Changes evident at first practice, By Ross Siler , Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - When the doors opened to the Lakers' first practice of the season Tuesday, Kobe Bryant was running the wing in a purple jersey, playing five-on-five with a team of Chris Mihm, Jumaine Jones, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic.
It was as good an indication of any of how much the Lakers have changed in the span of one summer. Not to mention how much they have to do in the four weeks before the regular season begins.
The only parallel Rudy Tomjanovich could cite as training camp opened at the University of San Diego was the 1998 United States team Tomjanovich coached to a bronze medal at the world championships in Athens, Greece.
With the NBA lockout keeping the league's all-stars from playing for USA Basketball, Tomjanovich had to field a team led by Jimmy Oliver and Jason Sasser, filled with players from overseas teams and minor leagues like the CBA.
"We had 30-something guys and had to cut it down to 12, and then just create a team in a week,' Tomjanovich said. "Very similar in having so many guys coming from so many places. In this situation, I don't have a week. We have 28 days to get ready.'
Tomjanovich's job is to pull together a team with nine new players, four new starters and a new offense. The Lakers have all of nine practices before they open the exhibition season Oct. 12 against Seattle in Anaheim.
So he got to the gym two hours early, then installed what he called "1/100th' of his offense. He stopped early so as not to overload the players, and the Lakers will wait until today to go over their first halfcourt sets.
But the workout was by all accounts energetic and enjoyable, with Bryant throwing down a dunk at one end.
"I think what Rudy's doing with us is great,' Chucky Atkins said. "He's letting us kind of feel each other out, play on the run, play a little loose. That's great for us.'
In a new city with a new set of reporters, Bryant was asked Tuesday if he thinks back to where he was a year ago, facing sexual assault charges at the start of training camp in Honolulu.
"Sometimes I do, sometimes I do,' he said. "And when I do, I just count my blessings. Because I've seen many long days. Just thankful that they're all behind now.'
The setting for camp could not be more surreal for Walton, who went to University of San Diego High next door to the campus, winning one state title and four section championships.
Walton was a regular at the Lakers' facility over the summer, working to hone his jump shot. Now Walton finds himself as one of five small forwards on the roster, with Tomjanovich planning to play him some at power forward to find more minutes.
"I'm always ready to play (power forward),' Walton said. "I love playing the (power forward), I like banging down low. I usually have the ability to get by bigger guys easily to make plays so I look forward to playing that.'
Neil Yanke looked a little out of place Monday at media day in a No. 49 Lakers jersey. As it turns out, Yanke hasn't even played organized basketball in the last three years.
After graduating from Yale in 2001, where he was a second-team all-Ivy League center, Yanke went to work as an assistant controller at his family's company in Akron, Ohio, which manufactures orthotics and prosthetic limbs.
But Yanke started working out this summer with Larry Nance and landed a camp invite with the Lakers. He scrimmaged Tuesday on the same team as Bryant, though Yanke's future lies overseas or in the NBDL.
"He cut to the middle and I dished him a pass and he scored a layup,' Yanke said of Bryant. "It's like, 'That's probably the best assist I've ever had in my life.''