, but I’m sure the coach will know how to handle it,” Buss says. “My dad loves Kobe and so do I; we think he has a lot left. And I know Mike has some ideas on how to elongate Kobe’s career.”

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LOS ANGELES – A person with knowledge of the discussions says the Los Angeles Lakers have reached a deal in principle with former Cleveland coach Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the Lakers hadn’t made the official announcement.

ESPN, which employed Brown as an analyst this season, first reported Brown had been hired.

Brown emerged as the front-runner for the daunting task of succeeding the 11-time NBA champion Jackson after a strong interview last weekend with the Lakers, who apparently are looking for a new approach after an abrupt end to their championship reign.

Jackson retired after the Dallas Mavericks ousted the defending two-time champion Lakers.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are in serious talks with former Cleveland coach Mike Brown about their coaching vacancy, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.

The person spoke to The Associated Press early Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the Lakers’ coaching search wasn’t complete yet.

ESPN, which employed Brown as an analyst this season, reported later Wednesday that Brown had been hired. The Lakers made no announcement, and Brown didn’t immediately return a phone call.

Brown emerged as the front-runner for the daunting task of succeeding Phil Jackson after a strong interview last weekend with the Lakers, who apparently are looking for a new approach after an abrupt end to their championship reign.

Jackson, the 11-time NBA champion coach, retired earlier this month after the Dallas Mavericks ousted the defending two-time champion Lakers from the second round of the playoffs.

Although Kobe Bryant endorsed Jackson assistant coach Brian Shaw for the vacancy, Jim Buss — the Lakers’ executive vice president of player personnel and the son of owner Jerry Buss — appears more interested in Brown. A respected young tactician with a strong coaching pedigree, Brown also has ample experience in big games, even if he couldn’t guide LeBron James to a title.

“I think it’s great,” James said in Miami, where he’s preparing for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The 41-year-old Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA finals and won 272 games in five years, becoming the most successful coach in franchise history while compiling the league’s best regular-season record in each of his last two seasons.

But the 2009 NBA coach of the year was fired last spring following the Cavs’ dissension-filled exit from the second round of the postseason, and James left for Miami a few weeks later.

Although James was critical of Brown’s strategies during their final playoff run together, the two-time NBA MVP strongly endorsed his former coach.

“Mike Brown is a great coach,” James said. “He brought us success that we hadn’t had before in that city, and it started with his defensive concepts. He brought in a defensive mindset that we didn’t have. Fifty-plus wins, he was coach of the year, he got us to the (NBA) finals, won us the Eastern Conference finals … because of him and his coaching staff. I respect him. He definitely helped me become who I am today.”

Brown’s background in defense apparently intrigues the Lakers, whose last two title runs were built on sturdy defense led by Bryant and 7-foot shot-blocker Andrew Bynum, a favorite of Jim Buss. Brown is a former assistant to San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who employed Brown as his defensive coordinator in Indiana when Lakers forward Ron Artest was named the NBA’s top defensive player.

Brown’s reputation as an offensive coach was savaged during his time with the Cavaliers, who often appeared to be running a 1-on-5 scheme for James.

During an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, Jerry Buss said his club was “very close” to hiring Jackson’s replacement. Buss also said the Lakers “won’t continue exclusively with the triangle” offense championed by Jackson.

The Lakers also have shown interest in veteran coach Rick Adelman, who left the Houston Rockets last month, and Mike Dunleavy, the former Lakers and Clippers coach. Adelman is thought to be the Lakers’ second choice after Brown because his experience could attract the attention of a veteran roster.

Shaw, a former Lakers guard and a top assistant coach during Jackson’s tenure, was the favorite candidate among the current Lakers, with Derek Fisher and Bynum joining Bryant in throwing their support behind their former teammate.

But the Buss family has a history of idiosyncratic coaching hires, often from outside the organization. When Jackson left the Lakers for a year in 2004, they replaced him with former Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who resigned midway through his only season because of health issues.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has said the club is likely to return with largely the same veteran core that won the past two NBA titles before falling short this season. Los Angeles already has more than $85 million in salary committed to eight players for next season, likely meaning the Lakers will have the NBA’s largest payroll again next season.

___

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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