Noticeably absent from Los Angeles Lakers' media day was Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are not upset about it. The center ended his roller coaster year with the Lakers by signing with the Houston Rockets. Now, Nash, Bryant Pau Gasol will attempt to pick up the pieces, something many NBA analysts are not giving them a shot at. While that does not have the stars happy, the absence of Howard has them feeling pretty relaxed.
Last year was tough on the Lakers. Chemistry was failing and the Howard experiment had the team going south. This year brings fresh energy and it has Nash excited.
"Last year it just felt like we could never really get that good energy going for any consistent period of time," Nash said, the Los Angeles Times. "Whereas this year it feels a lot more fun and energetic to start."
Nash remained coy over the absence of Howard. He simply addressed it by saying that Lakers fanbase deserved players that wanted to be Lakers and who were buying into the team. He noted that Howard did not want to be in the Los Angeles and everybody could feel the negative energy. With him gone, Nash says the team is ready to move on. Bryant was not as delicate.
"Honestly, man, I really don't give a (bleep)," Bryant said. "It is what it is. If he would've come back, it would've been great. If he didn't, it's not. It is what it is."
Tell us how you really feel, Bryant. Howard and Bryant clearly did not mesh well on the court. While Bryant is intense and pushy towards teammates, Howard is laid-back and does not take well to aggression.
Both Nash and Bryant were involved in trying to get Howard to re-sign with the team. The sales pitch included talks of a potential championship now that everyone had a year of playing together under their belts. Nash did not exactly blow anyone away in his first season either. However, that is no longer an option, leaving the Lakers to hold out until next summer's free agency run.
During the media day, Nash spoke repeatedly about the team needing a new identity to be built throughout the season. While some may say the team is headed in the wrong direction, he simply believes that if everyone joins forces, only good can happen.
