L.A. Lakers: Could the NBA Lockout Help Kobe Bryant's Knee, His Aging Teammates?

The NBA lockout and Kobe Bryant's progressive knee surgery has dominated recent news concerning the Los Angeles Lakers lately, but no one is really sure how each instance will affect the team next season, if there even is a next season.

The lockout has put the former NBA champion Lakers hopes for redemption on hold for the moment, and Bryant's surgery in Germany has been viewed as an innovative attempt to get himself healthy by some and a last ditch effort to retain his status as an elite player by others.

I don't really know enough about Bryant's surgical procedure to make a judgment as to where his motives may lie, but I do know that the lockout could actually help Bryant in that regard, as well as his aging teammates.

Bryant will need time to get healthy, and a shortened season would allow him all the time needed to strengthen his knee through rehabilitation and work himself into playing shape.

The time off would also help Bryant's talented but equally old teammates, with the exception of Andrew Bynum, conserve some of the energy that was clearly lost during the 82 game NBA regular season of 2010-11.

The Lakers peaked right after the All-Star break, at one point winning 17 out of 18 games before running out of gas down the stretch and eventually folding against Dallas in the postseason.

Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Bryant shouldn't have to worry too much about fatigue over the course of a lockout-shortened 50 game season, and it should be easy to stay motivated when the window for success is reduced.

New head coach Mike Brown is definitely the wild card in any instance, because the Lakers will also have a much smaller period of actual game time to adapt to Brown's strategies.

Players are not supposed to have any direct contact with the team during the lockout period, but I'm sure Brown's playbook is circulating throughout the Lakers roster, and the team is experienced enough to know that their success or lack of next season depends on how quickly they can adjust.

Bryant must realize the potential advantages a short season could have for the Lakers since their experience would play a major role in a season with little or no real training camp.

It's only speculation, but there is a strong chance that Bryant will bring his teammates together to acquaint themselves with the nuances of Brown's widely used dribble-drive motion offense.

The Lakers are experienced and intelligent enough to quickly grasp the techniques, and they are still strong enough in the middle with Odom, Bynum and Gasol to compensate for most mistakes.

There are also dangers to be found in the lockout because a work stoppage also halts the Lakers search for a point guard, which is the team's biggest area of need.

Los Angeles will not win another title with Derek Fisher as their starting point guard, and hopefully the Lakers can manage to get rid of Steve Blake as well.

The Lakers did draft two point guards who have plenty of potential in Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris, but neither player is ready to assume a starting role, and it's not certain if either one of them ever will.

The lockout does have its benefits for an older team like the Lakers since it gives them a chance to save their energy, and in Bryant's case it will give him an opportunity to completely heal from his surgery and be ready once the games resume.

The lockout has its dangers as well because even though the Lakers may be better equipped to deal with the pace of a shorter season, it really won't matter unless they solve their point guard dilemma, which is temporarily on hold.