The Los Angeles Lakers begin a new season on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
Yes, it's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life. And for the first time in years, the Lakers and their fans seem like they're feeling good. The constant complaints compiled during the tenure of Byron Scott took a toll on the fan base, as did the losing. Thankfully, that regrettable period has seemingly finally passed.
The sequence of losing, though, began before Scott sat on the Lakers' bench. Mike D'Antoni led the team to the worst mark in the history of the franchise since it moved to Los Angeles, 27-55. After that season, D'Antoni left the team by mutual separation. Scott came in and put up a mark of 21-61, which was the first time the Lakers had ever lost 60 games in a season. The Inglewood native and former member of the Showtime Lakers then coached the team to a 17-65 record, which should stand as the worst season in franchise history for at least another decade or two, possibly forever.
Almost poetically, D'Antoni's return to Staples Center on Wednesday night, as coach of the visiting Houston Rockets, completes the circle and marks the end of a the most forgettable era in the history of Lakers' basketball. From the time that the Lakers and D'Antoni teamed up until Walton officially coaches his first game on Wednesday, the Lakers have legitimately only had one day that will be looked back at fondly: Kobe Bryant’s 60-point final game.
With the Black Mamba wearing navy blue business suits these days, the Lakers have a fresh faced roster and a fresh faced coach to usher in a new era. Former Ohio State Buckeye D'Angleo Russell is set up to star during the upcoming season, but rookie Brandon Ingram out of Duke University is the player that seems more and more like he will be the face of the franchise for the next decade.
With Walton preaching defense first, Ingram appears to be able to use his length and agility to make up for his slight frame. The 6-foot 9-inch forward officially weighs in at 190 pounds, which means you'd feel compelled to offer him a cheeseburger if you saw him on the street. However, Ingram is already one of the Lakers' best defenders, and his freakish length and advanced basketball instincts make him one of the key players for the team on opening night.
On Wednesday, Ingram will likely score his first points with the Lakers on a night that expects to be dominated by points. The Rockets scored over 100 points in six of their seven preseason games and topped 130 points twice in the exhibition season. With D'Antoni back in the building, Staples Center will undoubtedly feature plenty of points.
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On the same night when D'Antoni returns to symbolically mark the end of the darkest era in franchise history, the future face of the franchise expects to score his first points, while the new coach of the Lakers takes his place on the sidelines for the first time.
It's a new dawn. It's a new day. A new life for the Lakers launches on Wednesday night.
Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
