Lakers trio indicates it has yet to hear from star Kobe Bryant

What happened was a reporter asked the three if any had heard from Bryant, who at 36, is regarded as the team leader. Really quiet. PAINFULLY quiet. He has also developed a working relationship with Hall Famer and former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabaar over the past couple of seasons offering advice and teaching to him such as being a defense presence and some mental aspects of the game. I worked with him a lot past year during the summer and he keeps up with me.

“I appreciate the Lakers getting me out here, and I’m going to work extremely hard to make sure the Lakers get back to where they should be”, Hibbert said.

But still-man. A fart could have literally escaped Roy Hibbert’s eyelids in the midst of this all-consuming silence and it wouldn’t have been any more awkward. My main presence is going to be at the rim.

While the Pacers are trying to get smaller and faster, the Lakers could use a bulky stopper after struggling as one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams previous year.

Williams signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with the Lakers, a team he said kept coming up during early talks with his agent.

“This is an organization with a very rich tradition”, Williams said. The 6-foot-8 Bass will make a rare transition this season, joining the purple and gold immediately after four seasons with the rival Boston Celtics.

Williams’ addition, though, does bring into question how Nick Young now fits into the team.

“I spent the first seven years in Indiana, and they were some great years up and down”, Hibbert said.

Bass was drafted by New Orleans in 2003 where he was coached by now Lakers head coach Byron Scott for his first two years in the league.

None of the Lakers’ newcomers has spoken with Bryant yet, a fact revealed by a news conference question that led to an awkward silence. The five-time champion and NBA’s third all-time leading scorer has suffered season-ending injuries in each of the past three seasons, including a shoulder injury in January that he still is rehabbing.