Two weeks from tonight, the Lakers will bask in the afterglow of their second consecutive NBA title and the 16th in the franchise's history.
They'll receive their championship rings and watch as another banner is unveiled at Staples Center.
Then they'll have to play a game that actually counts in the standings.
Between now and then, however, they'll have plenty of work to do in order to get ready to play the Houston Rockets in their regular-season opener. They began their countdown to opening night by putting their European trip in their rearview mirror.
"We're back now. I think the guys are back ready to play," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said after the team held a spirited workout Monday in El Segundo.
The Lakers will practice again today and then travel to Las Vegas to play the first of six exhibitions in a 10-day span. They will face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center to kick off their regular-season countdown.
"We're trying our best to re-orient ourselves and find some flow and some rhythm to our game and start to lay the foundation for what we expect to be another great season," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "The goal is to improve each day that goes by."
The Lakers impressed Jackson, who cut Monday's practice short as a reward. Fisher wasn't immediately certain what they did so well, however.
"I have no idea," he said. "I would bet that he has plans, that he has to be somewhere by a certain time. So that is why we got out of practice a little bit earlier than normal. There was nothing we did on the court that impacted that one bit."
Bryant update
Kobe Bryant did not practice with his teammates.
Again.
He did a weightlifting workout and then left without speaking to reporters.
"I think he's going to be fine for the regular season," Jackson said when asked about Bryant's progress. "I think right now there's obviously a strength and conditioning factor. He's working hard and he's feeling OK about it.
"Game shape? He's not quiet ready yet."
Bryant, who continues his slow recovery from offseason knee surgery, played only limited minutes in the Lakers' first two exhibitions, losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves in London and Regal FC Barcelona in Spain.
Jackson told reporters that he had a simple message for Bryant, who has practiced only a handful of times during training camp.
"Just don't push it too fast, that's all," Jackson said. "We're doing it just the way we want to do it. Make a couple of appearances on the floor. Maybe 16 to 18 minutes is fine. Anything more than that is probably expending too much (energy)."
Bryant played only six minutes against Minnesota last week and then went 25 minutes against Barcelona, when the Lakers blew a 12-point lead in the second half.
"I thought he played a little bit too long the other night," Jackson said, referring to the Barcelona game. "It was a competitive game and he wanted to show off at the end of the game in Barcelona. We'll see what that brings (Wednesday in Las Vegas)."
- Elliott Teaford
Clippers tonight
The Clippers (1-2) take on the San Antonio Spurs at 6:30 tonight in Mexico City in their fourth exhibition contest. Rookie forward Blake Griffin is averaging 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the exhibition season.
Around the NBA
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was back on the bench for Monday's exhibition game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, three days after collapsing at a team practice. Carlisle was hospitalized following a fainting spell during Friday's team workout. ... Portland swingman Rudy Fernandez wasfined $50,000 by the NBA for comments his European agent made last week.
Lakers' Derek Fisher comes back from break ready to do it again
He says taking time off from competitive basketball and focusing on exercise drills in off-season 'just makes sense' to him after rigors of season and postseason play
Lakers point guard Derek Fisher talks strategy with rookie forward Devin Ebanks during an exhibition game against FC Barcelona in Spain last week. (David Ramos / Getty Images / October 7, 2010)
Lakers guard Derek Fisher made the decision to not play any competitive basketball this summer, and said that the break resembled many others he has had after playing deep into the playoffs.
Fisher and the Lakers played until June for the third consecutive season, winning back-to-back NBA titles after beating the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. In his 14-year career, Fisher, 36, has been to the playoffs 12 times, reached the Finals seven times and won five titles.
But about six years ago, Fisher said, he got "away from [playing] five-on-five" basketball during the off-season.
"You think about only having [from] June 18 or 19 to Oct. 1 basically to give your body and your mind a chance to kind of reset and be ready to do it again; to me it just makes sense," Fisher said after Lakers' practice Monday. "But it's with the context of the additional training methods that I use."
Fisher said he does off-season exercise drills "so I don't need basketball to stay in shape."
Although Fisher is the oldest starter on the Lakers, he's played in 413 consecutive regular-season games, second among active NBA players.
He's played in all 82 regular-season games the last five seasons — one each with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz and the last three with the Lakers. Plus, he's played in 82 playoff games in the last four seasons.
And his game seems to peak in the spring.
Fisher averaged 10.3 points in 23 playoff games last spring, compared to 7.5 points during the 2009-10 regular season. He made 44.8% of his field goals and 36% of his three-pointers in the playoffs, up from 38% from the field in the regular season and 34.8% from beyond the three-point line.
He also averaged 32.7 minutes a game in the playoffs, up from 27.2 minutes in the regular season.
