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When teammate Steve Blake needed a lift to the doctor's office, Bryant was only too happy to drop him off on his way home, via helicopter.

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GOOD WEEK The Lakers’ coaching situation may be in a state of upheaval, but things are never that bad in La-La land when you have the Black Mamba on your side.Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press

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When guard Steve Blake could only get a doctor’s appointment in Orange County in early afternoon after injuring an abdominal muscle in practice Monday, Kobe helped him bypass the notorious L.A. traffic by dropping him off on his way home, in his helicopter. Who needs Obamacare when you have Kobe Air?STEVE MARCUS/Reuters

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BAD WEEK Talking of healthcare, Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could use some right about now after spraining his shoulder during last Monday’s overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But that wasn’t the most injurious thing about the whole affair.Gene J. Puskar/The Associated Press

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On a pregame segment on ESPN that was supposed to be titled Dink and Dunk, it was broadcast as Roethlisberger Drink and Drunk, which would be hilarious if not for his checkered history with alcohol.DAVID DENOMA/Reuters

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BAD WEEK For a guy looking to get a new arena built in Edmonton for his beloved Oilers, Rexall magnate Daryl Katz could hardly have seen a worse confluence of events than what happened in South Florida this week.DAN RIEDLHUBER/Reuters

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With the fire sales of Jeffrey Loria’s Marlins becoming almost as much of a Miami tradition as the Orange Bowl – this latest one comes just a year after moving into a new facility funded mostly by taxpayer money – the City of Edmonton is likely to be even less sympathetic to Katz’s cause. After all, if there’s one other city in North America that knows all about epic fire sales, it’s the Alberta capital.DAN RIEDLHUBER/Reuters

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BAD WEEK Despite announcing that the NBA would bring in $5-billion (U.S.) in revenue this year, the commissioner is clearly not counting on Philadelphia to be a significant generator, with tickets for last Wednesday’s contest between the 76ers and Pistons going for as little as a dime on Stubhub.com.ADAM HUNGER/Reuters

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If you missed out on those, don’t fear. Tickets for Tuesday’s matchup with the red-hot Raptors – they’re riding a one-game win streak, don’t forget – can be had for as little as 95 cents. Clearly a league in the rudest of health.LUCAS JACKSON/Reuters

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BAD WEEK If the aim of NFL teams was to create a three-headed monster, the New York Jets would be virtually unstoppable.JEFF HAYNES/Reuters

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As it is, between head coach Rex Ryan and quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, the Jets can barely see the wood from the trees, and while anonymous Jets teammates ripped Tebow for being “terrible” this week, at least he didn’t get out-quarterbacked by a Seattle Seahawks receiver with a reputation for breaking into stores to steal doughnuts. Tebow would have to actually see the field for more than three plays a game to do that.ADAM HUNGER/Reuters

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