7 Things the Lakers Need to Figure Out Before 2013-14 NBA Season Begins

Eight weeks may seem like an eternity to you and me, but to the Los Angeles Lakers, the current chronological chasm that stands between now and the start of the 2013-14 NBA season looks more like a time crunch.

The Lakers have plenty with which to concern themselves over the next two months. Mike D'Antoni will spend September sorting out specific duties and philosophical discrepancies with his revamped coaching staff in preparation for an all-important training camp. Likewise, general manager Mitch Kupchak and his front office will be scouring the basketball world for players worthy of invitations to training camp in October.

Which is when the real fun begins. The new arrivals will be busy acquainting themselves with the Purple and Gold, while holdovers like Steve Nash and Pau Gasol carefully wean themselves back onto a steady diet of hoops.

All of which pales in importance to the biggest question mark of them all: Kobe Bryant.

Here's a quick rundown, then, of what's likely on the Lakers' agenda in the lead-up to opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 29.

When Will Kobe Be Back? And in What Capacity?

As confident as Kobe Bryant may be about his prospects of setting a new standard for recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, chances are, he's going to miss some time. 

Regardless of how many "risky" dives he takes.

The first question, then, is, how long will it be until he's ready to play? The typical six-to-nine-month timetable for recovery from Kobe's particular injury would peg the Black Mamba's most optimistic return date for the middle of training camp and his latest at some point in January.

Suppose we split the difference and say that Bryant will be back in action in early December. If he's back on the first of the month, he will have missed 17 games, including nine against 2013 playoff teams. Seven of the other eight would feature matchups against teams expecting to be in the mix for the 2014 postseason, with a home game against the Sacramento Kings serving as the lone cupcake date on the early schedule.

Whenever Kobe starts playing again, he'll likely need some time to get back into proper playing shape and to adjust to the new reality of his worn-down, post-surgery, 35-year-old frame. As such, don't expect Kobe to look like the Mamba of old until January or February, at the earliest.

That is, assuming he's able to fully recapture his former glory at all. 

Who's Filling in for Kobe Bryant?

It's incumbent upon the Lakers to sort out who's going to (attempt to) make up for Kobe's absence while he's out—and who's going to pick up the slack if/when he returns as a shell of his former self.

The Lakers have a few candidates, albeit less-than-ideal ones, lined up for the job at the moment. There's Nick Young, an LA native who, like Kobe, has a reputation for taking difficult shots.

Though, to put it lightly, he doesn't hit them with quite the frequency that Bryant does.

There's Jodie Meeks, who's likely to start at shooting guard in Kobe's place at the outset, despite the frustratingly streaky nature of his stroke. There's also Wesley Johnson, a former lottery pick once touted for his supposed shooting prowess.

Johnson's hit just 33.6 percent of his threes as a pro.

Swaggy P seems to be the one best equipped for the job. He's seen his fair share of good scoring games, has averaged 17.4 points over the course of a season and won't shy away from hoisting bailout shots at the end of the clock.

Not that any of this should come as encouragement for Lakers fans, though at least it'll help everyone appreciate the Mamba's majesty that much more.

How Are They Going to Play on Offense?

Regardless of who winds up on the wings, this year's Lakers team figures to more closely resemble the Phoenix Suns squads of the "Seven Seconds or Less" vintage on the offensive end. Mike D'Antoni, who orchestrated those league-altering outfits, will have a full training camp during which to implement and modify the guiding principles of his famed spread pick-and-roll system.

He'll also have a cast of characters that's better equipped to do so than the one under which his schemes were buried last season. The Lakers may not be awash in dead-eye shooters (save for Steve Nash), but in Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and Jordan Farmar, the roster now sports a swath of players who can get up and down the floor and are at least comfortable with chucking from beyond the arc.

The Purple and Gold are far from the most talented bunch around, but it's in elevating marginal role players that D'Antoni's attack is most valuable. Think of all of the fringe-rotation guys who had banner years in Phoenix between 2004 and 2008: Quentin Richardson, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw. You might not think of those guys as championship-caliber role players, and yet, the Suns averaged 58 wins with players of their ilk dotting the roster during D'Antoni's four full seasons on the job.

Lakers fans can only hope Mike D. can work his magic with the current crop of castoffs Mitch Kupchak has assembled in LA.

How Much Can Steve Nash and Pau Gasol Handle?

Of course, those bit players weren't responsible for even the simple majority of the Suns' success, just as the case will likely be with LA's latest arrivals. Those Phoenix teams were built around the particular talents of Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.

Nash, along with D'Antoni, will be the main tie that binds these teams across time. If we were to extend the analogy, Pau Gasol could stand in as the main frontcourt threat, with Kobe subbing in for The Matrix on the wing.