Fisher had some big moments in the Finals. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers win Game 3 in Boston, and his three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter of Game 7 tied the score and helped push the Lakers to another championship.
In the summer, Fisher signed a three-year, $10.5-million deal to stay with the Lakers, but he carefully monitored his non-basketball workouts.
"A lot of guys need to play in the summer," Fisher said. "But for me, I think it's something that has benefited me in terms of being able to play every game of every season and actually be my best at the end when maybe other guys are breaking down."
Going slow
Kobe Bryant didn't practice Monday, but that was fine with Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, who also didn't have Luke Walton (right hamstring strain) and Andrew Bynum (right knee) on the court.
Jackson wants Bryant, who still is recovering from right knee surgery, to improve his conditioning while strengthening his knee.
"He's working really hard," Jackson said. "He's feeling OK about it. Game shape, he's not ready to play yet."
Jackson said he told Bryant, "Just don't push it too fast."
Jackson plans to play Bryant about 16 to 18 minutes in the Lakers' exhibition Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas.
"More than that right now [for Bryant] I think is an extended moment," Jackson said.
Lamar Odom in charge of managing rookie duties
When it came time to decide who would remain in charge of managing rookie duties with Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter, the Lakers didn't choose the uber competitive Kobe Bryant, the eloquent Derek Fisher or the worldly Pau Gasol. They pointed to the personable Lamar Odom.
Clearly, the Lakers chose the best candidate and don't have to worry about opting for a recount.
"I'm the funny guy. I'm the jokester on the team," Odom said after practice Monday at the Lakers' facility in El Segundo. "They want me to put them under pressure a little bit."
That led to a conversation as to what might be in store for Ebanks and Caracter when the Lakers prepare for a trip Wednesday to Las Vegas for an exhibition game against Sacramento. He mentioned the likelihood that he'll pack heavier suitcases on trips knowing he'll have Ebanks and Caracter to carry the luggage. When Odom feels tired, he might have Ebanks and Caracter come over to his house in the Valley to pack for him. And, cognizant he didn't want to give away any other secrets, Odom remained mostly mum on what's next.
The conversation led one reporter to ask jokingly if Odom has earned the title, "Vice President in Charge of Rookie Hazing." But he immediately shot that theory down. "I wouldn't say that," Odom said. "We're just going to have some fun with them."
This revelation isn't so much about what tasks Odom has in store for Ebanks and Caracter. (I've already come up with a few possibilities.) Instead, Odom's new responsibility provides another example on how his leadership qualities appear magnified entering training camp under a team that truly values his presence.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson has already said that Odom is the lone player on the team's roster that appears in "basketball shape," as Andrew Bynum and Bryant conntinue to recover from their respective surgically repaired right knees, Luke Walton remains sidelined with a strained right hamstring and the newcomers Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, Ebanks and Caracter continue to ingratiate themselves with the team. Normally Jackson questions Odom's conditioning during training camp, but this preseason there's really nothing to critique since he's averaged 14.5 points in two games and had a double-double effort (17 points and 18 rebounds) against FC Barcelona in 41 minutes.
"I'm ready to play our first game now," said Odom, who cited his experience with Team USA this summer, diet, focus and rest as factors for his strong start. He's also gotten ice after practices to ensure he stays healthy. "Even when I was in good shape, [Jackson] always felt like I could be in better shape. Last year I was in pretty good shape. But it's not about that. I just want my team healthy. It's good I'm in shape. I feel confident. I want the rest of the guys to get healthy so we can make another run at it."
Odom's friendly personality and supportive attitude seems to reflect the Lakers' demeanor these days in general, particularly toward the rookies. Jackson has constructively analyzed what Caracter and Ebanks need to improve without demeaning them. Bryant publicly lauded their effort in trying to fit in with the team. Fisher credited their professionalism. And Odom provided ringing endorsements about their games. "Derrick Caracter is a beast on the inside," he said. "Devin Ebanks has incredible footwork and I'm incredibly sure after he works with Kobe on some of it, he'll get even better."
That's why it shouldn't be surprising that the rookie duties have been tame at best. Ebanks and Caracter typically pick up water bottles, put the basketballs back on the rack and line all the towels together. Ebanks shared on Twitter that the Lakers' eight-day trip to Europe consisted of them waking their teammates up and dropping their practice uniforms off.
Part of that respectful and supportive tone surely points to Odom, who's lately displayed his relentless energy while still remaining sensitive to his teammates' needs. While something as customary and menial as assigning rookie duties might not mean much, it still provides a glimpse on how Odom provides a positive nurturing influence. That can prove to be a winning formula considering how dialed in Odom has become.
"Anytime you can be around winning makes you a better player and person," he said of the situation. "It makes you see the game totally different. I just want to win."
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