The sexual-assault case against Kobe Bryant threatens to cloud the Lakers' entire season, and Shaquille O'Neal concedes the ugly affair could present an ongoing distraction.

"To some people," O'Neal said. "But not to me."

The media crush that already envelopes the Lakers after every game and practice could double in size. At every stop, in every city, there will be dozens of new faces, wanting to ask the same old questions -- if nothing else, how Bryant and the Lakers are coping with the strain.

Team officials are contemplating ground rules for reporters in an attempt to shield Bryant and his teammates. O'Neal has his own solution.

"I'm going to make it clear that I'm not answering (questions) about it," he said. "I'm not going to speculate about it. And I'm not going to try to step in his shoes and think what he's thinking.

"I'm going to make it clear: Don't ask me about it. But is it going to be a distraction? I'm sure it is. Because guys are going to ask, Do you think this? Do you think that? But I'm not going to answer it. I will not answer it. And I will not speculate."

While team officials expect Bryant will play this season, they have received no direct assurance yet. Assuming he does play, Bryant could be summoned away to deal with legal matters and, of course, for the eventual trial in Colorado.

"We'll be all right," O'Neal said. "Because we got two more hungry, upset veterans (Gary Payton and Karl Malone). We'll be fine. It's going to be a fun year."

A month after Karl Malone and Gary Payton made their cut-rate deals with the Lakers, sacrificing cash for the opportunity for an NBA title, Reggie Miller re-upped with the Indiana Pacers, for whom he'd played his entire career. Miller then proclaimed a purity of purpose and organizational devotion.

"I didn't want to be like some other guys," Miller said, "who jump on another team's bandwagon just to get a ring."

Take that, fellas.

"If I was coming in here and playing 10 minutes a night, that's riding a coattail," Malone said. "I'll tell you what, I wasn't pulling against the Lakers, but it made my decision a lot easier when they didn't win. When I heard Reggie make his decision, I like Reggie and I won't elaborate, but I'll say this: He had opportunity to do what I did and take less money. But he chose to make more money and stay where he was at. So, God bless him and God bless me."

Miller, who earned $12 million with the Pacers last season, agreed to a two-year contract for about $5 million per season. It is believed the Lakers offered Miller the same deal they did Malone and Payton: Play for less, earn more.

"At some point, somebody had to make some statement to say it's not all about the money all the time," Malone said. "Now, I don't want to hide the fact it wouldn't have been nice to make $10 million a year. Don't get me wrong. But how is that to the regular fan now?

Kobe Bryant might have created an inconvenience in Eagle County, or at least a new form of entertainment, but his criminal case is not draining the county coffers, Eagle County Administrator Jack Ingstad says.

"We've had calls from worried taxpayers," said Jack Ingstad, "and we want to set the record straight. The impact of this case is insignificant, despite media reports or rumors to the contrary. We have a responsibility to make certain people have the facts."

The impact of the Bryant case on the budget is and will be insignificant in view of anticipated revenues and funding responsibilities, Ingstad said. "In a $100 million annual budget - which has more than $40 million in reserves - this matter is a drop in our budget bucket."

He said the county has spent $30,000 to date on the case.

"To put it in perspective, this is a county that just spent $1 million to install artificial turf on a recreation field," Ingstad said. "We run one of the busiest airports in Colorado. Thirty thousand dollars has very little impact."

"The county has been and continues to be financially healthy," said Eagle County Commissioner Michael Gallagher.

District Attorney Mark Hurlbert Hurlbert joined defense attorneys Pamela Mackey and Harold Haddon in asking Gannett to ban cameras in the courtroom for Bryant's Oct. 9 preliminary hearing. Mackey and Haddon made their request earlier this week.

In his request, Hurlbert wrote that while Colorado law allows cameras in the courtroom for advisements and arraignments, but not for preliminary hearings.

"At preliminary hearing the People will present their case, albeit a far shortened version of trial," wrote Hurlbert. "At the preliminary hearing, many facts of the case will come out. The word-by-word reporting of those facts would greatly prejudice the victim and the defendant's right to a fair trial."

Hurlbert also wrote that the preliminary hearing may involve members of the public who may not want to be part of a television broadcast.

A judge's order to make Kobe Bryant's arrest warrant available to the public can stand, as far as the district attorney is concerned.

District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced Thursday that he will not appeal an Aug. 21 ruling by Eagle County Court Judge Fred Gannett to make public Bryant's arrest warrant.

"After careful review of the court's ruling, we decided against appealing the judge's order," said Hurlbert.

Gannett ordered that "the arrest warrant and return of service, and the Rule 41.1 petition and return shall be unsealed ? The arrest affidavit, the Rule 41.1 affidavit, and the search warrant, return and inventory, and affidavit shall remain sealed until judgment is entered."

"We determined that the information the order included for release would not detrimentally affect the victim's rights or the defendant's right to a fair trial," said Hurlbert.

Gannett's order allowed 10 days for attorneys to appeal his ruling to unseal the arrest warrant before it is instituted. Bryant's defense attorneys have made no announcement regarding their decision.

Media organizations seeking the release of records in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case will appeal a judge's order to keep the files sealed, an attorney said Thursday.

