What We Can Expect from the Los Angeles Lakers 2008-2009

The new NBA season is fast approaching and for the Los Angeles Lakers fans, it's a season we are anticipating.

Why? Because this is the season we get to see the Lakers in their maximum power, at their full strength.

Yeah, the Boston Celtics drew (or re-drew) first blood in the Finals last June, but the Lakers are stronger with Andrew Bynum back manning the middle and Pau Gasol sliding to power forward. That frontline is young and big-- I honestly think they have the best frontline in the NBA right now, bar none.

The Lakers are also experimenting with putting Lamar Odom on the point guard slot, to try what Ron Harper did for the 1990's Chicago Bulls-- facilitate the offense and make passes to get the team going. That also means reigning MVP Kobe Bryant moving to the small forward. It's a hard position to play for in Phil Jackon's scheme because it involves a lot of playing defense. Kobe will be matched up against the likes of LeBron James, reigning NBA jackass Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Shawn Marion, and Andre Igoudala. It will defintely be tougher because of Kobe's injured finger, plus the impending playing time reduction because of his stint in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Here's what I foresee for the Lakers in 2008-2009:

• Kobe Bryant's numbers will be down, I see a 26 PPG, 4 APG and 5 RPG, with lower FG%
• Pau Gasol's numbers will also slide, with 15 PPG, 7 RPG and 3APG, with 1.5 BPG.
• Andrew Bynum will start slow, but will be a beast by December
• Lamar Odom will come off the bench more this season
• Derek Fisher's minutes will be reduced to give more PT to Jordan Farmar
• Opponents will kill the Lakers' second unit off the boards with no Ronnie Turiaf, and only Vladimir Radmanovic on the PF
• Sun Yue will not play any significant NBA minutes, and is a strong candidate for the D-League
• The Lakers' X-Factor: Trevor Ariza
• The Lakers will kick the Celtics butt this season: 2-0 for the regular season, baby!

The new season starts on October 28, 2008. Let's see how accurate I'll be.

Tags: Lakers