Training camp and exhibition play came to a merciful end Friday night, the Lakers practiced Saturday and then took Sunday off.
They'll hit the court running today in preparation for their season opener Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.
So what did we learn from almost four weeks of training camp plus eight exhibitions? What did the Lakers accomplish in the run-up to the regular season? What did they reveal by winning six straight after losing their first two?
Well, for starters, they managed to avoid the sort of lingering injuries that kept them from hitting their stride to start last season. Kobe Bryant hyperextended his right knee last week and Sasha Vujacic sprained his left ankle Sept. 30. But they are sound now and ready to play in the opener.
What's more, the Lakers tag team of 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol began to bond as the month progressed. They looked for each other, particularly when Bynum shed a defender and was open for a lob pass. They figure to get better and better together as the season unfolds.
In addition, Lamar Odom's move from a starting forward's role to a backup guard position seems to have worked out for the best. Or, at the very least, Odom says he's content to be the Lakers' sixth man this season. Odom is so versatile that he says he can play any role or position.
Not to be overlooked was the play of backup guard Jordan Farmar, who ignited the second unit during the preseason.
He has never lacked for confidence, dating to his days as a prep standout at Taft High of Woodland Hills and as a collegian at UCLA. But he raised his game to a new a level in October, prompting Odom to say of the 21-year-old Farmar, "At a young age, he's found his niche."
The Lakers' second unit, their so-called Bench Mob, was one of the best in the league last season. Coach Phil Jackson declined to stick with the status quo this season, however. He moved Odom to the bench, for instance.
"We're trying to find the best group of guys to play in that second unit, and you're hopeful you can have 16 minutes or so out there (from each of them) if they're really effective,"
Jackson said. "They've got to get a lot done in short order. And they have been. They've been doing a really good job."
"When the season comes, you know, and the starters are on the floor for more minutes, we'll see how this bench unit does, if they can hold up against the (opposition's) starters. In the exhibition season they've been showing they're very effective against the other bench."
"But the coaches who are going to be coaching against us in the next couple of weeks are probably going to be trying to win games."
Mob rules Powell update
Josh Powell, a backup forward, sat out the final two exhibitions because of a strained left hamstring. But he worked out with his teammates Saturday and "seemed to make it through practice OK,"
according to Jackson.
