EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Lakers have already accomplished something no one was able to do in the long-run last season: knock off the Miami Heat.
The additions of Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison to the already formidable Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have put LA's favorite team into the center of the league's most glaring spotlight, knocking the reigning NBA champion Heat into the shadows.
For now, at least.
Truth is, the Lakers may have the heat over the Heat — but they've proven nada since training camp began.
They're 0-4 this preseason and were destroyed by Utah 114-80 on Tuesday night in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates. Howard has yet to do anything but practice with his team, and his return to competition is as much a national topic as Candy Crowley's Presidential debate-hosting performance.
To be fair, most of the excitement about the Lakers has come from fans and media. But players, coaches and management have repeatedly downplayed prospects, saying it would be crazy to make predictions until Howard is declared 100-percent, game-ready.
Gasol, one of the league's most intelligent and thoughtful interviews, says that his team is nowhere close to being season-ready as they head into the part two of their preseason schedule.
"We're getting a little better," Gasol said, "but we need to focus more on the basics of the game. We can get too caught up in the quality of our players, but we need to hustle and scramble defensively, get back and not allow the easy baskets teams have been scoring on us.
"Obviously in preseason there's a lot of different rotations and guys playing who won't be during the regular season. But we've got to start locking in and paying attention to small details so we can be ready for the opener."
The 7-foot native of Barcelona, Spain, says having an entire training camp to work out the kinks has helped.
"Last year (with the lockout) it was tough," he said, "and I like that we have double the time to prepare. It is a new offense — like it was last year — and we do have more new faces that we did last year. So, that's an adjustment that's going to take some time.
"Dwight hasn't been playing in the games, but when he gets back on the floor he's obviously going to make a big difference. He's a unique player and we'll be a lot better off. But still, like I said, we've got to get better at the little things — especially on the defensive end."
Howard's eventual presence will change the entire dynamic of the Laker team.
He's a 6-foot-10, ripped gazelle who can run the lanes on the break, use his quickness and power in the paint, and as a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year he can change the course of any game with a blocked shot or key rebound. He'll also open things up for Gasol, one of the best passing big men in the game, but one who struggled a little offensively with former teammate Andrew Bynum clogging the middle.
"(Howard) attracts a lot of attention," said the four-time All Star Gasol. "He rolls hard to the rim. He's an active, powerful player, which is good for any of us. For me, I'm a willing and good passer and I'll be able to find him a lot when he's open. He's active and is going to get a lot of touches."
Gasol is also thrilled with the addition of two-time NBA MVP Nash, still one of the game's elite point guards after 16 seasons.
"He's fitting in great," Gasol said happily. "He's a great point guard, and it's still a little hard to believe that he's here and he's one of our point guards and I'm going to be playing a lot of minutes with him. He sees the floor extremely well, and is very unselfish.
"Steve's a player who will give us balance on the offensive end, and he's another great leader who's going to help us a lot."
Obviously, for the Lakers to win championship No. 17 and tie the Boston Celtics for most in NBA history, LA has to make drastic improvement in the next two weeks and throughout the season, while also hoping injuries are few and far between for one of the oldest squads in the league.
The talent is there and will be even more impressive once Howard is flying around as a purple-and-gold blur. But the immediate goal is just to execute the offense and the defense. Basically, just play better basketball.
"In order for us to be successful, we need to continue to share the ball — and do it better," Gasol said. "We need to continue to move the ball and be unselfish. Anybody in our starting five can score, put the ball in the hole. We just have to make the right play and limit our turnovers, which will make our transition defense easier and better."
Gasol cautions, however, against overwhelming expectations.
"I'm confident we're going to be a very good team — very good," he said emphatically. "But we have a lot of new players and it's going to take time to mesh. We definitely have a good enough team to seriously contend for a championship. We just have to continue working hard like we have been, and everything will come together.
"I'd like to see that start happening now."
