The Lakers had a new member join them at training camp on Day 4. Sun Yue, the Chinese 6’9″ point guard has come back to the team that brought him to America. He suffered mono and was out of work outs thus far. “The doctor said that I’m just recovered, so I still need a lot of time to rest, but I didn’t want to miss much in camp,” Yue said. Phil Jackson and the training staff are looking forward to integrating him into the offense and using his passing skills to the max.

Pau Gasol apparently is not in as good of shape as we all thought. Although he has continued workouts throughout the summer, including Olympic competition and private practices, Gasol is slightly winded from training camp. “When he took off, he took off,” said Phil Jackson. “He needs the conditioning work, but he doesn’t need to grind it out. We’ll have another break for him soon.” Jackson has made it clear that Kobe is in the best shape, by far.

Luke Walton is practicing with the team again but is not 100%. He is still recovering from his surgery this summer and looks forward to making a difference soon. “He’s got a little twinge when he comes to a stop and has to make turns off of it or brace bodies in contact areas. I think he’s pretty close to stepping it up. Maybe early next week he’ll start to be able to do somethings.” The small forward position is quite packed for the Lakers and we hope that Luke can step up to get some playing time. Of course, it all depends on how the other things come together. “I don’t know. We really have to see how this team’s going to fit together. That’s really one of the things that makes basketball interesting, the chemistry that makes the game right. It’s not like baseball where you just plug somebody in a spot and he goes out and pitches.”

Overall, the vibe from training camp is very positive. The players and the coaches are all enthusiastic and ready to make some noise. This team has a chance to really do something special. this team will be successful. NO DOUBT!