Ready or not - and most signs point to not - the Lakers' regular season has
arrived.
Bryant sat out Monday while his teammates went through a lengthy workout
ahead of Tuesday night's opener against Dallas. It's the first of four games in
six days for a star-studded club with championship aspirations, but plenty of
work ahead.
"I think all of us are ready (for) the popcorn and the lights to come
on tomorrow," said Dwight Howard, who played in just two preseason games
while returning deliberately from back surgery. "It's not going to come
overnight. We all understand that. We just have to stay patient through the
whole process. We have to keep working, and we'll be fine."
Bryant might not be fine for a bit longer. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA
history is resting his right foot, which was bruised and strained last week,
and the Lakers won't decide whether he'll play against the Mavericks until game
time.
He showed up at the Lakers' training complex Monday for treatment and
practice, yelling at his teammates from the sideline while Jodie Meeks ran with
the Los Angeles' starters.
"We've got to worry about that when it comes, but I can see him playing
tomorrow, definitely," Metta World Peace said of Bryant. "When Kobe
is hurt, whether it's the preseason or the playoffs, he plays. ... Kobe has
never been afraid to be hurt and play. I think his mind is different from other
people."
Indeed, Bryant has played through all manner of injuries in his career,
particularly in the past few seasons, so his absence from practice concerns
coach Mike Brown. Bryant's leadership and court sense is particularly valuable
while the Lakers integrate two new starters and a revamped bench into a new
offense, but Kobe hasn't been available for significant stretches of camp.
"If there is one guy that's capable of sitting out and then playing in
a game, it's Kobe," Brown said. "There's concern there, because you
want him to be healthy, but that's why we're a team. He has bounced back from a
lot of stuff. You know it had to be serious if he's been out this long."
At least Brown had good news on other injuries Monday: Howard is good to go
for the Lakers' season-opening back-to-back games and beyond, with no
limitations on his minutes, while backup big man Jordan Hill also is expected
to play after taking the day off from practice.
While his players heal, the coach is still waiting for his club to grasp the
intricacies of its new Princeton-inflected offense. Brown deliberately
installed the new schemes slowly, but the absences of Howard and Bryant from
several preseason games set back the team's development.
"It obviously gets in the way of our growth when we don't have a full
lineup, especially two key guys," said Steve Nash, who played sparingly in
his first preseason with Los Angeles. "I think in the long run, we'll get
plenty of time. It's just a matter of how quickly we can get some chemistry and
some success."
But the losses couldn't have helped the Lakers' confidence in that offense,
either. Los Angeles went 0-8 for the first time, blowing late leads and getting
blown out with equal ineptitude.
Brown doesn't believe the preseason reveals anything about his starting
lineup's progress or the depth of a bench that hasn't played well at all in
October, and he sees the offense as the biggest problem for his defense so far.
With more turnovers resulting from poor execution of the offense, Los Angeles'
theoretically sturdy defense in front of the dominant Howard has been giving up
transition points in bunches.
Yet even amid all of the losses and injuries, the Lakers know they've got
the chance for a remarkable season. They've largely avoided commenting on
Oklahoma City's trade of James Harden to Houston, ostensibly weakening the
defending Western Conference champions and opening the door for Los Angeles a
bit wider.
Until the Lakers get a few wins in their own column, they won't be thinking
about other teams' losses.
"I see it, I feel it, and I know it's going to be great for us later
on," Pau Gasol said. "We just have to stay with it and be persistent."
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