Bryant

Though Shaquille O'Neal did cast a formidable shadow upon Bryant's supreme talents, O'Neal also commanded enough defensive respect to give Kobe considerable space to work his magic.

The legal sideshow is now behind Bryant, but he will be subject to a new wave of criticism if the Lakers fail to dominate in LA, where the Finals are an expectation after four appearances -- and three titles -- in the last five seasons.

Jerry Buss made the decision to hand the reins to Kobe, but the perception is that Bryant power-played his way to the throne. Now that it's his, Bryant has to be counted on to deliver more than highlights and statistics. He needs to lead his new teammates, or it could be a long year in Los Angeles.

Odom

The solution to whatever overcame the Lakers was to hire Rudy Tomjanovich, send Shaquille O'Neal to Miami and ship Gary Payton to Boston while Karl Malone mulls possible retirement. In all probability, no more than six of the 15 players to suit up last year will return.

There's no question who this team belongs to now: Kobe Bryant, the mercurial but very talented guard who can go back to concentrating full-time on basketball this year. Since Kobe will have as many as eight new teammates, last year's chemistry issues are moot ... at least for now.

Three imports from Miami (Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom) and three more from Boston (Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins and Jumaine Jones) give the Lakers more depth than they've had in awhile. The return of Vlade Divac gives them a legitimate center, at least for about 25 minutes a night.

Sasha Vujacic, the team's first-round pick, might be able to help fill the void at point guard, where Atkins is the only proven commodity. The 6-7 Slovenian is a combo guard who averaged 14 points a night in his native country.

The returning Lakers are all young players who still have the potential to get better. Though they might start the season without Devean George (ankle), they have Stanislav Medvedenko, Kareem Rush, Brian Cook and Luke Walton.

Tomjanovich is a good coach, but he replaces a legend in Jackson. Because his team is such an unknown quantity, projections will range from title contender to lottery lock. The key will be just how involved Bryant allows his teammates to be, because hard as he may try at times, he can't do it alone.

With New Orleans coming West and Utah and Phoenix getting appreciably better, the Lakers will be in a fight to make the playoffs.