The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a season with high expectations despite losing Dwight Howard and head coach Mike D'Antoni has plenty of pressure on his shoulders as well, as he has a full year with the team now and the front office is expecting to compete in the playoffs.
The Lakers are coming into the season after being swept out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs in four games and now they are looking to trim their roster as they finish off the preseason. According to the Associated Press, the team has made a roster move of waiving guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who was a former draft pick of the team and now he will be off the roster as the team tries to get down to the maximum amount of players allowed for the regular season.
The report from the AP says that the move was announced on Wednesday and that Johnson-Odom was previously a second round pick for the team in 2012 and that last season he played in Europe as well as in the D-League for a team affiliate. Johnson-Odom played in three games for the Lakers this postseason and now the team will move on to trim down the rosters as they play in China against the Golden State Warriors before the season starts.
The Lakers are looking to rebound from a tough campaign last season and after signing a number of players to fill the roster after losing Dwight Howard, some are getting their release as the team prepares to finalize for the regular season.
According to the Associated Press, the team released both Dan Gadzuric and Eric Boateng on Wednesday, working to clear out space on the roster as the season gets closer. The Lakers are relying on Chris Kaman heavily this season, which is why they felt it was okay to cut loose the two centers from the roster.
Kobe Bryant is returning from an Achilles injury and that will be one of the biggest questions as the team heads into the regular season, as he may not be ready for the start of the year. Without Dwight Howard in the fold, Pau Gasol already looks more energized than last season and that could be a big boost for the Lakers.
