Several NBA analysts and experts weighed in on how the Lakers will fare with Kobe Bryant returning from injuries and new coach Byron Scott taking over. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)

The question marks surrounding Kobe Bryant’s return go beyond his health. It also has involved an ESPN The Magazine article portraying Bryant as deterring the Lakers’ rebuilding than actually helping it, unnamed rival executives and agents and apparent Lakers insiders that say his dominating personality and two-year, $48.5 million has scared off free agents.

But the Lakers paint a different picture.

“He’s the last of a dying breed,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of the 36-year-old Bryant. “When he’s gone, all of this stuff that’s being said, people will start looking back and see how much they miss him. He has an old school spirit. He brings a lot to the table. He has a lot of pride in what he does and takes the game seriously. To him, it’s all about winning. Not a lot of guys in this league think that way.”

Bryant will play in the Lakers’ season opener tonight against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center, his first regular-season game since suffering a season-ending left knee injury nearly 10 months ago. Bryant’s return also coincides with matching up against Dwight Howard for the first time since he left the Lakers two summers ago. They never enjoyed an acrimonious relationship, the pairing marking an example on how Bryant scared away marquee players from ensuring the Lakers’ franchise stays strong.

This season’s Lakers have characterized Bryant differently. Veteran forward Carlos Boozer went on a two minute monologue gushing about Bryant’s leadership style.

“He’s been absolutely amazing,” Boozer said. “I didn’t know coming here. He’s after us practicing everyday, running sprints every day and getting extra shots and in the weight room. He’s teaching the guys, talking, and mentoring. Not just one or two guys, the whole team. If he sees something that can help, he says it. He has a great basketball IQ. He studies the game and has been a student of the game for a long time.”

Boozer was just getting started.

“He knows at the highest level more than we do,” Boozer said. “He’s won five times and looking for his sixth one. We all pay attention and try to learn as much as we can from him. Then he’s out there showing us too. That’s what makes him special compared to other stars in the league. He takes the time to teach his teammates what he sees and helps us be on the same page. Again, for him, it’s all about winning. If I can show him this or show him that, it’ll help us win games maybe not now but in January or make a playoff push, it’ll sink in then. He thinks that far ahead.”

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Could a combination of Kobe Bryant’s return and crowd antagonism toward Dwight Howard prove enough for the Lakers to open the season with a victory over the Houston Rockets at Staples Center?

Perhaps that’s too much to ask. But the Lakers could at least begin their season with more depth than originally anticipated. Lakers coach Byron Scott held out the possibility following Tuesday’s morning shootaround that both veteran guard Ronnie Price and forward Xavier Henry may play tonight after nursing respective right knee injuries.

Price suffered a bone bruise in his right knee during the Lakers’ preseason loss on Friday to the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas. Price went through the Lakers’ morning shootaround, but he would play behind Jeremy Lin at point guard despite starting for most of the preseason.

Scott sounded less certain about Henry, who recently went to Dusseldorf, Germany to have Regenokine treatment on his right knee, which previously had surgery in April. Henry has missed the entire preseason because of his knee and back spasms, and has only completed a few practices. Henry was just seen following Monday’s practice working on shooting drills. Scott said the Lakers medical staff has cleared Henry to play, but he still sounded uncertain.

“When I watch him out there, he doesn’t look as fluid as I want him to be,” Scott said. “That’s a lot of rust and he hasn’t played a long time. It might be a good idea to throw him put there for five or six minutes. But it might not be. I don’t know yet. But I know he’s eager. He wants to put a uniform on and play. It’s just a matter if I feel comfortable enough to put him in some spot situations.”

Scott also ruled out Lakers forward Ryan Kelly for this week that include two sets of back to backs. The Lakers will travel to Phoenix on Wednesday, host the Clippers in a designated home game on Friday and then play in Golden State on Saturday. Kelly hasn’t played at all in training camp because of recurring hamstring injuries.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant feels optimistic about the 2014-15 season. (Danny Moloshok/The Associated Press file)

Underneath his stoic demeanor, Kobe Bryant’s words conveyed a pure giddiness for a craft he has obsessively perfected.

Bryant’s mission statement through 19 seasons involves competing for NBA championships in June, making the Lakers’ season opener on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center just “one step of a long journey.” But for a player who literally could not take any steps as he stayed sidelined for all but six games last season, Bryant sounded poetic about just playing again. He gushed about “the sound of the ball, the squeak of the sneakers and the smell of the leather.”

