Keep him or trade him: Bryant says of Gasol

Kobe Bryant lashed out at LA Lakers' management for leaving teammate Pau Gasol wondering whether he's about to be traded.

Bryant said the Lakers either need to trade Gasol or come out and say it won't happen, after a 102-90 loss at Phoenix on Sunday. He said he doesn't want Gasol to be traded but it's unfair for his teammate to try to play when he doesn't know if he'll be somewhere else the following day.

"If they're going to do something, I wish they would just...do it. Listen, he's been the consummate professional," Bryant said. "He's going out and he's trying to do what he can. But let's be real. If you didn't know you were going to be here tomorrow, if your head's on the chopping block and you feel like you're just waiting, it's tough to put all yourself in the game."

"It's hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and stuff," Bryant said. "It's hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he's hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would either come out and either trade him or not trade him."

Bryant said the Lakers have the foundation for another run at the NBA title with Gasol.

Sania, Somdev slide in rankings

Sania Mirza slid 16 places to drop out of top-100 at 113 in singles ranking. Sania played only in doubles at Doha last week. However, she maintained seventh rank in doubles despite losing first round at Doha. In ATP rankings, out of action Somdev dropped to 122. But Yuki Bhambri rose to career-best 289 after gaining a jump of eight places.

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