Michael Ventre

At the White House the other day, the Lakers met President Barack Obama. At one point in the festivities, Obama shook the hand of Kobe Bryant, although he pulled back quickly in jest for fear of damaging Bryant’s ailing digit.

In terms of symbolism, there may not be a better indication of the precarious state of the Lakers’ union — and their run to a repeat — than POTUS using kid gloves to handle Bryant’s mitt. The Lakers don’t just need Bryant to lend a hand, but also to lift the cloud of doubt that hovers over the franchise.

With four games left on an eight-game roadie — including Sunday’s hardwood holy war in Boston — Bryant faces the herculean task of leading the Lakers through the midseason doldrums with an avulsion fracture in his right index finger and a bevy of other team-wide infirmities.

Talk about a commander-in-chief under siege.

Bryant is still playing at a superstar level, but his production has tailed off at times. In Sunday’s loss to Toronto, he was 2 for 7 in the fourth quarter, including a missed buzzer-beater, although he finished with a near triple-double. In another defeat at Cleveland, he was 12 for 31 from the field.

The numbers aren’t really the issue. It’s the apparent lack of will among his teammates, the deficit in spirit. While ravenous clubs like the Cavaliers, Hawks and Nuggets go after the crown with an overabundance of attitude to compensate for any roster deficiencies, the Lakers slog along as if clomping through deep mud. They just don’t seem to want to get there enough, nor do they appear to be enjoying the journey.

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Except, of course, for Bryant. His “desire” needle is always on “maximum,” which is what makes him so phenomenal. The trick will be to imbue his teammates with the same sense of urgency, night after night after night.

There are obstacles to that end.

The Lakers obtained Ron Artest in the offseason, essentially swapping him for Trevor Ariza. It was supposed to be an upgrade on defense, since Artest is basketball’s equivalent of a shutdown corner. Yet lately it appears as if he’s just hanging out on a corner.

His ineffectiveness against stars he was acquired to smother — and he has Paul Pierce coming up on Sunday — can be explained away by plantar fasciitis in both feet, which coach Phil Jackson attributes to the shoes he wears, calling them “concrete boots.” Artest has also been slowed by the lingering effects of a concussion suffered in December when he fell down a flight of steps while carrying a box.

Pau Gasol has had hamstring strains in both legs. Lamar Odom’s scoring this season is down by over five points per game from his career average (14.8), although his rebounding is slightly up; this could be the result of a stupor from getting a new contract after last season, or the adjustment period of living with a reality-show wife, or his recent intestinal issues, which might be caused by a combination of both.

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The Lakers are shaky at point guard; their bench is as reliable as a bus in a Third World nation; and their big men occasionally get all soft and cuddly — witness their meek showing inside against Cleveland on Sunday — when they should be MMA mean.

But the largest issue facing Bryant as the shepherd of this flock is complacency.

If you ask members of any championship team whether they want to repeat, they’ll insist with every fiber of their beings that they do. But it isn’t enough to articulate that. It has to manifest on the court.

When the Showtime Lakers of 1988 attempted to become the first team in 19 years to repeat as NBA champions, they were pushed to a seventh game in three straight series, against Utah, Dallas and Detroit. Those teams were excellent, but the obstacles also included a general mental fatigue that descends upon a team when it is under pressure to manufacture desire. Those Lakers did it — making good on Pat Riley’s infamous guarantee — but it was more of an ordeal than a party.

These Lakers, under Bryant, also have to learn to generate the insatiable lust for victory that they exhibited last season. That came about partly because of the steely determination of their on-court leader, but also because of the heartbreak of losing to the Celtics the year before.

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This quest for a second straight title puts even more of the responsibility on the back of Bryant (who, incidentally, has also had back spasms). In his early years, he was known for poor decision-making. In recent seasons, he has turned that perception around. He still takes the occasional idiotic fall-away with two men in his face and lots of time on the 24-second clock, or the inane dribble attempt through a sturdy double team, but overall he has become one of the smartest men in the game.

With his finger creating an impediment to shooting freely, his on-court choices are more important than ever. He has to temper his stubborn instinct to take every shot with the harsh reality that he is somewhat physically impaired. Meanwhile, he not only has to trust his teammates, he has to also set a bonfire under them.

The Cavaliers swept the two regular-season meetings with the Lakers. In the process, they looked like the Lakers did last year — fierce, undeterred, famished, angry. By contrast, the Lakers seemed as if they were still figuring things out.

If Bryant doesn’t get the message through, he won’t have to worry about the president squeezing his hand too hard again for quite some time.

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