“One, two, three, RING!” The pregame chant led by Lamar Odom in the center of L.A.’s circle summed up the team’s mission last season, and nothing has changed on that front as L.A. braces to defend its title.

While solid team defense remains a major focus towards achieving that goal, buoyed by the unique length of the Lakers and the addition of Ron Artest, the following statement from assistant coach Jim Cleamons – who also offered his thoughts on each individual Lakers player for this preview – sums up how the team hopes to play offensively and in general:

“If we move the basketball from one side to the other, there’s no telling who’s going to score, because we are capable of moving the ball so freely and unselfishly that on any given night can see six or seven guys in double figures and making a good contribution to a winning effort. That’s going to cause havoc with defense, because they have to account for Kobe, for Ron, for Pau, for Andrew and Lamar … There are so many people there, that the defense can’t account for all of them if we move the ball and if we play together. That “if” word is the biggest hindrance to a lot of success, but we’ve been there. Having been there, let’s hope that the experience of repeating and going after another title will bear fruit, because we understand that together we can achieve the goal we’ve set out to achieve.”

Last Year
That Pau Gasol was a terrific offensive player prior to the 2008-09 campaign was not in question, not after he’d averaged at least 17.6 points since his rookie year in 2001-02, and shown himself to also be an excellent passer and offensive rebounder. Yet what vaulted Gasol into the All-Star game and the Lakers to the championship may have been his much-improved defense that he stepped up even further late in the season and particularly in the playoffs, as shown by his 45 blocks in 22 postseason games. Gasol’s ability to single-cover Orlando’s Dwight Howard in the Finals allowed L.A. to get to the Magic’s shooters, a key element in the Lakers’ 4-1 series victory. Two months later, Gasol brought all those skills to EuroBasket 2009, leading his Spanish squad to the championship while earning MVP honors. Not a bad year.

2008-09 Stats
For the season, Gasol averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 blocks on 56.7 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the line in 81 games at 37 minutes per. In the playoffs, he scored 18.3 points with 10.8 boards, 2.5 assists, 0.83 steals and 1.96 blocks on 58 percent from the field and 71.4 from the line while playing 40.5 minutes per contest.

The Numbers
8: Gasol’s rank among NBA rebounders last season with 9.6 per game, despite the presence of glass cleaners Lamar Odom (8.2) and Andrew Bynum (8.0).
6: Players traded from Memphis to L.A. for Gasol, including Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Pau’s brother Marc Gasol and two future first round picks. The 2008 first round pick turned into Donte Green (taken at No. 28), and Memphis retains L.A.’s pick in the 2010 NBA Draft; the Lakers get Memphis’ second-round pick in that same draft.
1: Gasol’s rank among foreign players in a recent NBA.com “Best International Player” poll; also, number of games missed in 2008-09 for the durable forward/center, due to sickness (Dec. 16, vs. New York).

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “I think Pau could be considered the MVP for what he does for our basketball team. I say that with the understanding that we work a lot through Kobe Bryant, but Pau is a wonderful second option. For what he does with his basketball IQ and our ability to play off him, he should get more touches and more credit. He has that ability to know when and how to get his teammates involved, and is a very crucial piece to the success we have.”

Last Year
When Tracy McGrady shut it down for good in early February, Artest became the go-to guy on Houston’s perimeter, charged with handling the scoring load alongside Yao Ming on the inside. Artest responded in kind, helping lead the Rockets into the playoffs while maintaining his usual production on defense, on the glass and through his ability to move the ball. Ultimately, Artest would lead the Rockets on an impressive playoff run through Portland that forced the Lakers to win a Game 7 in Round 2. After the season, the free agent decided to leave Houston and join the team that had sent him home; the Lakers were more than happy to oblige.

2008-09 Stats
The regular season saw Artest average 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.5 minutes per game, shooting 39.9 percent from three and 40.1 percent from the field. In the postseason, Artest averaged 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals on 39.4 percent shooting from the field and 27.7 percent from three.

The Numbers
6: Three-pointers made against Chicago on Feb. 28 last season, Artest’s career-high.
5:Times in his career that Artest has finished among the Top 5 in the NBA in steals.
4: Number of All-Defensive Team honors for Artest, who made the First Team in 2004 and 2006, and the Second Team in 2003 and 2009. In 2004, Artest also won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “Ron wants to win. He’s very competitive, and I still think he may be the best on-ball defender around the league with his hands. His ability to strip balls and create loose balls is phenomenal and I think that will help our defense. We’re very happy to have him. The other thing is, on Ring Night, he won’t get a chance to participate. He’s going to be on the bench hoping to be a part of one next year, because his teammates have something that he doesn’t yet have. It pushes him – and us – that much harder.”

Last Year
Though Odom ended up starting 32 games when Andrew Bynum went down with a torn MCL midway through the season, Odom primarily served as the most effective and versatile bench player in the league, giving L.A. a marked advantage with matchups regardless of which opponent lined up against the purple and gold. He finished nearly every Lakers game alongside Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Trevor Ariza, and missed only four regular season games due to injury before an impressive individual playoff performance. As a result, the Lakers inked him to a new contract in the free agency period.

2008-09 Stats
In the regular season, Odom averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.99 steals and 1.26 blocks on 49.2 percent from the field in 29.7 minutes. In the postseason, Odom upped his averages to 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.70 steals and 1.35 blocks in 32.0 minutes, while improving his three-point shooting percentage from 32 percent in the regular season to a team-high 51.4 percent in the playoffs.

