Anticipation is building for the (hopefully) triumphant return of Phil Jackson, but he's not home yet. For now we have veteran NBA man Bernie Bickerstaff holding the fort. One would hope we'll see a newly energized Lakers floor on the team tonight as they move into a new stage of the young season. If the Lakers do lose tonight they'll fall to 1-5 for the first time since 1960.

Tonight's opponent is Golden State, off to a 3-2 start against meh competition. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and David Lee have been their central players so far, none of them performing particularly well. Andrew Bogut, their best defensive player, is out with a sore ankle. Harrison Barnes, their prize rookie, is off to a slow start. In other words, this is a team the Lakers should pound.

A win, any win, will do just fine for now. Especially since we don't have Mike Brown to kick around anymore.