A stellar performance by Laker superstar Kobe Bryant was not enough to keep the Lakers from dropping the game to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies 114-111 on Friday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

Bryant finished with 53 points, but it was the team's defense which failed the Lakers. Rudy Gay led five players in double figures with 28 points.

Bryant described his pile of points as "pretty much" of a waste.

"We didn't do a good job defensively at all," he said. "Staying in front of the ball has been a big problem for us. If we can't solve that problem, then we'll just have to continue to get penetrated on until we get the big guys back and then they can bail us out by blocking shots to the basket."

With national reports swirling that Marc Iavaroni's job with the Grizzlies isn't safe, GM Chris Wallace insisted otherwise on Thursday, according to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

"We support Marc and the job he's done so far," Wallace said. "It's been a tough season. But Marc and the staff have done an excellent job keeping this team together. There's been improvement in young players. Our effort is there every night. It's been an upbeat, relatively together team for a squad that's been in a tough situation as far as winning ball games."

"We practice hard. We play hard," Wallace added. "They've been handed two different teams this year. We're a very young team, and we're getting better."

Could Larry Brown have a head coaching gig in the NBA as soon as next season?

According to the New York Daily News, the Memphis Grizzlies are targeting Brown to take over from Marc Iavaroni after a disappointing year.

Several NBA sources say that the Grizzlies want Brown to succeed Iavaroni, who the Daily News claims has struggled in his first season as an NBA head coach and has come under criticism for failing to effectively communicate with players.

Kwame Brown is considered a bust by most in the media, but he feels as though he's gotten the raw end of the deal, according to HoopsWorld.

"They (the media) just try to make me out to be someone I'm not," Brown told HOOPSWORLD. "Everyone who knows me or knows anything about me knows that so that's what keeps me going. I mean, media is going to be media."

Brown, who was traded to the Grizzles in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers, will be a free agent at the end of the season.

"I'll go to a team that wants me; I want to be there and I'll be healthy again," says Brown. "I'll get a full summer of work and not a full summer of surgery. I'll come back, ready to go."

The Grizzles have a decent amount of cap space heading into the offseason and there have been rumors that they might look to throw some of that money at Monta Ellis, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Memphis has $12 million in cap space, but the Warriors currently hold Monta's 'Bird Rights'. That means Golden State can re-sign Ellis, a restricted free-agent, without worrying about any salary cap penalties.

"The kind of player he is would definitely help our system," Rudy Gay said on Friday night. "Somebody who can score a lot and get up and down the court would help us a lot. There's not much he can't do. He's probably one of the fastest guys in the league with and without the ball. His jump shot is deadly and when he gets to the basket, he finishes. His ability is kind of crazy."

The Warriors have been clear that they will make every attempt to ink Ellis and Andris Biedrins to long term deals this summer.

Celtics' forward Kevin Garnett added another milestone to his stellar career during Saturday?s 119-89 win over the Grizzlies, as reported by Yahoo.com.

Garnett poured in 17 points in just three quarters to become the 32nd player in league history to register 20,000 career points. He reached the historic milestone with a breakaway layup at the 4:41 mark in the second quarter.

Stromile Swift reportedly asked the Memphis Grizzles to play him more often or trade him, resulting in the deal that sent him to the New Jersey, according to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

"I was frustrated with my playing time," Swift said. "At the same time, I feel like I was provoked. Whatever I said, I said it and I paid the consequences. For me, it's over with. That's not really my personality. I kind of lost it a little bit."

Guard Juan Carlos Navarro wants to remain in Memphis with the Grizzlies by signing a lucrative deal, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

"I want to stay here. I'm happy," Navarro said. "We've lost too many games. It's difficult to understand this situation. It would take two or three years to lose this many games (in Spain). But I want to help this team win games. I don't think anybody likes losing."