II. The Player For all the contradictions swirling about him, there is this unassailabale truth: Bryant is the game's best all-around player. And acording to many, including Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, he's getting better. "If you want to find a player to build around, he's probably it," says McMillan. "He's got great size for a guard, and he's pretty impossible to defend, and he is hard to score against when he hunkers down on defense." Facing the defense, Bryant has no peer. He can avoid defenders like a stunt driver swerving through oncoming traffic. He can blow by for a dunk, pull up for a short jumper or simply rise up and hit a long-range, heavily contested perimeter missile. With his back to the defense, Bryant is equally dangerous. If a defender gives him space, he faces up and banks in a jump shot. If a defender crowds him, he speeds past or overpowers him. If he's double-teamed, he up-fakes, pivots and squeezes between defenders for a layup, almost always without traveling. Innate athleticism aside, he has labored like a Broadway dancer to perfect his footwork. Besides leading the league in scoring, Bryant ranked in the top 10 at week's end in steals, minutes, field goals attempted, field goals made, three-pointers attempted, three-pointers made, free throws attempted, free throws made and player efficiency rating. It's been three decades since a player from a .500-level team was the league's MVP--that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who took the 1975-76 award even though his Lakers finished 40-42. With Bryant's Lakers 41-37 and tied for seventh place in the Western Conference through Sunday, even the "M-V-P!" cheers that erupt from time to time in Staples Center are tepid. But his play has been so outstanding this season that he must be on any short list of candidates. "I'm not saying that he's the most valuable player, but he's certainly the best player," says Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. "And it's not even close. He is utterly dominant." --

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