The Numbers
22: Odom’s career-high rebounding game, which came at Golden State on March 23, 2008. He nearly reached that mark during a torrid stretch in February (a few games removed from Andrew Bynum’s injury) when Odom grabbed 17,18, 19 and 20 rebounds in consecutive contests.
7: Number worn by Odom, because it was the lucky number of his Grandmother.
2: Three-pointers made by Odom in back-to-back fashion during the third quarter of L.A.’s Finals-clinching Game 5, helping to thwart Orlando’s comeback attempt.

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “He gives us options, and I keep telling my close friends that Lamar could be the best mismatch in the league. If you put a four on him that can’t move, Lamar goes around him. You put a three on him that can move but doesn’t have the length, Lamar takes advantage of that. His ability to rebound for us at crucial times has helped us tremendously. Now, the fact that he doesn’t want to score – he’s so willing to let the game come to him – you sometimes wish he were a little bit selfish about looking to score because the defense will play off him and jams it up; go ahead and take your open shots, that’s not being selfish because you have the best shot. Lamar (did better with that), and those are the types of attitudes that allowed us to be successful last year and I’m hopeful that will continue.”

Last Year
Embracing his roll off the bench after starting 34 games before the All-Star break (volunteering that Trevor Ariza start in his place, in fact), all the while battling foot and ankle injuries, Luke Walton played a key roll off the pine in the playoffs thanks primarily to his basketball IQ and ability to move the basketball.

2008-09 Stats
Walton averaged 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per game on 43.6 percent shooting, plus 3.8 points, 2.5 boards and 2.1 assists in 15.8 minutes of postseason action.

The Numbers
1,000: Career assist handed out in April 10 against Portland.
7: Times the able-passer led L.A. in assists last season despite his limited minutes.
3: Father-son combinations to win the NBA title, including Walton and his father Bill, Rick and Brent Barry and Matt and Matt Jr. Guokas.

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “Luke was playing very well before tweaking his back in the preseason, and now he’s continuing to play well. The thing is, we are deep, but his minutes should help us because we always talk about being unselfish. Luke is a good ball-handler, he knows how to play the game and gives us another player who can add to the mix and the chemistry of what we do. Guys like to play with Luke because they know that if they make a good, strong cut, he’s going to get them the ball.”

Last Year
After being traded to the Lakers from the Charlotte Bobcats alongside Shannon Brown for Vladimir Radmanovic midseason, Adam Morrison appeared in just eight games for the Lakers, playing a total of 44 minutes to score 10 points with eight boards and three assists.

2008-09 Stats
Morrison, the former No. 3 overall pick, did not appear in a playoff game, but instead focused on getting his knee to the point of full recovery after tearing his ACL at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. For the season he averaged 4.0 points, 0.8 assists and 1.5 rebounds.

The Numbers
1,843: Points scored in three seasons at Gonzaga, spurred by a 28.3 scoring average in 2005-06.
4: Three-pointers drained in as many attempts against the L.A. Clippers in the Lakers’ fifth preseason game, showing the shooting form that his coaches had praised throughout training camp.
3: Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “Adam’s had a wonderful camp, and if you know Adam, you wouldn’t expect anything other. Last year he didn’t get hardly any minutes, so we knew he was going to come back stronger and more ready to adapt to what we have after the Summer League. It’s paid off. He’s shot the ball extremely well all preseason, and we have moved him to guard at times so that we can use him there if Sasha’s J goes on vacation or if we need another big guard or some shooting. He’s shown us some value because he can shoot and we know he’s going to play hard. Defensively, Sasha is more of a natural guard because he’s been playing in the backcourt full-time since he came in the league, and you’re asking Adam to be a part-time player there so you might be more comfortable with Sasha guarding certain players.”

Last Year
It’s not easy finding time on the frontcourt floor when Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom are on your team, but Josh Powell made the most of his when called upon, putting up 17 points and nine boards in a late-season game against Houston that was missed by Odom and Bynum. Powell earned the trust of his teammates and coaches, in addition to handling DJ duties in the weight room and being the go-to guy for pregame handshakes.

2008-09 Stats
Powell averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.7 regular season minutes and 2.1 points with 1.2 boards in 5.2 postseason minutes.

The Numbers
35: Powell’s season-high in minutes came in that Houston game when Andrew Bynum was hurt and Lamar Odom was suspended, and he played like a regular starter to get his 17 and nine, both season highs.
2: Foreign countries Powell played in before finally settling in the NBA, including a brief stint in Russia and an extended stay in Italy.
1: Three-pointer stuck by Powell in the NBA Finals, the last shot of Game 1 to get the Lakers to 100 points and him to his first career triple. Powell, however, also stuck his first three-point attempt in the preseason against Golden State in Game No. 6.

This Year
Coach Cleamons: “We have confidence in him, and one of the best things for him and our coaching staff is that we were able to rest Pau and Lamar in the middle of this training camp. Josh got good minutes, and he continues to hold his own. We were teasing him, because last year that he was trying to make the team, and we still need that kind of energy from him. When guys go down, we’re looking at him. He has the versatility, athleticism and ability to play two different spots on this team, guarding small centers and mobile forwards, giving us a natural to plug in behind L.O. or Pau.”