“I’m not going to go over the top and say I’m overjoyed by it,” Bryant said on Monday at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “But I’m happy to be out there and happy to be playing. It’s about finding a balance and trying to keep poised and calm without getting too over the top.”

That fine-line approach also captures how Bryant hopes to play in the 2014-15 season.

Bryant and Scott have remained pleased with how played through six games of exhibition play where he averaged 19 points on 38.47 percent shooting and four assists in 26.7 minutes. Although Bryant’s shooting accuracy could improve, his aggressiveness and rhythm increased throughout training camp. Bryant looked comfortable operating in the post. And he increased his stamina, playing 32-34 minutes in his final two preseason games before resting in the past week.

“I felt the way I thought I would,” Bryant said. “I felt normal. I felt like I could do anything I wanted. My body game after game felt good and solid. It shouldn’t be any different just because the regular season started.”

Bryant, no doubt, will remain the leader of an unproven Lakers roster both riddled by injuries and uncertain potential. Lakers coach Byron Scott wants to preserve the 36-year-old Bryant, but added he has left himself wiggle room between 30-40 minutes each game. In the Lakers’ 15 sets of back-to-backs this season, Scott plans to play Bryant between 25-40 minutes per contest.

“We’ll rely on him heavily,” Scott said. “But just like he told the guys and we’ve been telling them in preseason and training camp, we need everybody. Kobe is going to be Kobe. But we need everybody to step up and be ready to play and hopefully have their career bests.”
Continue reading “Kobe Bryant pleased with progress heading into season opener” »

Houston’s Dwight Howard walked away from the Lakers as a free agent after last season, but returns to face them tonight. ANDY HOLMZMAN — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The noise level will rise once the Lakers take center stage in their season opener on Tuesday at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant will play in his first regular-season game since suffering a season-ending left knee injury nearly 10 months ago. Byron Scott will coach the Lakers for the first game that matters, bringing full circle an NBA career that included winning three championships with the Showtime Lakers. Lakers guard Jeremy Lin will face his former team that traded him this offseason in a salary dump. And the Lakers’ recent top nemesis will emerge, Dwight Howard’s presence likely elicited rounds of boos and jeers after leaving unceremoniously two summers ago.

Lakers coach Byron Scott hardly addressed these topics with his teams, believing doing so just makes feeds into such storylines. But he talked plenty to the ones that always remain interested in such subjects.

“I don’t know what Dwight’s motivation is,” Scott said. “But if I’m guessing, I’m sure he would love to play and beat the crap out of us and have a great game.”

Howard has already faced the Lakers four times since leaving them. But this will mark the first time Kobe Bryant and Howard step on the court together in opposing uniforms. Bryant shattered his left Achilles tendon on April 13, 2013 just before the NBA playoffs started. Once Bryant returned, Howard had already left.

“My outside perspective is Kobe is a real serious guy and wants to win championships,” Scott said. “I don’t know if Dwight is that serious about it. I know No. 24 is and that probably was the clash.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Byron Scott believes Dwight Howard will try to “beat the crap out of us”” »

os Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott, right, talks to Kobe Bryant during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

After only playing in six games amid injuries to his left Achilles tendon and left knee, it appears that Kobe Bryant finally has a positive health report.

“He’s good,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said.

Bryant averaged 19 points and four assists in 26.7 minutes through six exhibition appearances. The good: Bryant increased his aggressiveness each game and resorted to a post-oriented game that seemed consistently effective. The bad: Bryant only shot 38.47 percent from the field.

But Scott feels optimistic considering Bryant’s skillset and after resting for the final two preseason games. Scott sounded expansive on his strategy toward conserving Bryant’s minutes after playing in only six games last season because of injuries to his left Achilles tendon and left knee.

“We got a certain number of mine and we’ll stick to that certain number as much as possible,” Scott said. “I’m not going to sacrifice a game for his health. We felt the number we all came to an agreement with is a number that is obtainable and a number that he can play at a high level. But it is a number that keeps him fresh in March and April.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Byron Scott says Kobe Bryant’s playing time between 30-40 minutes” »

It appears like the perfect storyline. Jeremy Lin will make his first career start in Lakers’ season opener on Tuesday against his former team, the Houston Rockets.

But Lin mused that “the headline’s Kobe vs. Dwight,” the obvious reference to the contentious relationship Bryant and Howard had as Lakers teammates two years ago. So Lin won’t try to exact revenge against the Rockets?

