Kobe and Company Take on Warriors

Hawaiin Advertiser

Kobe Bryant wants to create more good memories this time in Hawai'i.

Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Golden State Warriors in exhibition games tonight and tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Lakers and Warriors have been conducting training camps on O'ahu since Oct. 4. It is the fourth training camp in Ho-nolulu for Bryant.

"I have a lot of memories here ? this is where my career pretty much got started," he said, recalling his rookie training camp in 1996. "So to be back in this gym kind of feels like I've come full circle."

It wasn't so memorable at the Lakers' previous training camp in Honolulu in 2003. A media circus followed Bryant to Hawai'i because he was facing sexual assault charges at the time.

Bryant also did not get to play in the two exhibition games in 2003 because of a knee injury.

He said he hopes to make up for it tonight and tomorrow, when he is expected to be in the starting lineup.

"We're going to go out there and do what we do best," he said. "If I get an opportunity to do something memorable for the fans, I'll try to do it."

Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson, who returned to the Lakers this year after a one-season hiatus, said he probably will not play his top players too long in the exhibition games.

"I like to play everybody because they come to practice," Jackson said. "I probably have the worst record ever of any coach in preseason games. I don't look at these games as items that are absolutely necessary to win, but I do like to see competitive play."

Last week, Jackson said he was still looking for a fifth starter to line up with Bryant, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm. After yesterday's practice, he said he was not sure who would start against the Warriors.

The Lakers brought 20 players to training camp, but only 12 will be allowed to play in each exhibition game.

"These two (games) are obviously for our fans here in Hawai'i," Jackson said. "We're going to have a lot of fun in the games, but we don't expect to have a tremendous amount of precision and execution."

But reserve forward Devean George said the Lakers' goal will still be to win the two games.

"It's still about business," George said. "We have to see what combinations work right and how to execute the offense. And once you get on the court, you always want to win."

The Warriors brought 18 players to their training camp at the Brigham Young-Hawai'i campus, and head coach Mike Montgomery said his returning players should get most of the playing time tonight and tomorrow.

"We're fairly intact through the eight or nine guys that we had playing last year," Montgomery said. "I'm not going to sit down six of my veteran guys so some of these other guys can get a chance."

Among the Golden State returnees are guards Baron Davis and Jason Richardson, forwards Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, and center Adonal Foyle.

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