10/5: Training Camp News for Day 4

Bynum's best: Teenage center Andrew Bynum had his best day of practice so far, Jackson said.

Kwame Brown (ankle and shoulder) and Chris Mihm (ankle) are coming back from offseason surgeries, which probably helped to make Bynum stand out.

Bynum dunked over Mihm to cap one possession near the end of a scrimmage. He also swished a right-handed hook shot over a pack of defenders on another, prompting Jackson to shout, "Nice, Andrew."

"It was probably his best day," Jackson said. "We started to run some plays to feature our post players, so there was an ample opportunity to kind of explore it. He had Kwame out there on him, and he had Chris out there on him today, so both of them competed against him."

LA Daily News: Two years ago, Walton tore his hamstring during training camp and was forced to sit out the first few weeks of the regular season. So he was taking no chances when he felt his hamstring tighten Friday.

"When I pulled it a couple of years ago, I just figured it was tight," Walton said. "I kept playing and that's when I tore it. So when I came in today, they said to calm it down. I can feel it just standing here. It's like a knot."

BDG wrote:Isn't this the 3rd time Luke's injured his hamstring in training camp? I know it happened once before at least.

mrand wrote:is it just me or shouldn't it be an ordinary thing that a head coach gives props to his young promising talent?

yes, i know phil ain't no usual coach, he tends to play mind games, is into that zen stuff and things like that.

BUT we aren't talking about a veteran who knows how to handle less support by his own coach. i guess coaches like byron scott, mike brown, lawrence frank etc. are much more suportive towards young players, cheering for them and giving them props when props are due.

i know phil wants to get the best out of drew and probably uses this to motivate him and wants to see if drew has "it", but sometimes i wonder if drew is able to really like phil. during their first years in la, we all know kobe and phil hadn't that that good of a relation (phil regreted it later to be too shaq-sided).

or maybe i just interpret too much into things after months without laker ball...

LakerFan4L1fe24 wrote:I cant wait for the season to start, I think this will be Bynums breakout season

OC Register: Last season, Jackson envisioned Walton, with his knack for team play, anchoring the Lakers' second unit. But Vladimir Radmanovic never earned a starting spot and Walton emerged. When asked if Jackson wants Walton to be his reserve anchor again, Jackson replied: "Sure do. I know that we have to have starters coming off the bench to be a good team."

So even though Radmanovic (who signed a five-year, $30 million deal in July 2006) and Walton (who signed a six-year, $30 million deal in July) are around, it is Turiaf (making $770,610 this season) about whom Jackson said, "I plan on starting him."

Added Jackson: "He's a guy who can bring energy to the game and the kind of start we need to have in kind of a physical front."

Turiaf said he boosted his confidence over the summer playing for the French national team, and Jackson said Turiaf is "playing really well now." Turiaf worked extensively on his offensive game over the summer, but he knows he could offer the Lakers a tougher edge to start games.

Walton likely would be on the floor down the stretch, even if he doesn't start. But the Lakers would like to limit Walton to about 30 minutes per game given his history of injuries. He strained his right hamstring Friday but exited practice immediately instead of risking a tear like the one he had in 2005.

"We do know who the toilet-tissue-paper players are," Jackson said, alluding to breakability. "We make a note of that. And right now we've got a few of them. With Luke's attrition, he always seems to miss the regular season because of a training-camp injury. We hope we averted it this time."

NOTES

Kobe Bryant sat out the end of the practice Friday because of discomfort in his twice-repaired right knee, but he said he was fine. … About Andrew Bynum, Jackson said: "You can really tell the difference in his conditioning to this point."