“No,” Lin said, smiling. “No.

Yet, Lin conceded it’s “a little ironic” he will start against the Rockets after he lost his starting position with them last year. But he noted, “I’m a starter I feel like because I’m healthy.” The Lakers recently ruled Steve Nash out for the 2014-15 season because of recurring back problems. Veteran guard Ronnie Price has a bone bruise in his right knee, leaving coach Byron Scott skeptical he will play against Houston.

But it’s fair to ask. With Lin facing his former team, did he feel like he received a fair shake during his two seasons with Houston after eventually losing his starting position to Patrick Beverley?

“Do I feel like I got a fair shake?” Lin repeated the question before pausing for six seconds. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I have to think about that one.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Jeremy Lin to start Tuesday against Houston” »

The Lakers made what mark their last round of roster cuts, waiving training camp invitees Jabari Brown and Roscoe Smith.

The Lakers currently have 15 players on their roster heading into their season opener on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. That marks the maximum number of players NBA teams can field during the regular season.

It remains to be seen if the Lakers will make any more cuts. Lakers guard Steve Nash remains on the roster because of a guaranteed $9.8 million contract despite the team sidelining him for the 2014-15 season because of persisting nerve irritation in his back. So the Lakers hoped to create a roster vacancy elsewhere since they will apply for the disabled players exception, which would allow them either to sign a free agent or trade for a player for $4.85 million.

Yet, the Lakers may not cut training camp invitee Wayne Ellington considering his current concussion would mean they would have to pay his full salary. Lakers veteran guard Ronnie Price seems assured of a roster spot to maximize the tema’s point guard depth, but he suffered a right knee injury in the Lakers’ preseason loss on Friday to Sacramento in Las Vegas.

Brown and Smith were both undrafted rookies that landed an invite to the training camp roster on September 23. Brown posted a total of five points, two rebounds and an assist in 22 minutes through four preseason games. Smith averaged 3.1 points on 45 percent shooting and 3.1 rebounds and appeared in seven of the Lakers’ eight exhibition games.

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LAS VEGAS — So many questions linger as the Lakers’ 93-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings at MGM Grand Arena officially ended the team’s exhibition season.

Will Kobe Bryant become an elite player again? Will Bryant have a reliable sidekick. Can the Lakers thrive on defense?

No one knows the full answer yet. But it already has become clear on one other issue. The Lakers continue to struggle to stay healthy.

Lakers point guard Ronnie Price suffered a sore right knee that limited him for only three minutes, a devastating blow considering the Lakers already lost Steve Nash for the season because of a recurring back injury. Meanwhile, Lakers guard Wayne Ellington suffered a concussion.

The Lakers will evaluate both Price and Ellington on Saturday, leaving the team unsure of its depth entering its season opener on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.

“I don’t know what the status is going to be with Ronnie going into the season,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “He’s a tough kid though. If I had to bet money, he’ll be ready by Tuesday.”

The outlook on Ellington seems less optimistic simply because his evaluation will entail visiting neurologist Dr. Vern Williams. The NBA concussion policies require players to go through a series of exercises symptom free before being cleared to play. Those tests include ones on the stationary bike, light jogging, running, jumping and agility drills, team drills with limited contact and then full court contact drills.

“Wayne because of the protocol with the NBA, that’s probably going to be dicey,” Scott said.

It’s also dicey how the Lakers handle their 17-player roster. They can hold a maximum of 15 players for the 2014-15 season. The Lakers also want to keep a roster spot open to coincide with applying for the disabled player exception, which will allow the Lakers to sign a free agent or acquire a player through a trade that is worth $4.85 million, which is roughly half of Nash’s $9.8 million salary.

Price, Ellington, Roscoe Smith and Jabari Brown have non-guaranteed contracts. Price is expected to stay, especially because of Nash’s absence. But Ellington’s injury complicates issues considering the Lakers would owe him a full salary if he was cut while hurt.

Meanwhile, Lakers center Jordan Hill sat out for his consecutive game because of a neck strain, but he indicated he will play on opening night. The Lakers also have injuries to Nick Young (right thumb), Ryan Kelly (right hamstring) and Xavier Henry (back spasms, right knee).

Still, it’s clear what remains on Scott’s mind entering the 2014-15 campaign.

“Injuries,” Scott said. “That’s the main concern. We hope most of our guys are healthy by Tuesday.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com