But even Nash might not suffice as a stand-in for himself. He's coming off of arguably the worst season of his career, in terms of both injury and productivity, and will be celebrating his 40th birthday in February. Nash should be ready to go by the time the regular season starts, but his body's been fickle before and may well be once again.

Age and health will also be concerns for Gasol in 2013-14. He, too, set a new career high for games missed in a season last year and underwent a procedure this summer to help alleviate the chronic pain in his knees. The Lakers will need Gasol, now 33, to play like he did two or three years ago in order to remain competitive in the absence of Dwight Howard. Gasol must also do so for the sake of his own career.

Having Gasol and Nash healthy at any point is one thing. Keeping them that way is another story entirely. As D'Antoni recently told Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times, he's not opposed to limiting the minutes played by his elder statesmen:

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"I think Pau and Nash will be 100% before the season starts. We'll try to go slow with them during preseason and make sure they're OK. We'll see how the season goes but maybe work with them to keep their minutes down to where it's manageable and keep them OK."

"

D'Antoni has never been one to carefully apportion playing time to preserve his players' health. Then again, maybe he'll be inclined to use an 11-man (as opposed to a seven-man) rotation after all.

Where Do Chris Kaman and Jordan Farmar Fit in This Picture?

Chris Kaman and Jordan Farmar will almost certainly be featured prominently in whatever rotation D'Antoni settles on. What's unclear, though, is what roles those two will play within that (supposedly) extended carousel.

Shortly after Kaman returned to LA in July, Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register tweeted that the eccentric center would play alongside Gasol this season. Whether that means Kaman will start or come off the bench remains unclear. However, after ceding the paint to Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard over the past three seasons, Pau wouldn't likely be too happy about such an arrangement with Kaman, even if he doesn't raise a stink about it.

As for Farmar, the UCLA product and two-time champion with the Lakers was welcomed back with open arms from his overseas sojourn, but to what? A job as the third-stringer behind the Steves, Nash and Blake?

That might not be the worst thing for Farmar. LA's top two point guards both missed significant time due to injury last season and may well fall victim to their own corporeal problems again in 2013-14. That, along with Farmar's relatively superior abilities on the defensive end, could be enough to get Jordan some substantial playing time in purple and gold.

What Can They Do to Keep the Opposition from Scoring?

Speaking of defense, how in the world are the Lakers going to play well enough on that end to stay competitive out West? They ranked 18th in defensive efficiency last season and have parted ways with their two most impactful defenders (Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace) since then.

D'Antoni added longtime Lakers affiliate Kurt Rambis to his staff this summer in part because of Rambis' expertise on that end of the floor. To Rambis, good defense is predicated not only on talent, but also on effort, commitment and making sure that everyone's on the same page. It'll be up to Rambis and the rest of D'Antoni's support to determine how the Lakers should approach different situations and to impart upon the players a set of guidelines to follow in this regard.

Those schemata figure to be affected, to a large extent, by the physical limitations of the players involved. Kobe hasn't played much in the way of defense in two or three years, Nash has never been all that effective on that end, and Gasol can't always be counted on to protect the rim like he used to.

Outside of those three, though, the Lakers are largely comprised of players who, if nothing else, are physically capable of playing decent defense, even if they don't appear to be. Jordan Hill is a force on the boards when healthy, Steve Blake can be surprisingly pesky at the point, and the rest of the team's wings are young and athletic enough to keep up with their counterparts over the course of a game.

If those players stick together and follow the coaches' directives, the Lakers might actually make life difficult for other teams' offenses once in a while.

Imagine that.

Who Will Grab the Last Two or Three Spots on the Roster?

What the Lakers decide to do with the last few spots on the bench won't likely have much impact on the team's performance this season, though the battle through training camp could be fun to watch.

At present, the Lakers only have 12 players signed to guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season. They've recently inked rookie Elias Harris and journeyman Shawne Williams to non-guaranteed deals. Ryan Kelly's still healing from offseason foot surgery while awaiting an offer from the team that drafted him in the second round this past June.

Harris seems a solid bet to stick around. His youth and upside may have added value on a team seeking cogs for the future. Williams played for D'Antoni with the New York Knicks and fits the profile of a bigger guy who (in theory) can shoot, as does Kelly.

The Lakers don't have to carry 15 players, though. They might choose to keep a spot open, just in case they need to add a player at some point during the season.

Or, they could hand out training camp invites to any number of late-summer free agents, including (among others) Xavier Henry, who had his option declined by the New Orleans Pelicans, and Michael Beasley, who was recently bought out by the Phoenix Suns. Beasley played some of the best ball of his career for Rambis when the two were with the Minnesota Timberwolves and nearly wound up on the Lakers at the 2012 trade deadline. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com was among those to report that the Lakers might take a look at Henry.

Don't be surprised, then, if these two are among those fighting for minutes in purple and gold through the first few weeks of October.

Or if the Lakers opt to carry only 14 players into the season.

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