NBA News, Rumors 2014: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin to Strengthen Lakers Backcourt

With Kobe Bryant back in full harness and with the addition of point guard Jeremy Lin and head coach Byron Scott, expectations are high that the Los Angeles Lakers will bounce back strongly from last season's nightmare where they lost a franchise-record 55 games.

Lin and Bryant will also be playing with veteran point guard Steve Nash, further strengthening the Lakers' backcourt.

During a recent Lakers' media day, Lin spoke about playing with Nash this upcoming season. "I just think there is so much to learn from the career that he's had; it's a no brainier to soak up as much information as you can," he said.

Nash is one of the NBA's all-time best passers, ranking third in career assists just behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd. Although Nash is already 40 years old, he can still teach Lin much of what he knows.

But the most awaited combination for the Lakers this season is the duo of Lin and Bryant, who only played six games last season because of a second season-ending leg injury.

Lin is expected to ease the pressure on Bryant's still uncertain legs as he takes care of distributing the ball, giving the Lakers' all-star guard more chances to score.

Bryant is confident his health will be fine throughout the entire 2014-15 season, his 19^{th season in the league. He missed 19 games while recovering from a torn Achilles before missing another 57 games with a fractured left knee. He was last seen on the court last Dec. 17 against the Memphis Grizzlies.}

Bryant stresses that he is healthy and confident in the season ahead. "The biggest key for anybody in retirement is you always want to retire by choice," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "Hopefully, I will be fortunate enough to have that option. You don't want to see another catastrophic injury or something like that. When you walk away, you want to feel like you walked away on your terms."

Like Bryant, Nash is also fully focused on getting healthier and stronger after two seasons marred by injuries. With Lin vying for the starting point guard spot, Nash is under pressure to prove that he still deserves to start for the Lakers. But coach Scott says he is not worried about starters but more on team health.

The Lakers open their preseason against the Denver Nuggets today, Oct. 6. Their first regular season game will be against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at home in the Staples Center. Lin will be facing his former team in that game.

In other NBA news:

• LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love are expected to start for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the other two spots are unfilled. Dion Waters may be the fourth starter while the fifth appears to be a toss-up between Anderson Varejao or Tristan Thompson at center.
• Jose Calderon is expected to be the starting point guard of the New York Knicks, and coach Derek Fisher has good things to say about him. Fisher remembers playing against him, including last year when he played for Oklahoma City and Calderon was with the Dallas Mavericks. "It wasn't always fun playing against him because he can shoot the ball so well," Fisher told the New York Post. "He never turned the ball over. He's always had a composure and poise about himself."
• Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau bristled at criticism that he has been "running the Bulls into the ground." Speaking to the Sun-Times, Thibodeau said, "Hey, I'm going to coach, I'm going to coach my way, and whatever happens, happens." Jimmy Butler was second in the league in minutes played last season, while Luol Deng led the league in the previous season. Injuries were plenty, including those of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Taj Gibson.
• The Dallas Mavericks took Chandler Parsons from the Houston Rockets this season with a three-year $46 million deal. Parsons said he is hopeful that his playing time will go up with the Mavericks this season.
• Danny Granger, one of the Miami Heat's acquisitions, said he is ready for the first game of the season. The Heat begin the season against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 29.
• The Sacramento Kings still want Rudy Gay but negotiations are continuing. Gay remains in the Kings' roster after exercising his player option worth $19.3 million. "We started (negotiations) before I went to Spain with the USA team, stopped and haven't picked it up yet," Gay told the Sacramento Bee.