The Los Angeles Lakers got their rings and won their opener this week. So things are looking pretty good for the Lake Show, right? Not so fast. Check out these 10 reasons Kobe Bryant and Co. might not repeat…
⑩ In keeping with his ritual of handing out inspirational tomes to all his players before the start of a new season, Phil Jackson settles on Pat Riley‘s “The Winner Within.” The copies never arrive, getting stalled somewhere over Miami.
⑨ Kobe now has tasted No. 4, how much hungrier can he really be?
⑧ Each time the Staples Center hype man spins War’s classic “Why Can’t We Be Friends” during pregame this season, Khloe Kardashian-(Odom?) and Vanessa Bryant bolt the arena. Separate exits, of course.
⑦ We haven’t even mentioned Ron Artest yet.
⑥ How much longer can Derek Fisher be expected to keep up with the trifecta of Chris Paul, DeRon Williams and Tony Parker?
⑤ Lamar Odom will miss at least 25 games this season tending to various injuries. He’ll really just need the time to film more footage for his new reality show with Khloe.
④ Nothing the Zen Master has ever experienced, from smoking weed in the Himalayas to coaching Jordan, Rodman and Pippen in the Chi, can aptly prepare him for what’s about to go through this year in Cali.
③ Jack Nicholson meets the Kardshians.
② This isn’t what Pau Gasol had in mind when he convinced his parents to allow him to shun the family business of medicine for a run at the NBA. Then again, maybe is is.
① The Kardashian sisters figure to have full access to the Lakers locker room. That means all nine black players on the team’s opening night roster will soon be at their mercy. —Glenn Minnis
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