Bryant Regains Spot as Van Exel’s Backup

SALT LAKE CITY — His roller coaster ride going all the way to the end, Kobe Bryant has returned to his one-time role as the Lakers’ backup point guard, this time feeling far more comfortable with the job than in late January.

His improvement there, after Coach Del Harris had decided around midseason that it would be better for Bryant to concentrate on shooting guard and small forward, came after Nick Van Exel sat out of several April practices to rest a sore knee. Harris then used his 18-year-old rookie with the starters, instead of Derek Fisher, and Bryant gained valuable experience, enough to regain his coach’s confidence that mistakes were decreasing.

“My decision-making has improved,” Bryant said after the Lakers practiced Monday in preparation for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz tonight. “The more I would go through, the more I would see, the more I improved.

“I trust my decisions now. When I first started playing point guard, I didn’t know how to run the offense all that well. I feel a lot better now.”

With Van Exel playing at least 39 minutes in three of the last four games, going back to the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, time has not been plentiful for Bryant there. But 25 of his 47 minutes the last three outings have come at the point, compared to five for Fisher.

“I’m just trying to find time for him,” Harris said. “I believe in him very much.”

So much that he secretly pushed for Bryant’s inclusion in the rookie all-star game with a January letter to NBA executive Rod Thorn that emphasized how Bryant, having just broken into the rotation, would have an increased role by the time the contest came around about a month later. The note apparently was not forwarded to voters, but Harris wanted it known that selecting Bryant would not be strictly a publicity move.

The news of today definitely will not be. The all-rookie team, from a coach’s poll, is scheduled to be announced, and Bryant is expected to make the second team. Teammate Travis Knight has a good chance to join him.

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Corie Blount, having previously been ruled out of Game 2 because of a sprained shoulder, had improved enough to where he was scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City on Monday night. His availability for tonight will be a game-time decision. . . . The Lakers, coming off a 93-77 loss in Game 1, previously lost nine games by 15 points or more. They won the next outing all nine times, by an average of 13.2 points.