Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has taken an unusual step to try to strengthen his ailing right knee, undergoing an innovative procedure in Germany about a month ago, according to four people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.

The treatment is a derivation of platelet-rich plasma therapy. PRP procedures are less invasive than many surgeries involving the knee and are viewed as either an emerging solution to knee problems or a financial gamble on unproven science.

Bryant, who turns 33 next month, has been bothered in recent seasons by an arthritic joint in his right knee. He has undergone three other knee procedures since 2003, including surgery last July to remove unspecified loose bodies.

He sat out an overwhelming majority of the Lakers' practices this past season and saw his scoring, shooting percentage and minutes decrease in his 15th NBA season. He has three years and $83.5 million left on his contract with the Lakers.

Bryant declined through a representative to comment for this story, but after the Lakers were eliminated by Dallas in the playoffs, he spoke of the need to "train and get strong" during the off-season.

"Last year I had [knee] surgery," Bryant said in May. "The year before that, we played deep into June so I didn't have a chance to grind like I would like to, but this summer I have that chance."

Regarding his knee, he added that "there's another level that I feel like I can get to."

He did not specifically mention PRP.

The PRP procedure is fairly simple and takes about an hour.

A small amount of blood is drawn from the patient's arm and spun in a centrifuge for about 20 minutes to isolate platelets. With guidance from ultrasound, the platelets are then injected into the injured area to try to stimulate tissue repair.

But do PRP procedures really work? The consensus is that more long-term research needs to be done.

"Right now, the data is immature," said Allan Mishra, an orthopedic surgeon who administers PRP treatments and is an adjunct professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford University Medical Center. "There is a lot of cool stuff going on, but I temper that by saying we have a lot more work to do before it is definitive."

The procedure isn't close to mainstream but is becoming more common and might take another two to four years to fully validate, Mishra said.

"The interesting part is that it's not super complicated," he said. "It's really only your own blood taken out of a vein and prepared right in front of you and then put back in an area of your condition. So the concept is to try and use within your own body to help heal yourself. This is an opportunity to really take advantage of the body's own natural ability."

In addition to Bryant, tennis star Rafael Nadal, golfer Tiger Woods and Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward reportedly have undergone PRP treatments for their knees.

Other NBA players also experimented with PRP last season, including reserve Golden State guard Acie Law on his wrist and Portland guard Brandon Roy on his hamstring.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency debated in recent years whether PRP led to unfair athletic enhancement, but both entities determined last year it was fair for Olympic competition if it wasn't mixed with human-growth hormone (HGH) or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

"What we're hearing from our athletes is that it's not demonstrated that it enhances performance at all," said Travis Tygart, chief executive of USADA. "If you get PRP with HGH added to it, yeah, no question, but that is prohibited. As the [PRP] technique started gaining some traction over the last two or three years in athlete circles and among doctors that treat athletes, those doing it without HGH and IGF-1 weren't seeing the same benefits. There wasn't enough evidence that PRP by itself was proving enough enhancement to make it unfair."

After the Lakers were eliminated in the playoffs, Bryant, who'd heard plenty about his supposedly declining skills, said there was something that would motivate him in the off-season.

"What I think about is shutting up those [people] saying that I'm done," he said.

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Not that I don't live to cover sports labor stories, knowing how much you like reading about them …

Abbie Hoffman wrote a book called "Steal This Book," enabling him to profit from the system, while continuing to condemn it.

This column could be headlined "Stop Reading This Story," or, assuming you're still with me:

"Dear Owners and Players: Write When You Find Work."

As everyone said it would in an operatic two-year run-up, the NBA lockout arrived at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Friday.

In the question of the day, "W-w-w-what now?"

Life will go on exactly as it would have.

No one will even notice but the participants and crazed media outlets acting as if the tripods from "War of the Worlds" were advancing on the White House.

Since the NBA wasn't playing any games this summer, no worries, at least for the rest of us!

It's true, the owners and players have issues, but they're their issues.

We have no role in this, even if each side tries to mobilize us against the other, so let them worry about it.

The participants, themselves, haven't begun to worry, or do anything but put on show talks.

Despite a month of meetings, often two a day, they haven't begun bargaining in earnest … and won't for another two or three months.

W-h-h-hat happens if they can't start the season on time?

As someone with my finger on the pulse of the fans, I can tell you their … OK, his opinion.

What's the problem?

Wrote Craig Nelson of Torrey Pines in a recent email:

"Eighty games to eliminate the Kings. Yawn.

"A 20-game season followed by the playoffs is exactly what we want!"

Lakers backup guard Shannon Brown informed the team Thursday that he was terminating the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.

Brown and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said this was the best time for the 6-foot-4 guard to test the free-agent market, even though the NBA was about to impose a lockout and no one knows what the future collective bargaining agreement will be.

Brown, 25, had to let the Lakers know of his decision by Thursday's deadline.

"We made the best decision for me and everybody around me," Brown said. "It's an interesting time to do this because of the lockout, but I think this is the best thing for me to do right now."

He signed a two-year, $4.5-million deal with the Lakers in 2010, even though he was offered more money and a longer deal by several teams. Brown was due to make about $2.37 million next season.

Brown and Bartelstein said the player wants a longer-term contract, and both said the Lakers remain in the mix. "I haven't ruled out the Lakers," Brown said. "I don't know if they will rule me out."

Brown averaged 8.7 points on 42.5% shooting, 34.9% from three-point range, in 19.1 minutes during 82 regular-season games last season.

"All I want to be able to do is have options," Brown said. "I'm excited about this and what the future holds. I still love the Lakers because they gave me an opportunity. But I'm going to test the market and see what happens."

Brown came to the Lakers in February 2009 when they traded Vladimir Radmanovich to Charlotte for Adam Morrison. Brown was considered a throw-in, but he emerged as a valuable bench player for the Lakers and played on two championship teams.

broderick.turner@latimes.com