The LA Lakers will have Jeremy Lin starting at point guard opening night against the Houston Rockets and it comes after the Steve Nash injury and after Ronnie Price was injured and with Nash out for the season, any trade options for him will be off to give Kobe Bryant some extra support and that means free agency next summer will likely target Rajon Rondo or Ricky Rubio.
The Lakers come into the season with mid-range expectations after the way last year went and while they aren't looking to win the west, the franchise thinks it can get back to the playoffs. The health of superstar Kobe Bryant will be a major factor and now the loss of Steve Nash also will contribute to things. The Lakers acquired Jeremy Lin this offseason and now it looks like he will be in the starting lineup. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Lin will be stepping up at point guard, as Nash is expected to be out for the season and Ronnie Price is also banged up.
The Lakers tweeted out information about injuries heading into the start of the season and along with Nash and Price, the team also has Wayne Ellington and Ryan Kelly banged up. The report says that Lin should get the first start at point guard and he will have to get used to playing with Kobe Bryant after spending time with Dwight Howard and James Harden in Houston. Leading scorer from last season Nick Young will be out for a bit and Price comes in after getting banged up and now Lin will have to handle things to start the season.
Nash looks like he will be done for the year and according to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, the team will have just 10 players ready to go for the matchup on Tuesday. The first game for the Lakers is a chance to get off on the right foot this season and while one game doesn't make a season, matching up with Dwight Howard should make it very interesting. Howard and others have made comments about Kobe and issues with free agency with the Lakers and this should add even more intrigue to the matchup.
The Lakers won just 27 games last season and now they come in looking to bounce back and they have made a number of moves in the offseason to help Kobe Bryant as he returns. The team missed out on the bigger name free agents like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh this summer and now they have the chance to build a bit this season and chase free agents next summer. Kevin Love will not be on the market and he would have been a top target and now it's likely the team goes after Rajon Rondo or Ricky Rubio with the injury to Nash.
Greg Monroe is another option for the team, but they have a young prospect in Julius Randle that they have high hopes for. The Lakers are not going to be great this season, but Byron Scott has the chance to put his stamp on the team and after the disaster that was last year, he wants to make the Lakers a tough out. The Lakers should be better defensively than they were last season and the health of Bryant will likely dictate how this team performs.
