Kobe Bryant and the Lakers face uncertain future after early playoff exit

　　Bryant will be 34 years old by the start of next season, but his age and health should rank far down on the Lakers' list of concerns. The Lakers' talented big men, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, frustrated the team with their inconsistency and occasional indifference during the playoffs. No one will be surprised if the Lakers explore trade offers for one – or even both – of them. Point guard could again become a position of need. The Lakers also were limited by their slow adjustment to coach Mike Brown.

　　And yet Bryant is willing to gamble considerable stakes against any critic who suggests the Lakers' championship window has closed.

　　"Put your house on it," Bryant said. "I would put my house on it. They can put their house on it, but I don't think they want to bet that because they're not stupid. They're foolish, but they are not stupid."

　　The Lakers were eliminated by the Thunder in five games. In two of the losses, the Lakers unraveled in the final minutes. Their lopsided defeat in Game 5 again raised questions about the makeup of the team. Bryant scored 42 points on Monday, but several of his teammates were far less effective.

　　Gasol had 14 points and 16 rebounds, but Bryant voiced his frustration with him throughout the game. Bynum had just 10 points and four rebounds in a foul-plagued performance. Point guard Ramon Sessions missed five of his six shots and committed six turnovers. The Lakers' bench was outscored 35-5.

　　"I'm not going to speak on the record about it." Bryant said when asked about his teammates' play.

　　The Lakers trailed by six when Brown elected to sit Bryant at the start of the fourth quarter. By the time Bryant returned to the court less than two minutes later, the Lakers were down 14. Bryant didn't complain publicly about Brown's decision to rest him.

　　"Obviously, I was in good rhythm," Bryant said. "But that's what we do."

　　Bryant, Gasol and Bynum agree on at least one thing: They think it's difficult to accurately judge the Lakers' season after the departure of longtime coach Phil Jackson. With a shortened training camp and a compressed 66-game schedule that afforded little practice time, the players were forced to adjust to Brown and his system on the fly. Bryant said Brown was still adding wrinkles to the Lakers' offense in the playoffs.

　　“We were still changing what we were executing, so that had a lot to do with it," Bryant said. "Normally, we know exactly what we're going to do. I'm used to the triangle [offense] where we know what we were going to do. This was something where we are still trying to guess through it."