Kobe, Lakers Aim for '09 NBA Gold (Trophy)

Aside from the impressive Finals showdown and Kobe Bryant's winning the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, the Lakers are going to be just as formidable, if not more formidable a team in the 2008-09 season.

Kobe's broken pinkie finger has been delayed until after the season, but having been accustomed to play with the injury, that is a relative non-issue. Derek Fisher's still here, as is Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, so the guard positions are quite stable. Coby Karl was decent in spot minutes, but the rookies Joe Crawford and Sun Yue (a 6'9" point guard!) may be the real surprises on the team, in a limited capacity, of course.

Andrew Bynum will be aiming to make a return to the court as the team's center, with Pau Gasol moving back to his natural power forward position. Lamar Odom has been positioned as the candidate to move back to his natural small forward spot, but head coach Phil Jackson has considered not only putting him on the bench as a sixth man, but has also considered him a potential point guard candidate, the position he primarily played ten years ago as a high school star and University of Rhode Island college standout.

The small forward position is going to be a tough position to get situated with so many good candidates. Odom may very well be the man as the starter, but if not, Los Angeles native Trevor Ariza may be the man to do the job, with his developing jump shooting game and athleticism as a defender being his strong points. Luke Walton is a former starter at the position from two years ago, as well as Vladimir Radmanovic, the 6'10" sharpshooter; both Walton and Radmanovic can also play power forward, so they are versatile enough to use in a variety of ways.

The Lakers also haven't forgotten about Chris Mihm, who has missed the vast majority of the past two seasons, from 2006-2008 with foot injuries and surgeries, so any positive contributions he can bring back to the Lakers can be a great thing, as a backup center, primarily.

The Western Conference won't be any easier, but with a relatively healthy team with Kobe and Andrew Bynum at full gear, Los Angeles will have the chance to make the NBA Finals their personal playground. Winning the 2009 Finals matchup may actually be the favored opinion as the season progresses.