On the eve of the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Houston Rockets tonight at Staples Center, the opening roster was set. Here's a look at the opening night roster for the Lakers, with some notes:
Starters
Pos | Player | Comment |
PG |
Derek Fisher |
Made half of his three-pointers in the preseason (5-of-10) |
SG | Kobe Bryant | Shot 28.2% while nursing a knee injury in preseason |
SF | Ron Artest | Lost nearly 20 pounds from last season |
PF | Lamar Odom | Nursing thumb, nose, and back injuries, but is OK to play |
C | Pau Gasol | Missed first 11 games of 2009-2010; possibly healthiest Laker right now |
Reserves
Pos | Player | Comment |
G | Shannon Brown | Made 9 of 19 three-pointers and averaged 1.5 steals in the preseason |
G | Steve Blake | Had 29 assists and 10 turnovers in the preseason |
F | Matt Barnes | One of seven Lakers to play all 8 preseason games |
G | Sasha Vujacic | Missed three games with a concussion but played final two games |
C | Theo Ratliff | Averaged 15.3 minutes during preseason |
F | Derrick Caracter | Rookie figures to see minutes with depleted front line |
G | Devin Ebanks | Rookie made 17 of 19 free throws during preseason |
Injured
- Andrew Bynum is out until at least Thanksgiving, if not December, as he recovers from right knee surgery.
- Luke Walton is out with a strained right hamstring.
In addition, tonight is ring night, and the Lakers will get their rings in different ceremony, per Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register:
It will be a unique ceremony, with a format meant to reflect the deeper bonds that go into being back-to-back NBA champions. After Lakers coach Phil Jackson receives his championship ring, he will take the Staples Center public-address microphone and do a brief, self-scripted introduction of the first Lakers player. Each player will come forward to receive his ring – and then perform his own individual introduction for the next player.
For more Lakers news and analysis, be sure to read the Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll.