Andrew Bynum wasn't a natural selection for Lakers

The best of times were a memory and the worst of times had just begun in the spring of 2005 when the Lakers drafted 17-year-old Andrew Bynum out of high school in what seemed the maraschino cherry on the sundae of their dysfunction.

Dysfunction was a popular word around them after eight years of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, but those now seemed like the good old days.

O'Neal was gone. Jerry West was gone. Chick Hearn was gone.

Rudy Tomjanovich, hired to replace Phil Jackson, had come and gone, fleeing within months to be replaced by . . . Jackson, who had been gone but was back.

Owner Jerry Buss, who had let Jackson go and was obliged to rehire him, seemed out of touch, musing that his 34-48 team could be in the Western Conference finals in "a couple of years."

In fact, Buss was more detached than ever, involving his son Jim in decisions, which, as far as Lakers fans were concerned, was like Jed Clampett turning the Beverly Hillbillies over to nephew Jethro.

The real heat was on General Manager Mitch Kupchak, whose challenge -- build a dynasty from the ashes of the old one -- was the NBA equivalent of "Mission: Impossible."...read full article

Change in store for Kobe and Lamar

Phil Jackson says he plans to reduce the 30-year-old Bryant's minutes this season, and suggests Odom could end up coming off the bench if he struggles at small forward spot.

Phil Jackson looked loose and relaxed, having let the sting of last season's championship failure roll off his back and disappear into the waters of the Flathead River during an off-season spent at his Montana home.

The Lakers' coach, who turned 63 last week, met with reporters for almost half an hour Friday, touching on Andrew Bynum's health, possible reductions in Kobe Bryant's playing time and a front court that might or might not include Lamar Odom as a starter.

Bryant also spoke briefly with a handful of reporters in the players' parking lot at the team training facility. He smiled a lot and seemed upbeat while detailing why he skipped surgery that would have required a 12-week recovery period for a torn ligament in his right pinkie.

"That was too long," he said, splaying out his fingers and saying that enough scar tissue had built up in the pinkie to make it less dicey to play with this season. "It was riskier last season than it is now."

Between Bryant's...read full article