Save Kobe? Don't
worry, he won't need it

DENVER - Breath easy, people.

The rumors regarding Kobe Bryant’s latest court filing are without foundation.

Yes, it’s true that Bryant’s lawyers have filed motions to suppress evidence, motions contesting rape-shield laws, motions seeking access to medical records, motions requesting a closed-door pre-trial hearing.

While sifting through the paperwork, you half expect to find a motion to bar rays of sunlight from shining on the Eagle County courtroom floor.

For all their maneuvering, Pamela Mackey and Hal Haddon cannot protect Bryant from what he might encounter during a more conventional court appearance in Colorado.

There is no legal recourse to close the Pepsi Center to the public when Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

The game will be Bryant’s first in Colorado since he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel worker at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera near Edwards, Colo., last July 3.

"Denver, I anticipate, will be chaotic," Lakers coach Phil Jackson told reporters Tuesday night. "I just think there's too much emotion, there's too much proximity."

For his part, Bryant is treating the Denver trip with the enthusiasm of a Houston oil baron en route to an EPA meeting.

"My expectations are always the same, just expect the worst," he said. "I’m getting ready to win the game."

Jackson responded to judge Terry Ruckriegle's scheduling of hearings, in addition to Jan. 23, for Feb. 2 and 3, March 1 and 2 and March 24 and 25.

"Just as long as it's not a playoff game, that's the ultimate thing," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "We can afford to have him miss games. I actually look forward to Kareem Rush being able to play in ballgames. He's a young player I want to see play and want to see prove himself and improve as he goes through the season. He doesn't have a tremendous amount of minutes out there on the floor to get that accomplished."

Meanwhile, the Eagle County Sheriff's Department and Bryant's security team met Wednesday to talk about threats made recently against Bryant, according to a source close to the investigation, the Times said.

O+R Protective Services part-owner Jose Revilla is traveling from Denver to Eagle, the source said. The company is hired by the Lakers to protect Bryant and his family, the Times added.

How the sellout crowd will react to Bryant is anyone’s guess, but judging from his courtroom appearances in Eagle County, his supporters figure to be numerous and conspicuous.

During his first court date on Aug. 6, several people showed up wearing Lakers gear and one man decorated his car with purple-and-gold balloons.

Can you say favorable jury pool?

"I think they (the fans) will be positive. I really do," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said Tuesday. "It’s unrelated to the game of basketball.

"Everybody in this country, they’re innocent until proven guilty. We have great fans here who love basketball and a lot of Kobe admirers, me included. I’m rooting for him in his off-court stuff."

Nearly 18 years after movie-goers felt compelled to Save Ferris!, Bryant boosters are campaigning to Save Kobe! as the All-Star shooting guard tries to avoid taking his game to the prison yard.

Despite the charges against him, Bryant has received more votes for the Western Conference all-star team than any other player, and he is well-received in nearly every arena he visits.

The unconditional support is hardly a Jedi mind trick unique to Kobe-Wan Kenobi.

O.J. Simpson’s acquittal on murder charges set off celebrations in the streets of Los Angeles, and Michael Jackson still has millions of supporters as he prepares to fight child molestation charges.

Before we go blaming California, human nature is a more logical explanation for the innocent-even-if-proven-guilty infatuation so often associated with celebrities.

These are the people who we aspire to be. The people who tell us what underwear to buy (thanks, M.J.) and what sport drink to guzzle (JeterAde, anyone?). They even tell us how to dial a phone (1-800 Piazza and Bradshaw).

They are the same people who earn millions of dollars to endure public wrath, some of which will surely come Bryant’s way when he takes the court in Denver.

"I think when he’s introduced, there will be mixed signals," Nuggets forward Ryan Bowen said. "There will be a lot of people that cheer him. There will be a lot of people that boo him. With or without this thing (his court case), that would happen anyway.

"He’s used to fans either loving him or hating him. This one obviously’s going to be a little more extreme."

There is no questioning the loyalty of the Lakers’ faithful.

Dave Johnson, a 35-year-old sales representative, is a longtime Lakers fan who bought tickets for Bryant’s date with the Nuggets.

He believes Bryant’s accuser used poor judgment by entering the player’s hotel room and he hopes Nuggets fans exercise tasteful judgment Wednesday night.

"I hope they have some class," Johnson said. "I’m anxious to see."

Need additional evidence of the Save Kobe! Mentality?

When Bryant missed the first quarter of L.A.’s game against the Nuggets on Dec. 19, he received a gladiator’s welcome upon emerging from the tunnel at the Staples Center.

His late arrival was caused by his required appearance at a pre-trial hearing in Colorado, but he made up for it by hitting a last-second shot to give Los Angeles its fifth straight victory over Denver.

"He got 50 back-to-back on us last year," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said. "He’s probably feeling good about himself against our team."

In part because of the Nuggets' extended ineptitude, the Pepsi Center frequently has been a Kobe-friendly zone as Lakers fans fill up the 19,099 seats.

The only player who regularly draws the ire of Denver fans is Nick Van Exel, a former Nuggets guard who once had the nerve to voice his displeasure with the team.

Should Bryant be treated with less hostility than Van Exel, does that mean adultery is less egregious than asking to be traded to a winning team?

Sounds like an issue that might require arguments at a motions hearing.

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