The 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers Season Preview
by Brandon Neal
"Your future takes precedence over your past. Focus on your future, rather than on the past." - Gary Ryan Blair
Months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Since that nasty defeat in the NBA Finals, the Lakers have welcomed back Andrew Bynum, who will be our starting center, and are making lineup changes that will eventually benefit their perimeter offense and bench production. To date, the Lakers are courting the best player in the world in Kobe Bryant, who will be returning for his 13th NBA season. Only two players on Los Angeles' roster are over 30 -- Kobe, who plays like he's much younger, and Derek Fisher, both being originals from the three-peat Lakers from almost a decade ago. With little experience outside of the championship duo comes big expectations for the next two or three years, at the very least. It can be debated that this Lakers squad, barring any injuries, has the potential to be one of the best Lakers fans have seen since the days of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West. However, there's no denying the talent around the league, especially in the Western Conference, so with all things considered, there's no guarantee that this season will rival that of other 60-win Lakers teams in the past, but one thing is for certain: based on visuals from last season, the starting five and bench, under Phil Jackson's wing, will turn confident non-Lakers fans into nail-biters halfway through the regular season.
For Lakers roster information, click here.
THE STARTING FIVE
17 - ANDREW BYNUM (profile)
Position: C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 285
Born: 10/27/1987
School: St. Joseph HS (NJ)
Drafted: 1st Round, 10th (LAL) 2005
Salary: $2,769,300
Projected Stats: 13.3 PPG, 58% FG, 10.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG
After a successful knee surgery, Andrew Bynum seemed to be back to his old self in preseason basketball. Before the injury, Bynum was averaging a solid 13 points per game, along with ten boards. Granted this was only for 35 games, many don't understand that it was for almost a half a season, not a month. Bynum is nearly impossible to stop once he gets three or four feet from the rim, and with less body fat this season, Bynum's frame makes it tough for anyone to keep him grounded. Andrew has to play hard every night, stay healthy, and focus on dunking everything he gets his paws on, if he wants to be called one of the best centers in the league someday.
16 - PAU GASOL (profile)
Position: F-C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 250
Born: 7/6/1980
School: Spain
Drafted: 1st Round, 3rd (ATL) 2001
Salary: $15,106,000
Projected Stats: 14.5 PPG, 54% FG, 8.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG
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