With NBA opening night just around the corner all eyes are on the return of Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Lakers star has not had it easy the past three seasons, suffering three season-ending injuries, but Bryant is healthy coming out of the preseason after getting full clearance to practice before Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to head coach Byron Scott, Bryant looks strong and healthy and will be at full strength to play in the regular season.
According to ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Bryant is healthy after suffering a lower leg bruise in the preseason. The 37-year-old is reportedly looking fluid in practice and is moving well. He has gone through scrimmages and is shooting well. Scott is hopeful things continue to be positive heading into Wednesday.
"It was good," Scott said, via ESPN.com. "It was better than I thought it was going to be after being out for a couple weeks. That's something that he'll continue to work on, and obviously he has another two more practices before we gear up. So I really expect that he'll be able to knock some more rust off [Monday] and Tuesday."
The return of Bryant should make the Lakers' season-outlook much more positive. According to Vegas odds, the Lakers are actually drawing a lot of interest despite being long shots to go for this year. Los Angeles is thinking more long-term as they believe they have building blocks in place for the future. Those include Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson who could all be starting on opening night for Los Angeles.
According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, Nick Young is not part of that future and a mid-season trade could be very likely for the guard. Young has dropped on the depth chart for the Lakers this season. Louis Williams is the new favorite for the Sixth Man job while Young will be coming in behind Byrant. Trade rumors have been swirling around his name all offseason and so far the Lakers have made no efforts to seek out any deals. However, if a team comes calling, they likely will not hesitate on a move.
With the roster finalized, Metta World Peace was the last piece to the puzzle. The power forward has impressed since coming into training camp as the Lakers believe he could be a solid asset for the team. According to World Peace, he is impressed with the roster built by the Lakers as he has full confidence in the Bryant return making all the different.
"He played well. He was shooting in people's faces," World Peace said, via ESPN.com. "The white team was beating up the purple team. And then somebody decided to talk [trash] to Kobe. That was the wrong thing to do."