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.

Basketball's biggest gunner has been given a reduced load of ammunition. And it hasn't backfired.

Many wondered how Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson would handle having to play more of a team game at the Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Through four U.S. games, Iverson has taken 29 shots, which is often how many he takes in one NBA game.

And how many times has Iverson complained? By unofficial count, none.

"I'm a basketball player," said Iverson, who three times has led the NBA in scoring. "When I play for the Sixers, I'm called on to do other things on the basketball court. Sometimes it takes me to shoot the ball 25 to 30 times in order for us to get a win. There's no way I would have to do a thing like that with a team like this. We're so talented."

Iverson is doing plenty of other things. He's playing defense. He's third on the team in assists. He's grabbing some rebounds.

Iverson, averaging 12 points and a team-leading 21.3 minutes for the undefeated Americans, had his finest game of the tournament in a 113-55 win Saturday against the Virgin Islands. He went 7-for-9, including three three-pointers, for 17 points, the most any American has scored in the tournament.

"It is fun, and it's different," Iverson said of not having to carry a big scoring load. "But you know, I like playing with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sixers needing me to do a lot more things on the basketball court. But it's fun playing with these guys, too. You don't have to do as much. You just do your part. You accept your role and roll with it."

The resort town of Edwards, Colo., has a new tourist attraction: the hotel room where Kobe Bryant is alleged to have raped a 19-year-old concierge.

The first-floor suite at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera - Room 35 - has become a must-see and must-stay for guests, said the hotel, which has experienced a steady flow of potential customers looking to stay at the scene of the alleged crime.

Rooms at the Lodge & Spa, which is near the ski mecca of Vail, cost between $300 and $700 a night and offer magnificent views of the Rocky Mountains.

Bryant, 24, is accused of attacking the coed when she visited his posh room, which rents for $625 a night, but the NBA star insists the sex was consensual.

Tabloid reports of a financial settlement between Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and his 19-year-old accuser are not true, Bryant's attorney said Friday.

Defense attorney Pamela Mackey said a National Enquirer story this week that Bryant had offered the alleged victim a $5 million settlement is false.

"It's just not true," Mackey said.

Mackey also denied the story's assertion that the defense team, she and law partner Harold Haddon, is negotiating a plea agreement with District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, who has charged Bryant with felony sexual assault.

The prosecutors and defense attorneys have beaten their swords into plowshares on at least one issue.

"We will try this case," said Mackey. "We've had no discussions about a plea agreement. We're together with the district attorney on that one."

Bryant, who waived being advised of his rights and the charges he faces, is scheduled to be back before Eagle County Court Judge Fred Gannett on Oct. 9 for his preliminary hearing.

During that hearing, Gannett will decide whether there's enough evidence to send the case along to trial in District Court, probably before Judge Tom Moorhead.

The family of Kobe Bryant's alleged victim has reported two suspicious incidents, including a possible burglary a little more than a week ago.

In the first report made by the father of the 19-year-old Eagle woman, police were told of a suspicious person who appeared at the family's residence July 29, offering to give an estimate on washing their windows.

The woman's father, who was identified in the report, rejected the offer, then noticed the man did not stop at any of the other homes in the neighborhood.

Although that occurred early July 29, the woman's father did not make a report to police until the following day. He did so, records indicate, on the advice of his lawyer.

Then, late on the afternoon of Aug. 14, Bryant's alleged victim and her father contacted the seven-member Eagle Police Department to report they feared someone might have entered the home to place an electronic surveillance device. In this report, Bryant's alleged victim is named.

Police were told that the family left the home for an hour that morning, locking all the doors and leaving their two dogs inside. Upon returning, one dog was found shut in an upstairs bathroom. Nothing appeared to have been tampered with or removed from the home. Police also found no sign of forced entry.

The woman's father told police he feared a bugging device might have been left behind, although if one was subsequently found, police have not been told. This report to police, too, was made by the family on the advice of an attorney.

"The evidence to call this a burglary is pretty lean," said Sgt. Gary Ward, who is acting police chief. "We're labeling them both as suspicious incidents."

The Nuggets apparently have upped their interest in re-signing free-agent forward Chris Andersen.

But it remains to be seen whether they will offer him any guaranteed money.

