DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson faced the barrage of reporters yesterday at the end of practice for newcomers at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Never has a team of "also-rans" been the focus of so much attention, and for such disparate reasons.
At least that's what Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson called his club as the team opened training camp yesterday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"We are not a champion coming back this year, we're coming back as also-rans," he said after the team's first workout. "Where'd we finish last year, fifth in the league? That's in the top echelon, but not where we want to be."
Technically, Jackson's assessment rings true, considering that the Lakers fell short in their bid to win the NBA championship last year.
But the crush of local and mainland media members surrounding Jackson after yesterday's practice was testament to the fact that the Lakers are hardly some nondescript bunch of players and that this week's camp is not just about shooting drills and wind sprints.
In fact, it begins what Jackson called "one of the biggest challenges I've ever faced."
Players with less than four years of experience took part in yesterday's sessions. The veterans are scheduled to arrive tomorrow and join practice on Friday.
Among them will be Kobe Bryant, who faces a sexual assault charge involving a 19-year-old Colorado woman in a case that could hang over Bryant and the team throughout the season.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
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Bryant is due in court in Eagle, Colo., for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 9, the day after the Lakers end camp with an exhibition game with the Golden State Warriors at the Sheriff Center.
Already accustomed to flash bulbs and microphones, the Lakers are girding themselves against what figures to be an even bigger wave of media attention when Bryant arrives.
Jackson said he'll address the team tomorrow on how to deal with the media regarding Bryant's situation.
"Just how to dodge questions that you guys present, how to play down issues that could make for headlines," Jackson said. "How not to put blood in the water, so to speak."
On the court, this week's camp would have been eventful enough given the additions of forward Karl Malone and guard Gary Payton to the Lakers roster. Malone is second on the NBA's all-time scoring list, and Payton is one of the game's most dynamic point guards.
The camp will be the first opportunity to see how the newcomers meld with the current lineup led by Bryant and center Shaquille O'Neal.
Jackson said the NBA's new policy of having players reporting in two groups hasn't helped the process.
"It disjoints the team," he said. "The team is a group of individuals that come together to accomplish a goal, win a championship. It disjoints the team and make people unequal in status and that's what I'm afraid of."
The Lakers continue training camp through Monday and play Golden State on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Sheriff Center.
The Warriors are training at the Cannon Activities Center on the Brigham Young-Hawaii campus in Laie.
Practices for both teams are closed to the public.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
