udging from how many times he used the word ``really’’ to describe how good his knee felt, Kobe Bryant will be in the starting lineup and wearing his new No. 24 when the Lakers open the season tonight against Phoenix.
Bryant passed his biggest test Monday at practice when he was running the middle on a fastbreak drill and decided to challenge guard Shammond Williams, who was trying to take a charge on defense.
``I felt like I could explode, so I took off,’’ Bryant said. ``I didn’t know what I was doing. The ball slipped out of my hands but I landed and I felt fine. It was like, ‘OK.’ If it feels good (today), I’ll be ready to go.’’
Bryant underwent right knee surgery 108 days ago but his recovery has been slow going. He did not play in any of the Lakers’ eight preseason games and only recently started practicing in full with his teammates.
``I felt really, really good (Monday),’’ Bryant said. ``Really, really good (Monday).’’
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