<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Lakers, whatever's left of them, carried on with another practice Wednesday before sending three players to doctors and watching Kobe Bryant down-shift from his rehabilitation routine. Aaron McKie went to a back specialist, Vladimir Radmanovic to a hand doctor and Kwame Brown to a shoulder specialist, all after Bryant, recovering from surgery on his right knee, went from light scrimmages at recent practices to an individual workout at the team training facility. Bryant then declared himself out for exhibitions tonight and Friday at Staples Center. He seemed more subdued than usual as he spoke to reporters. "Whenever you have an injury, a knee injury or ankle, whatever it is, it's always a little ginger and tentative to kind of put some weight on it," Bryant said. "I'm just kind of working through that a little bit. I don't see myself playing either one of those games." Team officials hope Bryant will play at least one exhibition, but they are also preparing for the fact he might not play until the Oct. 31 season opener. "I wouldn't bet my life on it, but I suspect he is going to play," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. Bryant said an exhibition would "help tremendously," acknowledging the need to get up to speed on his conditioning and timing. Either way, the Lakers aren't yet reaching for the panic button. They went through a similar situation three years ago when Bryant came back from nearly identical off-season arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He played in the team's final two exhibitions, missed the regular-season opener, then played on from there, helping the team to an 18-3 start.</div> Source
