Memphis' Matt Barnes respects Kobe Bryant's tenacity, response to fake inbounds pass

The bond strengthened when Kobe Bryant and Matt Baes talked trash to each other. The coection deepened when Baes then pretended to inbound the ball toward Bryant.

But then something happened that personified Bryant’s toughness.

“I didn’t realize how close the ball was to his face. But it’s crazy he didn’t move at all,” Baes told the Los Angeles News Group about a play he performed with the Orlando Magic during the 2009-10 season. “We’re very similar toward being competitive and not backing down. That’s why we get along.”

Hence, Baes secured a brief role with the Lakers (2010-12) and offered friendly exchanges before and after the Lakers’ loss on Wednesday in Memphis.

They could not relive any magic when the Lakers hosted Memphis on Friday at Staples Center since Bryant sat with a sore right shoulder. But on Wednesday, Baes posted 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while Bryant scored 13 points on a 5-of-14 clip.

Yet, Baes called Bryant “the best player of my era” considering the numbers the Lakers’ star posted in his prime.

“Kobe is one of those guys that capitalizes on your foot and body position,” Baes said. “A lot of guys have their moves in mind. But Kobe takes what you give him.”

That also applies toward Bryant’s reaction toward handling Baes’ trash talking and fake inbounds pass.

“We were competitive. We were going at it. You know him. He’s dirty and throws elbows,” Baes said, smiling. “We were elbowing and jostling back and forth. It was just a reaction. I wasn’t really even thinking when I did it.”

Mirror image

The comparisons apparently did not just apply to the breathless pre-draft analysis. After coaching Memphis’s bruising forward Zach Randolph, Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger called Lakers second-year forward Julius Randle, “Zach Jr.”

“He’s a tough dude,” Joerger said of Randle. “He likes contact and is a left hander with similar size.”

But Lakers coach Byron Scott applied the brakes.

“One thing I want Julius to take away from Zach’s game is hitting that jump shot every time,” Scott said. “He doesn’t do anything fast. He just takes his time and catches it where he wants to catch it and he faces you up and he knocks it down. If Julius can get to that point where he’s knocking that shot down like (Randolph) on a consistent basis, the sky’s the limit.”

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Staying pat

Scott sounded skeptical the Lakers would pick up any players recently placed on the waiver wire. Scott also suggested the Lakers would not offer any players buyouts, with the suspect mostly involving Roy Hibbert’s expiring contract worth $15.6 million.

“Mitch [Kupchak] and I haven’t talked about anything like that,” Scott said, referring to the Lakers’ general manager. “We’re pretty happy with the 15 guys we’ve got.”

Giving back

Former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar met with 40 students from Compton High School before Friday’s game after they completed a digital African American history curriculum. The students also received a DVD of Abdul-Jabbar’s documentary, “On the Shoulders of Giants.”

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