The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready to open training camp this weekend for the 2013-14 season and after losing Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets in the offseason, the team has plenty of questions to answer, including whether Kobe Bryant will be healthy as well as how the new players will gel together.
The team looks very different roster-wise from last season, as Metta World Peace is gone to the Knicks, while names like Wesley Johnson, Chris Kaman and Nick Young are in the fold after signing contracts and likely the biggest issue will be whether star Kobe Bryant is healthy or not to start the season. Bryant is coming back from a serious Achilles injury and while he might eb ready for the start of the season, which is still uncertain.
Mike D'Antoni now has some more leadership this season after coming in after the start last year and now he can really get his team in the shape he wants in camp. D'Antoni likes to do things a certain way and now that Howard is gone, he might be able to get more out of Pau Gasol, who struggled last season while putting up career-low numbers and he could have a resurgence this season.
The team will have plenty of new faces with Young, Chris Kaman and Johnson, while other players like, Elias Harris, Xavier Henry and rookie Ryan Kelly might end up in the mix as well. The bench will play a big part this season, especially with Bryant's health up in the air and the team also will have to worry about age catching up with Bryant, Gasol, Nash and Steve Blake this season as well.
The coaching staff looks a bit different this season as well and the defense could improve and one thing the Lakers will be looking for is more consistency on both sides of the ball. Losing a star like Howard is always tough, but with the way things went last season, it probably is better that he is gone, as the media questions and the coaching criticism went off the charts last year.
Last season the Lakers went 45-37 and were one of the top scoring teams with 102 points per game, ranking sixth in the league, but on defense they ranked 22nd in the leagues with over 101 points per game and while D'Antoni's teams are not usually known for defense, they will need to shore that up. The team ranked fourth in rebounding and 17th in assists per game and now they will have a number of teams to contend with after being the seventh seed last season.
The Thunder will be good again and teams like the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks should be improved. The West also has teams like Memphis and San Antonio to deal with as well and if Bryant isn't back healthy, it could be a long season for the Lakers.