Last night in Indiana, Kobe Bryant was only in action for a total of 12 minutes, but it was enough to give the Lakers a 99-93 road win. The star guard tried to tough it out on his swollen ankle but ultimately wasn't able to stay in the game. Bryant wouldn't just go into the locker room and call it a night, however, as he shouted instructions to his teammates and even busted out the clipboard at one point for Dwight Howard. Here's more from around the Association..
- In pieces for CBSSports.com and HoopsWorld, respectively, Ken Berger and Lang Greene highlight a number of lottery teams, examining the direction those clubs may take this summer. Berger likes the Pistons' core of Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Brandon Knight. The last time Detroit had cap room, they wasted it on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, but Berger expects them to be much smarter about it this time around.
- David Stern's nearly 30-year reign as commissioner has benefited from the proliferation of dynasties and superteams, opines former NBA center Danny Schayes, writing for SheridanHoops.com.
- The Clippers' DaJuan Summers is looking to make the most of his third stop in the NBA, writes Eric Patten of NBA.com. The 25-year-old former Georgetown standout is the second youngster the Clippers have brought aboard in the last week. Guard Maalik Wayns was signed to a ten-day contract on March 9, and Summers was brought in Friday after second-year forward Trey Thompkins was waived.