The Los Angeles Tankers? Think again.

Mike D’Antoni deserves credit for the Lakers start to the season after a season of criticism. By Chamber of Fear, via Wikimedia Commons

The Purple and Gold are 9-8 after 17 games without Kobe Bryant. Their record is something that nobody around the NBA expected, except for maybe the Lakers themselves. A team that was constructed with mainly one-year minimum salary contracts is winning and even when they lose they are interesting. For Lakers fans, this is a pretty awesome sight considering all the frustration from last season. It may only be one game over .500 right now but that’s a huge accomplishment for this team.

Coming into the season, the Lakers were expected to be a sub .500 team. After losing Dwight Howard, the Lakers were supposed to drop even farther in the standings. So far this season, though, this team has showed fight and determination. Players like Wesley Johnson, Jordan Farmar, Chris Kaman, and Shawne Williams made the Lakers certainly younger, longer, and more athletic than they were last season and it’s easy to see the improvement.

As much as everyone, including myself, criticized Mike D’Antoni last season we have to give him some credit. He has taken a team of career bench players and made them relevant every time they step out onto the floor.

So far this season, the Lakers have fought and grinded for wins, including victories over the Clippers, Rockets and Warriors. This team really seems to like one another and they are fun to watch. They play with hustle, heart and without fear or expectations, which is why they are having success. Fans can enjoy watching this team play and that is what makes it fun. I expect this trend to continue for the Lakers especially once Kobe comes back and look for them to make a run at making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference.

Ahh the NBA season is upon us in the form of pre-season games. While the pre-season may not count towards actual standings and won’t show what teams are really capable of, it does provide a chance for coaches and fans to watch as younger players try to prove themselves on the court and earn their right onto the team. This is especially true for the Lakers this pre-season. With injuries limiting Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the youngsters and role players are getting a chance to make a name for themselves with coach D’Antoni.

Without Nash, Gasol and Kobe, the Lakers beat the Warriors showing promising talents. Maybe Kobe does have something to smile about this season. By LDCross, via Wikimedia Commons

They were hustling back after offensive possessions and were flying to guard the ball. The energy they brought was unlike anything we saw from a D’Antoni-run team. Only allowing 95 points to the Warriors was impressive as the Warriors played their starters and main role players most of the first half.

Without Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the young Lakers led the Warriors starters by three at halftime. Granted Xavier Henry earned the lead on a half-court heave at the buzzer but a lead is a lead nonetheless. Free agent signees, Chris Kaman and Nick Young led the way in the first half for the Lakers and really set the tone for the rest of the game. In the second half Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry carried the load with a 12 point and 27 point games respectively. Henry showed off what everyone thought he was capable of doing when Memphis drafted him number 12 overall back in the 2010 draft. If he keeps this kind of play up, he will most certainly be granted a roster spot and it would be well deserved.

It may have been just one game but that one game showed a lot of hustle and heart from a team that really needs a lot of both this year. If Kobe, Nash and Gasol can all come back and play to the level we have grown to expect from them, this might actually be a scary team in the Western Conference. I’m not saying that the Lakers would be a championship contending team. I do, however, think they could become a team that nobody wants to see come playoff time. Also, this was the Lakers first pre-season win since 2011 and Mike D’Antoni’s first of his Laker career. Keep up the good work, boys.