Houston Rockets (0-0) at Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)
The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets begin their 2007-08 campaigns when they battle tonight at the Staples Center.
An offseason without a major addition to their roster was not what the Los Angeles Lakers needed. Superstar Kobe Bryant is unhappy and could be playing for a different franchise very soon, as rumors of a possible trade with the Chicago Bulls are surfacing.
A new supporting cast for Kobe Bryant, who has openly expressed his concern and displeasure with the current status of the team, was what the Los Angeles Lakers needed to get during the offseason if they wanted to keep their best player happy. They finished 42-40 in the 2006-07 regular season, and were eliminated in five games, 4-1, by the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the playoffs.
Since sending Shaquille O'Neal packing on July 14, 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers are below .500 (121-125) in three seasons without the All-Star center. Los Angeles has qualified for the playoffs in two of the three seasons, but has been eliminated twice in the first round.
Kobe Bryant, who led the NBA in scoring (31.6 ppg) and dished out a team-best 5.4 assists in 2006-07, wants to win now, and he knows his current supporting cast is not good enough to compete with Dallas, San Antonio and Phoenix. The Los Angeles Lakers aren't even in the same class as Denver, Houston or Utah.
Forward Lamar Odom, who was acquired from the Miami Heat in the Shaq deal, Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum are all decent players with value. But the fact remains, none of them seem to have what it takes to help Kobe lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the promised land.
The seven-foot Andrew Bynum, who turned 20 on October 27th, has shown that he should eventually develop into a productive NBA center. He played all 82 regular- season games in 2006-07, and averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. Odom registered 15.9 points, a team-high 9.8 boards and 4.8 assists, while Walton, who re-signed with the club in the offseason, had a solid campaign.
Head coach Phil Jackson is back on the bench for what could be his final ride with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson has won nine championship rings as a coach. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to three titles in his first four years in LA, and guided the Chicago Bulls to six championships.
Veteran guard Derek Fisher returned to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. The 6-1 guard, who won three championships with the club, signed with the team as a free agent. Fisher spent two seasons with Golden State and last season as a member of the Utah Jazz. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.3 assists for Utah in 2006-07.
Big man Chris Mihm re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, while free agent guard Smush Parker decided to join Shaq in Miami as he inked a deal with the Heat. The team also added point guard Javaris Crittenton with the 19th overall pick in the draft.
Odom is expected to miss tonight's contest after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in May. The 6-10 Odom could miss the first few weeks of the new season.
The Los Angeles Lakers will visit Steve Nash and the Suns on Friday at US Airways Center.
A new era begins for the Rockets. Rick Adelman, who guided the Kings to three Pacific Division titles in eight seasons with Sacramento, will be calling the shots from the Houston bench this season. Adelman, who did not coach last season, replaced former head coach Jeff Van Gundy, whose four-year tenure came to an end after the Rockets were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Adelman takes over a team with two perennial All-Stars in Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. The Rockets, who were 52-30 during the 2006-07 regular season, have talent but have not been able to put it all together. They have not won a playoff series since 1997. Houston's last postseason series victory was when it defeated Seattle, 4-3, in the 1997 West semis.
Yao missed 32 games this past season with a non-displaced fracture in a bone under his right knee. Without Yao, who led the team in scoring (25.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg), the Rockets were a surprising 20-12.
McGrady finished his third and arguably his finest season with the Rockets. The All-Star guard, who averaged 24.6 points, 5.3 boards and a team-best 6.4 assists per game, put the team on his back when Yao was out. He made his teammates better and hit clutch shots to help his squad stay in the thick of the playoff race in the West.
Guards Rafer Alston, who has had some issues off the court during the offseason, and Luther Head gave Houston solid shooting from the perimeter, while forward Shane Battier, who finished his first season with the Rockets, provided excellent defense and also contributed on the offensive end.
Houston did acquire guard Mike James, who played 27 games for the Rockets during the 2004-05 campaign, from Minnesota for veteran forward Juwan Howard. James averaged 10.1 points and 3.6 assists in 81 games for the Timberwolves during the 2006-06 campaign. The Rockets also re-signed power forward Chuck Hayes.
Back in the mix is Steve Francis, who played his first five NBA seasons in Houston. Francis was traded to Portland by the New York Knicks along with Channing Frye in exchange for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones in a draft night trade on June 28th. The Trail Blazers then bought out the remaining two years of Francis' contract. The former All-Star became a free agent after he cleared waivers.
The 30-year-old Francis averaged a career-low 11.3 points per game in 44 contests for the Knicks last season. The Maryland product played for Houston from 1999-2004
The Rockets are scheduled to visit the Jazz on Thursday at EnergySoltutions Arena, before returning home to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at the Toyota Center.
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