Egos fuel Bryant, James

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant won’t back down in the battle to be the league’s best player.

Bryant burns the Mavericks for 52 points on national TV.

James can’t let it go. The Cleveland star has to come back in his next game and score 50 points in New York to make sure everyone talks about him.

Isn’t it wonderful when big egos and big talent collide? We could say we haven’t seen anything like it, but that’s not true.

We’ve seen it four times.

Bryant opened the season with 45 points.

James put 45 points on the board three nights later.

Bryant scored 48 points on Jan. 14 to get his Most Valuable Player campaign under way. James waited less than 24 hours to offer a 51-point rebuttal.

Before the month was over, Bryant produced another 40-point game. James responded with 41 points in his next outing.

These guys have attention deficit disorder. The moment one of them receives attention as the sport’s best player, the other jumps up and demands that everyone look at him.

This wonderful athletic joust has forced a policy change. For the first time in centerpiece history, we provide a variation of an earlier theme.

Enjoy Bryant vs. James.

Or should we say James vs. Bryant?

It doesn’t matter who you mention first. The other will grab the spotlight soon enough.

Andersen did it right

Chris Andersen won’t contribute to New Orleans’ playoff run.

But his return is what the league’s drug and alcohol program is all about.

The free-spirited forward failed a drug test in January 2006 and was banned for two years. He lost more than $7 million in salary and checked himself into a rehabilitation center in Malibu, Calif.

Andersen stayed with a friend and his family in Denver after completing the program.

That helped lend structure to his life. He found a new core of friends. He threw himself into charity and community service work.

Andersen worked the program. He worked out. He learned patience and earned another chance.

The Birdman may never be the player he was before the suspension.

But that’s secondary. He’s clean and sober. For now, that’s all that matters.

Quoteboard

“I play to enjoy myself. Some people take this the wrong way, but winning a championship is not what I base everything on.”

– Chicago’s Larry Hughes

“I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly here. I guess it’s back to the ugly again.”

– L.A. Clippers swingman Corey Maggette