Five Reasons I'm More Optimistic after the Jazz Game

As C.A. Clark has pointed out, the Jazz gave the Lakers an awful game at the best time. I couldn't agree more: this team needed to know what it felt like to win again. They lost both preseason games, and while preseason losses aren't typically a big deal, preseason was extra important following the long lockout. Plus, with the whole Chris Paul-going-to-the-other-L.A.-team ordeal, those two losses being to the Clippers must have stung a little. Then regular season started with a loss to a good team in a close game, followed by a loss to a not-as-good team in a not-as-close game. But apart from these losses, as we are all well aware, the Lakers had not won since being swept out of the playoffs, which, due to the lockout, was a long, long time before they had a chance to know a winning feeling again. Even though the Jazz didn't play well enough for this win to show us that the Lakers have solved all their problems, there are some things about that game that leave me feeling much better about this season. Here are five factors which, after the Jazz game, I feel much more optimistic about concerning the Lakers and how this season will play out.

1. Kobe, his knee, and his wrist. It seems that the knee surgery is benefiting Kobe, so we can definitely be glad about that. But before the long awaited regular season ever started, some motherclipper had to go and knock Kobe down, causing a serious wrist injury. Kobe said there's little that can be done other than playing through the pain, so that's cause for concern. But we know Kobe has played through pain before, and last night he seemed to be dealing with it better. Even though the wrist won't heal, Kobe will get better and better at dealing with it as the season goes on, and last night showed that he can put together a good game despite the new injury (including that fancy right-handed - and right-wristed - behind the back pass to Pau).

2. Pau, his back, and that monkey. Not only did the Lakers as a team have a monkey on their back (or should that be plural: "monkeys on their backs"?) due to not winning since the sweep, but Pau in particular had a giant monkey moonwalking all over him since that sweep. He didn't play to his full capacity in that series, which left some people asking if he could play at full capacity again. I'm still waiting to see Pau back to his old self, which I think will happen soon, but simply having a fairly good game in a win may relieve a lot of the pressure which was on Pau. I can't wait to see him go up against Amare in the next game.

3. and 4. Metta, his World, and his Peace. These two sort of have to be combined. World Peace keeps playing well, looking like a new man. I hated to see Phil Jackson go, but he did, which means someone had to replace him. I was hoping it would be Brian Shaw, but it wasn't, which means it had to be someone else. Seeing how Brown is using MWP makes me kind of glad that, since PJ and Shaw are out of the picture, Brown was the one the Lakers ended up with. So for #3, I'm a little more optimistic about Brown, and for #4, I'm very optimistic about MWP. Sure, he could do what Shannon Brown did early last season and give us all false hope, but I'm very happy to see MWP thriving in the new system. After some of the NBA incidents he's been a part of and after last season left us wondering how much he could contribute this season, it's very nice to see him find a new role which he seems to be completely owning and doing so happily.

5. Bynum, his absence, and the new bigs. With Bynum missing the first four games of the season, Murphy and McRoberts are forced to play more minutes than they will once he's back. This is good because it gives them more time playing with their new team and for their new coach. Furthermore, they are actually contributing already. Once Bynum is back, these guys should provide solid play off the bench. The Lakers would suffer if they had to go through a whole season with Murphy and McRoberts playing as many minutes as they have (which in turn requires more minutes from Pau than he should have to play on a regular basis), but their play during this time gives us reason to be positive about how they'll help the team once Bynum returns. I'm still unhappy that Odom left, as he was very important to the team and also one of my favorite players, but it appears that the Lakers will still have a distinct frontcourt advantage over most opponents.