Kobe drama just one plot in Lakers soap opera

Friday was just another day in Lakerland.

Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa announced they were getting a divorce.

An executive with the team talked extensively about the PLO era — Post Lamar Odom — and referred to the reigning Sixth Man of the Year as "somewhat of a baby" in his reaction to the possibility of being traded to New Orleans in the Chris Paul non-deal.

Oh, and the team held its first scrimmage at the Galen Center near the USC campus in front of a crowd numbering nearly 7,000.

The Bryants issued a statement saying they had resolved all issues relating to the proceedings and thast a final decree dissolving their 10-year marriage will be issued in 2012.

They also asked for the public and media to allow them to take care of their business in private during a very tough time.

While this was going on, Bryant was joining Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in scoring 14 points, while sharpshooter Jason Kapono and Devin Ebanks added 12 each. Derek Fisher sat out the scrimmage after going through a full practice earlier Friday.

Overall, the team looked serious and athletic, and physically Bryant looked to be in exceptional shape. They'll play their only two exhibition games against the Clippers Monday and Wednesday night's at Staples before the season opener on Christmas Day at home against the Chicago Bulls.

Prior to the day's proceedings, however, a Lakers executive who agreed to speak only if he was allowed to remain anonymous had a lot to say in defense of his team and general manager Mitch Kupchak.

With the trade of Odom setting off a week of public criticism and speculation by both the media and fans, many of the people close to the situation are visibly annoyed by the haranguing.

"Look, we loved Lamar as a player and a person — still do," said the Laker official, "but when he reacted the way he did to nearly being traded, Mitch didn't have many options.

"Lamar's greatest quality — his sensitivity — is also sometimes his biggest downfall. He's an emotional guy, and it's what makes him a favorite among his teammates and (reporters). But when he talked with Mitch after the Paul deal fell through, he made it clear to all of us that he wasn't going to be able to put it behind him anytime soon, if ever.

"And that put us right up against the wall because of the short time we have to get ready for the season.

"If we believed that Lamar would eventually come around, we probably would have given it some time. I know Mitch would have let it play out a little longer. But he (Odom) was so upset and hurt that he could be put in a deal, that he started to pull away from the team immediately. Pau came into the offices and he was upset as well. He told Mitch that he didn't like the thought of being traded, but that he understood it was business.

" 'I'll still play as hard as I can and try to help this team win a championship' was the way Gasol handled it, obviously having a little higher maturity level about it than Lamar did. And this isn't being said to rip Lamar; he's really a wonderful person, and obviously an outstanding player. But these are the facts.

"It seems like we've been getting criticized from every side, and there are so many veins to the whole situation that it seemed like the time to set the record straight."

The exec went on to say that if the Lakers had waited to see whether Odom would calm down and become a full member of the Lakers again, they might have lost an opportunity to get anything for him. And the situation could have gotten ugly very quickly.

"If Lamar kept missing practices, we would have had to fine him or suspend him — or both,'' the exec said. "Then the whole thing gets out of control, other teams see what's going on, and Lamar has virtually no trade value.

"We couldn't allow that to happen."

Kupchak, during an interview with the team's flagship radio station, said the Lakers were happy with the package they got for Odom.

"The draft exception is something we can use anytime in the next year," said the Lakers' GM, who has been the target of most critics. "And a first-round pick is a first-round pick. You don't know how that will work out in the end, but it's better to have one more option.

"If we were forced to trade Lamar under the gun because he just wouldn't play here anymore, we might have had to take a player or picks that we didn't want. This deal allowed us to get some pieces that we think will help us. It definitely gives us some flexibility."

Might they flex their negotiating skills to get Dwight Howard from Orlando? Superman has made it clear that he still wants to be traded, and that the Lakers are one of the teams he'd go to before he become a free agent after the season.

"Let's just put it this way: We're working on a lot of things," said the management source. "They might work out, or you might be looking at the team right now that will be the Lakers in 2011-12. Just let the fans know we're trying. Mitch and his people are putting in 18 to 20 hours some days, and have probably worked for three weeks straight. So they're doing their best to make this an even better team. And we already feel this team can legitimately contend for a title."

Then, with a large grin on his face, he ended the interview with this comment: "We're still the Lakers, and that's not a bad team to be no matter the circumstances. I think we're going to come out of this very well."