A much happier new year for Kobe Bryant and Lakers
PRO BASKETBALL
Team and its MVP guard begin training camp far removed from the preseason turmoil of last year, with a deep and talented roster, high hopes and smiles all around.
What an understatement it is to say what a difference a year makes, a simple observation that would fail miserably in recapping everything the Lakers faced when last season's training camp began in Hawaii 362 days ago.
Andrew Bynum was drifting far outside the NBA ring of relevancy, Phil Jackson was hobbling around with a cane, and Kobe Bryant was circling awkwardly above it all, neither he nor his teammates knowing what would unfold the rest of the way -- or even if he would still be a Laker when the regular season rolled around.
Of course, it all turned out pretty well for the Lakers, give or take a couple of losses in the NBA Finals, leading to a decidedly sunnier sum of players at the team's annual media day Monday in El Segundo.
Bryant was again trailed by a flood of reporters as he recorded promo after promo for the Lakers' TV and radio partners, but the media mob didn't exude the breathless "When is he leaving town?" tenor of a year ago.
Instead, Bryant was jovial, buoyant, even eager to discuss his thoughts on the Lakers as they begin preparations today for the upcoming season, Bryant's 13th with the team.
"There's a lot to be happy about, there's a lot to be thankful about," he said. "Andrew's back healthy, you've got Pau [Gasol] here, we've got Lamar [Odom] here. Everybody's here, D-Fish [Derek Fisher], everybody's ready to go. The key for us is to keep everybody healthy."
Bryant, Gasol and a healthy Bynum are the main reasons the Lakers are favored to win the Western Conference, if not the championship. Without Bynum, the Lakers were within two victories of the franchise's 15th title, and they return with a skilled blend of youth, size and experience.
Bryant, who turned 30 last month, is back after winning his first most-valuable-player award, and the gift-wrapped Gasol has three more years on his contract.
"We're the favorites for a reason," Bryant said. "That's one of the things I tell the guys . . . we've got all the tools here, we've got all the pieces to the puzzle, now it's on us to do the work. If we do the work, we should win it."
These being the Lakers, for whom championship-caliber seasons rarely come and go without a least a little baggage, there are a few lingering issues.
Odom wasn't overjoyed to hear he might come off the bench if Jackson's plan of a Bynum-Odom-Gasol front line doesn't meet expectations.
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