Lakers' Bryant talks up Jordan, Gasol

He didn't play Thursday at the house Michael Jordan built, but Kobe Bryant had Jordan on his mind.

On Dec. 14, Bryant passed Jordan for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. It took Bryant roughly 200 more games to get there, but that's also a credit to his longevity.

Bryant said he spoke to Jordan by phone after it happened.

"We talked. If you had one guess of what he said, it was, 'Go get Karl,' " Bryant said before Thursday's game. "The competitor never stops. He's always thinking the next challenge."

Jordan was referring to Karl Malone, who is roughly 4,500 points ahead of Bryant for second place. A few more nights like this and Bryant will never get there. He sat out his second straight game due to soreness and fatigue. Bryant missed most of last season recovering from a torn Achilles and broken kneecap.

"Old age," Bryant joked. "My knees are sore at this stage of the season. My Achilles are sore. My metatarsus is tight, back's tight. I just need to kind of hit the reset button."

Looking back on the recent milestone, Bryant acknowledged that passing Jordan was, in fact, a tribute to Jordan.

"It was more of a thankful feeling, to Michael and the players that came before me," Bryant said. "Because I've learned so much from them. I don't say that lightly. I've literally just stole stuff from him. You know what I mean? Like spin moves and pullups and stuff like that.

"It's not me passing these players. It's us, because I've literally taken things from their games and just made them my own."

Bryant feels like he's playing against younger guys now who borrowed some of his moves.

"It's fun. I think that's the way the game should be," he said. "You learn from those who came before and you carry things forward."

Kobe on Pau:

Pau Gasol won two championships with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, before he joined the Bulls as a free agent this summer. The former teammates got together Wednesday night.

"Just catching up. We spent several hours just talking, just reminiscing a little bit," Bryant said. "It was good to see him.

"I told him, even when I talked to him about trying to bring him back (to the Lakers), I'd support him no matter what. Our relationship and our bond goes beyond basketball. The guy's a brother. I told him, 'I'll support you no matter what, no matter what you decide.' "

Statistically, Gasol has been better with the Bulls than he was the past couple of seasons in Los Angeles, which is not a surprise to Bryant.

"Pau's been playing like Pau. It's phenomenal," he said. "He's been playing in the league for a while, too. He seems to have no droppage in his play. He looks healthy, looks strong, and he's moving real well."

Kobe on Rose:

Kobe Bryant had these thoughts on the return of Derrick Rose from a pair of knee surgeries and nearly two years of inaction.

"It's hard when you have an injury like that, because it's such a freak situation where drives to the basket scare you a little bit, because you're scared of making the same moves," Bryant said. "But he looks like he's put that in the back of his mind and is being aggressive."

Pau an all-star leader:

The NBA released the first all-star voting returns Thursday. Pau Gasol would be an East starter if the balloting ended today, since he ranks third among frontcourt players with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler rank fifth and sixth, respectively, among the East guards, behind John Wall, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry.

The West starters, based on first returns, would be Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and Marc Gasol.