Lakers 2007-08 Regular Season Preview

[Quick note: the fire here has been affecting things, and I wasn't able to post for a bit, including a recap for the last two preseason games. To update, the Lakers lost against Utah 102-81, and won against the Kings 101-97.]

The Los Angeles Lakers regular season is about here! On October 30, the Lakers open up the regular season against the Houston Rockets at home, followed by their first road game on November 2 against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers schedule to start will be tougher than last year, when they started 26-13.

This season will be an interesting one, with many questions about the team. It remains to be seen what will happen with situations around Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and others. And experts from ESPN are split about the Lakers making the playoffs, with 5 saying they will make the playoffs, and 5 saying they will miss them. The Los Angeles Lakers always have a lot of drama surrounding them, and this season will definitely be no different.

October 21, 2007 Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Recap

The Los Angeles Lakers played their cotenants the Los Angeles Clippers, and lost 96-112. The Lakers didn't play very well in the second half. They shot only 40.5% on their field goals.

Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar were the top players for the Lakers. Bynum had 16 points on 6/8 shooting. Farmar was really impressive with 19 points on 7/10 shooting in 20 minutes.

October 20, 2007 Lakers vs. Charlotte Recap

The Los Angeles Lakers returned to the Staples Center to play against the Charlotte Bobcats, and beat them by 20 points for a 113-93 win. The Lakers had 35 assists on 45 baskets and shot a whopping 57% field goal percentage and 56.2% on three pointers. The Lakers are now 2-2 in the preseason.

Derek Fisher had 13 points in 9 minutes of the first quarter in his first game back at the Staples Center in a Lakers uniform. Ronny Turiaf added 10 points. Luke Walton helped the team with 10 assists. Mo Evans had 13 points. Vladimir Radmanovic led the team with 14 points.

Catching Up With Mitch Kupchak

Lakers General Manager, Mitch Kupchak, talks about who he thinks is the most improved after last season, Javaris Crittenton's development, the depth chart of the team, the possibility of eligible players getting sent to the D-League, and more in part one and part two of his interview.

Excerpts:

"Where is Javaris' development compared to a typical rookie? Too early to tell. We thought he had a good summer league and he has played well out here in pick-up games, but that is totally different than what he's going to be exposed to starting next season in Hawaii. We are pleased to have him, we didn't think we would be able to get him at 19, we thought he'd be gone in the top 15. He shows flashes of being a true point guard, which is a player that makes the other players around him better. He looks to make a pass first, although he can score, but that is not what he looks to do first."

"With regards to Larry Turner, Elton Brown, and Coby Karl, what are we looking to get out of them? Right now we have 14 guys on our team based on their contractual status that will probably make the team. You’re allowed to have 15, so there is a spot open. We may or may not carry the 15th spot. It depends on what happens in training camp. I think the players you mentioned, Karl, Turner, Brown, and perhaps another player we’re going to add in the next day or two, will be trying to impress us to make that 15th slot their slot. So one of those guys could make it, one of those guys could make it for a month or two, or one of those guys can make it and spend time between going up and down between the D-League the whole season. We just don’t know right now, but we do have space for one more player if we want to carry that player."

October 18, 2007 Lakers vs. Seattle Recap

The Los Angeles Lakers played much better in their first preseason game back in California, and beat the Seattle Supersonics 126-106. Kwame Brown played his first game of the preseason after sitting out the first two while recovering from his injury. The Lakers had balance in scoring, with 8 players in double figures.

The five players that I was really impressed with this game were Jordan Farmar, Brian Cook, Ronny Turiaf, Chris Mihm, and Andrew Bynum. Farmar had 10 points and 7 assists. He made both of his three pointers, definitely showing off the work that he's done on his outside shooting. Cook got a hot streak going early in the game, scoring 19 points to get him out of his shooting slump. Turiaf also got going early, scoring 11 of the team's first 14 points and ending up with 13 points total. Mihm had a nice game after not playing in the first half, scoring 11 points on 5/5 shooting in 12 minutes. Bynum had a double double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, looking really good and aggressive in the game.