Marc Fleisher, Andersen's agent, said he spoke with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe a few days ago. While contract numbers were not discussed, Fleisher said he was pleased with what he was hearing.

"(The Nuggets are) showing more interest in Chris," Fleisher said. "(Nuggets officials have) talked among themselves, and there's an increased interest in keeping him."

Andersen wants to return to the Nuggets, but it likely will take a good bit of guaranteed money for next season. Fleisher said two teams, which he would not name, have offered Andersen a "fully-guaranteed" contract.

Fleisher said the Nuggets have not offered guaranteed money. He said Andersen hopes to make a decision on where he will play in the next week, and it's up to the Nuggets to get back to Fleisher if they want to better their offer.

Brazil sent Nene to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have returned the favor.

In February, the Nuggets invited six Brazilian coaches to watch practices and games for two weeks and to meet with coaches.

Did it help?

It sure did. Brazil won the South American Championships last month in Uruguay and the Pan American Games earlier this month in the Dominican Republic.

"We learned a lot inside of the court and outside of the court," Brazil's head coach, Lula Ferreira, said before a 110-76 loss to the United States in the opener Wednesday night in the Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Roberto Clemente Coliseum. "We learned how to prepare for games."

Ferreira was joined in Denver by his two assistants. Also on hand were three coaches from Brazil's women's team.

"I think it helped make a big difference in our system," said Flavio Davis, an assistant under Ferreira. "It helped Brazilian basketball for the future."

Free agent Jon Barry, a player the Pacers had been interested in as a backup to both Miller and point guard Anthony Johnson, signed with Denver on Wednesday. Barry wanted a long-term deal the Pacers weren?t willing to offer a player of his age (34).

Walsh said he remains confident that the depth issue in the backcourt will be resolved. Veteran Anthony Johnson was signed from New Jersey to back up point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Freddie Jones, a first-round pick last year and undrafted free-agent signee Carl English are the other shooting guards on the roster. Starting small forward Ron Artest also has played the position.

?We have players in those positions,? Walsh said, ?and I?m going to get another player in that position. We?re still looking to see if we can add to our backcourt a little more.?

Jon Barry expects to compete for a starting spot with the Nuggets, but won't be disappointed if he comes off the bench.

"Starting doesn't really concern me," Barry said. "I've been able to finish games pretty much for the last four or five years of my career, and that's what really matters, being on the floor at the end of games when it counts."

Barry, a 6-foot-5, free-agent shooting guard, signed a one-year contract with the Nuggets on Tuesday worth close to $2 million.

In all likelihood, he will back up Rodney White.

"Whatever coach (Jeff) Bzdelik wants to do, I'm cool with," Barry said. "The last few teams I've been with, the bench has really been the strength of our team."

Barry played the past two seasons for the Detroit Pistons, leading a key group of reserves nicknamed "The Alternators." The 11-year NBA veteran averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 assists in 18.4 minutes per game last season.

Jeff Trepagnier and Vincent Yarbrough also will compete for playing time at shooting guard. Even so, Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he would like to add another shooting guard. The top free-agent candidates remaining are Toronto's Voshon Lenard, a former Nugget, and San Antonio's Stephen Jackson.

On a typical winter night in Rio de Janeiro, where the thermometer rarely dips below 60 degrees, Brazil's national basketball team trains in the moderately crowded gym of the Tijuca Club, 10 miles north of the world famous Copacabana Beach. It's 9 p.m. and the players have been practicing as if the coveted Olympic berth depended on it.
Having just arrived from the Pan American Games with gold medals dangling from their necks, the Brazilian team is aiming for one of three tickets to the Olympic Games at stake in the Americas Olympic Qualifying tournament, which begins today in Puerto Rico.

"We need this spot at the Olympics," said Brazilian point guard Leandrinho Barbosa, picked in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, and then traded to the Phoenix Suns.

The Brazilians, featuring the Nuggets' Nene, open the qualifying competition against the United States, which once again is packed with top NBA players. In the Pan Am Games, Brazil defeated a U.S. team mostly made up of collegians. In Puerto Rico, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd will lead an all-star team also looking to secure a spot in Athens.

Karl Malone will not rejoin the U.S. team because of the death of his mother. Kenyon Martin of the New Jersey Nets was chosen Tuesday as his replacement.

"Of course they've got a much stronger team now," Barbosa said. "These guys are very experienced."