The decision to appeal came hours after prosecutors said they will not contest the order by Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett, who ruled last week that only the arrest warrant and related documents could be released to the public.

More detailed documents, including the arrest affidavit and search warrant, were to remain sealed, making the order unsatisfactory to the media organizations trying to have the records made public over the objections of prosecutors and the defense.

"We plan on appealing," said Steve Zansberg, an attorney representing the media organizations ? which include The Times.

The appeal must be made by Tuesday and will be heard by a 5th District Court judge, not by Gannett, Zansberg said. A final determination is unlikely to be made before Bryant's preliminary hearing Oct. 9.

Three months ago, what Laker fans talked about was Shaquille O'Neal, his weight, his knee, his attitude, and his role in the Lakers' four-peat-turned-collapse.

The basketball news in Los Angeles changed quickly and sensationally, however, and O'Neal, rather than banging out sit-ups and having a whole town count along with him, went underground and did them alone.

On Tuesday evening, looking hard and lean in a casual gray suit, O'Neal sat in a sound stage in Hollywood, filming a cameo for "The Ortegas," a Fox show due out in the fall, said he'd lost about 15 pounds and then shrugged.

"If I don't get the ball, though, it won't make any difference at all," he said. "A lot of people talk about me as if I had a weight problem. The only problem I had was waiting for the ball. So, run it through the Diesel. I'm mad and I'm ready to go."

He laughed. When last seen, O'Neal's weight was close to 360 pounds, his body fat was at least 20%. His knee was sore, and his mood sour, but that was in June, and a few things have changed since.

For one, the Lakers aren't all that, well, thin anymore. Karl Malone and Gary Payton have been given their jerseys, what Kobe Bryant used to call "the golden armor," at about the time most players are getting "the golden handshake," and yet the lineup looks younger and fresher.

Mitch Kupchak, the man O'Neal challenged to bring in talent, has a new contract extension, Phil Jackson's is coming soon, and O'Neal is eligible to re-up in October, though there are indications the club might not be so eager to hand over the maximum allowed ? three years and $121 million.

The young woman who has accused NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of raping her won't return to the University of Northern Colorado for her sophomore year.

The 19-year-old is not enrolled at the Greeley school as of Monday, the first day of classes, said Gloria Reynolds, a UNC spokeswoman.

The woman attended UNC last year for her freshman year and lived in McCowan Hall, a dorm on UNC's campus.

Attorneys for the alleged victim didn't return telephone calls, and Reynolds said she didn't know why the woman didn't return to school.

The woman says Bryant sexually assaulted her June 30 at a posh Eagle County resort where Bryant was staying while awaiting knee surgery. The woman was spending the summer in Eagle, at her parents home, and where she attended high school.

Bryant says the sex was consensual and said he's only guilty of adultery.

No cameras should be allowed in the courtroom when Kobe Bryant appears for his Oct. 9 preliminary hearing, the Eagle County district attorney said in court papers filed Tuesday.

Mark Hurlbert said state law prohibits cameras at preliminary hearings. He added that the "word by word reporting" of the facts to be presented at the hearing would prejudice both the alleged victim's and Bryant's right to a fair trial.

"Further," Hurlbert wrote, "the preliminary hearing may involve members of the public who may not want their likenesses broadcast over television."

Bryant's defense attorneys have also opposed cameras in the hearing, which were requested by Court TV and the Rocky Mountain News.

For those of you who have been following the bouncing ball of the Kobe Bryant case, you are likely aware that County Court Judge Frederick Gannett issued his order last week regarding unsealing of the court's file.

As you may also be aware, various media, including the Vail Daily, had asked the court to unseal its file to release the arrest and search warrants and other records giving rise to charges being brought. I have been privileged to represent The Daily in this matter and other matters relating to the Bryant case.

What the court's order said is the easy part. What the order means may be another thing entirely.

First, however, what it says:

Judge Gannet, in a conscientious, 16-page opinion, recognized the competing interests guaranteed under the First and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution that are called into question in this matter.

The First Amendment guarantees a free, open and unfettered press. The Sixth ensures the right of an accused to a fair and impartial trial. Unspoken but implicit in the court's order was the recognition that the press is a surrogate of The People, that it is The People's eyes and ears and conscience. And a free and open press ensures that justice is not prosecuted in the shadows - that, in the words of the late, great Justice William O. Douglas, "a democracy cannot function unless the people are permitted to know what their government is up to."

Too, a free and open press guarantees the accused that he is not falsely accused and that due process is meted out with equanimity. The surest way to protect against prosecutorial misconduct is to know the press is watching every move. This, in turn, protects, not compromises, the rights of the accused.

Judge Gannett ordered that the files be unsealed in their entirely with three exceptions. First, the arrest warrant affidavit shall remain sealed. Second, the affidavit supporting the Rule 41.1 petition shall remain sealed. And third, the search warrant affidavit shall remain sealed. Rule 41.1 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure is denominated "Non-Testimonial Identification" and provides, in essence, that the accused by brought in and identified by "non-testimonial" means; that is, bring me the corporeal being of the accused and ensure that the accused is, in fact, the person being sought.