There is one thing to say about this upcoming NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA Champions. Everyone know what this means, and everyone knows what to expect from this team. Since the last championship run in 2002 and finals exit in 2004, Lakers fans haven’t been this pumped up.

Although I would never admit it, expectations for this team to win went down and fans were simply pulling for this team for fun. Did they really think the Lakers could win a title with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown in the starting lineup? NO WAY…

Smush Parker has since been replaced by aged veteran Derek Fisher and superior young point guard Jordan Farmar. Kwame Brown has been replaced by Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm, and even Josh Powell. Brian Cook was shipped out for Trevor Ariza. Radmanovic no longer goes snowboarding. Kobe and Shaq actually shake hands before games and joke with each other. Lamar Odom is no longer a starter (at least it doesn’t look like he is). Sasha Vujacic evolved from young shooter to the Machine. And just for those that have already forgotten, Rude Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen have turned into Phil Jackson.

The short segment above needs to be read, reread, and reread once again. Take a look at all that this team has done in the last few years. Each season it seems like a small move creates a large impact. In the last several years that the Lakers lacked a true competitive chance to pursue the title, the Suns, Mavs, and Spurs have gone downhill. At the same time, several teams have grown to new heights including the Hornets, Rockets, and Jazz. There are many teams that have the pieces in place and are sure to be competition in the years to come. The team that immediately comes to mind is the Blazers.

After making it to the NBA Finals last season, the young core of players on this Lakers team have gained the experience necessary to truly compete. There is no better motivation than a loss. If going down in shame during game six of the Finals doesn’t inspire you to work harder, nothing will. Phil Jackson knows that this team is lacking serious lock down defense. The return of Bynum is what the Lakers are banking on to achieve this goal.

Preseason games and training camp have been all about influencing the Lakers defense. The offense will come on its own as Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum can all create shots for themselves at any time. The offense will flow and get easier as time goes on, but the defense will truly take a lot of work during practice and even more concentration during games. With two 7’0″ starters, the Lakers should have no problems protecting the paint and picking up every rebound available.

One of the major keys to success this season will be all the drama surrounding Lamar Odom. As long as he continues to come off the bench, the trade rumors will continue. The second Lamar enters the starting lineup, the trade rumors will become even more extreme as news will begin to circulate that the Lakers are playing him in order to raise his value. Just to throw it out there really quickly, if Lamar can accept his role coming off the bench, he will be extremely successful. I’ve said it for years now, Lamar is a great player, however severely overpaid. We see him as a poor player based on the amount of money he makes, but if his contract were about $5 million less, he would be a great deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if Odom is shipped out by the all star break if this team isn’t atleast .800.

I have heard many analysts make the argument that this Lakers team is even more loaded than the 95-96 Bulls. Is this true? Possibly. That team won 72 games and lost 10. This current Lakers team can easily compete. The only real disadvantage for Kobe and company is the amount of competition in the Western Conference. With that said, the leadership that is present on this team will surely guide this team to it’s max. With only two players over 30, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, this team is reaching for success for many years to come.

My predictions for this team are that they will go 65-17 in the 2008-2009 season. I strongly believe that Kobe will have an extremely strong year in terms of leadership and due to the return of Andrew Bynum’s presence in the paint, Kobe’s shooting percentage will hover right around 50%. Kobe’s assist numbers should go up while his rebounding numbers go slightly down. With all this taking place in less minutes, I expect Kobe Bryant to repeat as NBA MVP as the Lakers dominate their division, conference, and league.

To sum things up, this season will be about defense, comoraderie, patience, execution, perseverance, humility, and most importantly, team work. This team has every piece necessary in order to be the best team in the world, now let’s cheer them on and take them to the promised land!

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