Hopefully, Bryant will prove his opposition wrong with a comeback that only he could pull-off (Creative Commons/Flickr).

If only it was the year 2000 again; DVDs were growing in popularity, Survivor introduced its first set of castaways, baseball and softball were still Olympic sports and the Los Angeles Lakers were the team to beat in the NBA. In 2000, the Lakers were the NBA Champions, and they would build off that championship to three-peat.

Even just four years ago, the Lakers were back-to-back Champs, winning in 2009 and 2010. 

With the team’s current state, it’s hard not to be at the least a little bit reminiscent about the team’s glory days under the direction and guidance of the legendary Phil Jackson.

Coming off of a 27 win season—the Lake Show's worst since the 1960 move to Los Angeles—the Lakers can really only move forward and improve from that.

It was an eventful offseason with the hiring of head coach Byron Scott. Scott has proven, so far, to be an unconventional hire; most notably his limited focus on 3-point shooting. What’s most important here is that he isn’t a horrible coach, his coaching style is just probably not enough to save this Lakers’ roster.

Speaking of the roster, the Lakers picked up Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis in the offseason while keeping much of the same players from last season’s disappointment. 

If the Lakers wish to have any success in the win column, the team will need each player to maximize on his strengths every game and cohesively play together on the court. The worst part about it all is that’s still probably not enough to get them into the playoffs considering the strength of the West; not to mention that the Clippers look to have just as successful a season as the last, and that just sounds horrible to anyone who bleeds purple and gold.

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Optimistically speaking, the Lakers have individual assets and strengths on the team. If they all find a way to come together on the court, the Lakers just might surprise everyone with some success.

Lin will by the key to Lakers offense; the return of Linsanity would obviously be ideal for success - Lakers Linsanity (how could this great alliterative opportunity be missed) - but with an injury in the preseason, there’s concern whether that could actually happen. 

Jordan Clarkson, even with an injury in the midst of preseason, showed strength on the court and should find playing time during the regular season.

Ryan Kelly, again another with a preseason injury, can provide the Lakers with consistency on the perimeter.

With growing confidence, Julius Randle will be a valuable rookie asset for the team. He may have had a bit of a shaky start for the Lakers, but in the face of criticism from Bryant and Scott, he’s stepped up his game on both sides of the court. The best part about Randle is that he is young. With continued improvements, Randle will provide the Lakers with a key offensive and defensive presence while he in on the court. 

Swaggy P will surely lighten the mood around Lakers camp. (Keith Allison/Creative Commons)

Defensively, Robert Scare, in working with Boozer, can provide the Lakers with aggressive and physical defense down in the paint. He’s also shown some improvement outside the arch, so he could prove to be another asset for the Lakers’ perimeter offense, assuming Scott alters his views on the positives on 3-point shooting. 

Additionally, Davis and Ronnie Price will be key to the Lakers defensive game. With tremendous hustle on defense, these two can set the tone defensively for the team; hopefully their teammates will follow.

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Nick “Swaggy P” Young didn’t even make it on the court this preseason following a torn ligament in his right thumb, but he’s already had surgery, so hopefully his recovery progresses smoothly and he’s back on the court in no time. 

The most disappointing event of the Lakers’ preseason was Steve Nash’s season ending back injury. It was a blow to the team’s chances at success, but hopefully his presence on the sideline, as a mentor, will inspire the team to win.

The definitive talking point of the upcoming season was the return of Kobe Bryant. He has so far been successful at silencing his opposition as he’s had an encouraging preseason. If his play continues, Kobe will prove that he is still the Bryant that Lakers fans know and love. No matter what, Bryant will still be clutch because of his unparalleled work ethic and tremendous basketball IQ.

With the youth on the team, there’s definitely justification for optimism. If all the cards fall into place, the Purple and Gold could stun the naysayers and actually find success this season.

Realistically though, it will be an uphill battle for the Lakers to be successful in surpassing expectations this season, but hopefully it will at least be the first step in the right direction for the Lakers to be champions once again.

If they stun the league and beat the Houston Rockets—just like with cross-town rivals, the Clippers, in last season’s opener—the Lakers will start in the right position to bring pride back to the Purple and Gold.

Reach Staff Reporter Jodee Sullivan here and on Twitter here.