Raja Bell? Didn’t Mike Miller give him an elbow in the chops, then Kobe retaliated by decking Miller with elbow while he was cutting through the lane. I think Kobe was suspended for a game or two afterward.

Sasha Vujacic is on an incredible short leash this year. Phil wants him to control his emotions during games, which explains the quick yank in the first game. Way too many articles on the bench’s performance after one game.

Ariza looks to Kobe for advice

Trevor Ariza(notes), Bryant’s former teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers the previous two seasons, had missed all but one of his 11 shots – including all four of his 3-point attempts – and failed to hand out a single assist. Bryant figured Ariza was in need of a little brotherly advice, so he sent him an encouraging text message.

"He was like, ‘I’ve been through the same situation before. So just slow down, stay focused on your goal and it will come around. You’re in a situation where you have an opportunity, so take advantage of it,’ " Ariza said of Bryant’s message.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqMXIJueEzNbe.bvECnENia8vLYF?slug=mc-arizarockets103009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

And Kobe’s a bad teammate right?