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To say that the Los Angeles Lakers have had a rough start to this shortened 2011-2012 season is an understatement.

They lost out on the Chris Paul sweepstakes – to the Los Angeles Clippers. They were forced to trade disgruntled power forward Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks and got what seems like nothing in return. Their best preseason acquisition at this point is Josh McRoberts, who’s nothing more than a bench talent at this point. They haven’t found their point guard of the future (sorry Darius Morris but it’s too soon to tell) and Metta World Peace has been demoted to the bench. To top it all off, the uncertainty surrounding the newborn Mike Brown era is a tad unsettling.

Get the point? Good.

Now, the Lakers’ All-Star shooting guard Kobe Bryant is dealing with some personal issues of his own that have the potential to put an even bigger strain on this season.

Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, has filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences”. Vanessa signed the divorce papers on Dec. 1, with Bryant signing his response on Dec. 7.

“The Bryants have resolved all issues incidents to their divorce privately with the assistance of counsel and a Judgment dissolving their marital status will be entered in 2012,” the couple said in a statement. “We ask that in the interest of our young children and in light of the upcoming holiday season the public respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

Known by many as an unfaithful man after his 2003 sex scandal, Bryant has had his fair share of issues throughout their 10-plus years of marriage. With their marriage ready to meet its demise, the entire Lakers community is wondering how the team will be affected by his personal turmoil.

During the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs, fellow Laker Pau Gasol struggled on the court while juggling private matters of the heart. He looked timid when he was out on the floor and created a weak spot in the Lakers’ lineup. Bryant’s divorce is making fans reminisce on the ugly performances that resulted from Gasol’s off-court issues.

However, if history repeats itself, Bryant shouldn’t have any trouble making his opponents feel the same pain that he’ll be suffering from. Back in 2003, Bryant was on a mission to prove that he could overcome any obstacle that life placed in his path. While jumping back and forth between court hearings and Lakers games, he victimized opponents with his torrential downpour of pain-filled daggers.

More than anything, Lakers basketball will give Bryant an opportunity to take his mind off of the divorce. The problems of life that weigh on an athlete/sports fanatic are momentarily forgotten when they’re in the heat of battle. I don’t expect this situation to be any different for Bryant, who should thrive under these taxing circumstances.

The rest of the NBA best be wary; Kobe is losing his wife while building up aggression in the process. Don’t be surprised if he explodes when the regular season arrives and leaves a smoldering trail of opponents’ ashes in his wake.

The Lakers probably won’t end the season with the best record in the league or even earn one of the top seeds in the Western Conference, but I expect this latest Kobe drama to do more good than harm from a basketball standpoint.

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.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

There is the quick update of the day.

For two years I have watched Kevin Durant(notes) lead the NBA in scoring. In 2009-10, he led the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2010-11, he led the Thunder back and made it to the Western Conference Finals, before losing to the Dallas Mavericks. However, despite the two scoring titles and back-to-back playoff appearances, he has yet to win an NBA MVP award.

Here is a look at the best player in the NBA not named Kevin Durant and how he stacks up against the Thunder star.

LeBron James(notes) vs. Kevin Durant

There was a funny moment in the recent movie “Bad Teacher,” where a teacher was arguing with a student about who the better NBA player in history was, Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Of course, it was the kid, who had never seen Jordan play, who chose James. However, this brings up the interesting observation that James is the modern day Jordan. That might make Durant the modern day Magic Johnson. I see James and Durant battling head-to-head for years to come concerning who the best player in the NBA is today.

The Numbers

In 2010-11, Durant was the scoring leader and James ranked second. Only one point a game separated them. James had 7.5 rebounds a game while Durant had 6.8 in 2010-11. Over his four year career, Durant has averaged 25.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg. In eight years, James averaged 27.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg, both higher than Durant.

Once Durant escaped the black hole that was Seattle, he was able to finally taste what is was like to go to the playoffs. James helped take Cleveland to the playoffs before heading to Miami, almost a miracle in itself. In 2010-11, the Thunder lost to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals while the Heat lost to Dallas in the NBA Finals. This is a competition that should entertain audiences for a long time and I see a number of Finals meetings between these two players.

The Personality

There were few athletes in the NBA more beloved than King James over the first few years of his career. The kid came in and tore it up for a horrible Cleveland Cavaliers team. Then something went drastically wrong. James chose to leave Cleveland, a smart move considering the ineptitude in ownership there, and became a notorious icon. He set up a televised special to announce where he would play. He made a mockery of Cleveland and people turned on him in a heartbeat.

Cleveland, because of their owner, did not deserve to keep LeBron James. However, James was becoming an anti-hero in Miami, someone the rest of the world despised. When he tried to help turn the Heat into a super team, everyone outside of his core fan base turned on him.

That is where Durant has the advantage. He remains humble. He remains a normal guy. He spends time with the fans and recently he even played flag football with some local college kids to blow off some steam. Durant is the nice guy that we all thought James used to be. What will happen in the future? No one can tell but Durant signed an extension with Oklahoma City and it looks like he will be staying here.

Watching Kevin Durant and LeBron James play is exciting. What is more exciting is that they will be knocking heads for years to come. This is one pairing of superstars that might actually rival the MJ vs. Magic games from yesteryear.

Author Shawn S. Lealos is an avid sports fan who has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

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Jim Buss, Los Angeles Lakers executive and son of owner Dr. Jerry Buss, says he regrets not talking to Kobe Bryant about the decision to hire Mike Brown as Phil Jackson’s successor.

“Looking back on it, we should have contacted Kobe,” Jim Buss said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that ran Saturday night. “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.”

Bryant had previously endorsed longtime Jackson assistant Brian Shaw to be promoted to the head-coaching job. The Lakers struck an agreement with Brown on Wednesday, and sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin that Bryant has great respect for Brown and is on board with the hiring, despite not being consulted about the choice.

During an interview on ESPN during halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday, Brown said he already had exchanged text messages with Bryant.
Brown also said he’s “looking forward to getting to know Kobe and being able to work with him to go and get us a championship.”

Jim Buss, Lakers executive VP of player personnel, expressed confidence that Bryant would mesh well with Brown, according to the Times report

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

Buss was unconcerned about the possibility that Brown wouldn’t be able to corral Bryant’s talents for the good of the team.

“I’ve seen Kobe go off the place a few times, but I’m sure the coach will know how to handle it,” Buss told the newspaper. “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.”

The Lakers’ bid for a three-peat ended unceremoniously when the Dallas Mavericks swept them in the Western Conference semifinals.

Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin was used in this report.

That’s all the news for today.

Updated May 25, 2011 2:51 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to name ex-Cavs coach Mike Brown as Phil Jackson’s replacement, Comcast SportsNet reported Tuesday citing sources.

According to the report, Brown is expected to sign a four-year deal worth $18 million.

The Lakers held informal discussions with up to 12 candidates, including long-time assistant Brian Shaw, who was publicly endorsed by stars Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.

Brown was also considered a frontrunner for the vacant Golden State Warriors job and a candidate for the Indiana post.

He and the Lakers were discussing salary and the length of the contract on Tuesday, Yahoo! Sports reported citing sources.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that whoever replaced Jackson would not earn anywhere near the salary paid to the 11-time NBA championship-winning coach.

Jackson, who retired after the Lakers were swept by the Mavericks in the Western Conference semi-finals, earned as much as $12 million in 2009-10 and, after a pay cut, $10 million last season.

The Times said the new coach should only expect to earn between $3 million and $5 million a year.

Brown was fired in 2010 afters five seasons in Cleveland, where he went 272-138 and reached the NBA finals in 2007.

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