We lost tonight. Who cares? There is a much bigger story that is starting to unfold as we speak. And we are all right here to see it happen. How often do you get a chance to have a front row seat to see a fairy tale like this. Watch out NBA, there's a new Kid in town.

An 18 year old Kid, who hasn't even been playing basketball that long, then gets drafted #10 in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers fresh out of high school. He's raw, 7' tall, but who cares? He is still growing and some say he's already up to 7'2" with a wing span that is wider than his height. He is not suppose to be ready for several years. He's a project, a work in progress. His name is Andrew Bynum.

So let's bring in the greatest center of all time, one Kareem Abdul Jabbar, to show him the ropes. Can the NBA's all time leading scorer teach him the most unstoppable shot of all time, the patented Sky Hook. The kid has the footwork, the height, and the long arms to pull it off. Only Magic Johnson has been able to imitate that great shot. The Kid hit a couple baby hooks tonight. Matching the accomplishments of Kareem will have to wait.

The Kid wallows on the bench in his first season. An injury to Chris Mihm, moves Kwame Brown to starting center and increases the Kid's minutes late in the season. Then there was the game against Shaq. He posterizes the big fella and for a couple of minutes. On a couple of plays, Shaq tuns into a tree stump as he watches the Kid make his moves. Laker fans saw a glimpse of things to come.

So now it is the beginning of the second season for the Kid. With Mihm out, Kwame goes down. But the Kid rises up to take advantage of the opportunity. Goes for 15 and 4 against the Clips, 16 and 9 against Phoenix. Tonight, against Denver, he gets 23 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, to lead his team. So far this preseason he is only hitting 70% from the floor and 85% from the line.

But It is not just the numbers, rather how he is doing it. He is calling for the ball. Active without the ball. Sprinting down the court. Intimidating on defense. Intimidating on offense. Playing with all the enthusiasm of kid locked up in a candy store.

Is this the beginning of a dream come true? Could the script have been written any better than this? Will this high school kid shock the world? I don't know, but I know we are all going to have one hell of a great time watching to find out how this story ends. Are we having fun yet? JamFan

Coach Jackson made a guest appearance at the Lakers practice at Staples on Tuesday and fueled speculation that he would indeed be on the Laker bench for the season opener. Kobe Bryant participated in his first full court workout but his status for the opener is still questionable. Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm have both been declared out for at least the first couple of weeks of the season.

So where does that leave the Lakers? This has got to be one of the youngest teams in the NBA. And they will be relying on their youngsters more than anyone can remember in the history of the franchise. All for a coach who does not have a history of playing rookies and young players. It is also a team who is benefitting from players they got in the draft of all places.

Yesterday, coach declared Andrew Bynum the starting center for the opening game and praised his progress. He also praised the play of Sasha Vujacic and called the play of Jordan Farmer an inspiration when he comes in. Does that mean Jordan will indeed get significant minutes when the season begins? He did say that these youngsters, as well as Mo Evans, could play important minutes off the bench. Is he trying to tell us that these players are in the rotation? Let's hope so.

Here is a look at the Lakers youth movement and where some of these players were drafted by the Lakers

Andrew Bynum, 18, drafted #10, first round, 05 draft

Jordan Farmar, 19, drafted #26, first round, 06 draft

Von Wafer, 21, drafted #39, second round, 05 draft

JR Pinnock, 22, drafted #58, second round, 06 draft (trade)

Sasha Vujacic, 22, drafted #27, first round, 04 draft

Devin Green, 23, undrafted

Ronny Turiaf, 23, drafted #32, second round, 05 draft

Kwame Brown, 24, via trade, first high school kid to be drafted #1

Smush Parker, 25, summer league walk on last year

Vlad Ramanovic, 25, signed as free agent

Luke Walton, 26, drafted #32, second round, 03 draft

Brian Cook, 26, drafted #24, first round, 03 draft

Shammond Williams age 31, Kobe Bryant 28, Mo Evans 27, Chris Mihm 27, and Lamar Odom 27, are the gnarled veterans on the Lakers. Provided the Lakers send Aaron McKie off to the old folks home (pleeeease), that would mean they only have one player over 30 years old. Never before have the Lakers relied so much on such a young squad and players they drafted themselves. This squad is deep with talent. This is going to be an interesting year as we watch this squad of young kids grow and develope into a playoff contender.

Will teenagers Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmer, be in the starting lineup by seasons end? Stay tuned!

JamFan

For many Laker fans, however, all eyes were on Baby Bynum. With both starting centers from last season sidelined with injuries, and no timetable for their return, Bynum is suddenly an 18 year old player sitting on the hot seat. Well, not exactly sitting. He is on the flloor a lot now, and the likely starter for the Lakers at center when the season begins. All eyes are on him because he was the Baby who was supposed to be brought along slowly.

Last night, against a small Sun's lineup, Bynum went to work. He ran the flloor quickly so as to get into position down low and was literally calling for the ball. The result was 16 points, hitting 8 of 9 shots, 9 rebounds, 3 offensive, and 1 block, in only 25 minutes. So far for the preseason he is shooting 70% from the floor and 86% from the free throw line.

Most teams would love to have those numbers from their veteran centers. And the Lakers are proabably satisfied with what they have seen so far. However, with young guys, it is a matter of can they do it night in and night out.

Last nights performance was against a team without a real center. Thursday night, Bynum will receive a tough challenge against Denver's 6' 11" Marcus Camby.

Last night the Lakers won despite having 7 players unavailable for duty. This is the worst Laker injury report I have ever seen. But others also stepped up with Lamar Odom going for 18 points and 9 rebounds and Sasha chipping in 10 points and 6 rebounds. Brian Cook also had 9 points and 5 rebs in limited minutes.

Jordan Farmar had an off shooting night hitting only 1 of 7 shots, but did add 6 assists and 6 rebounds and conintued to make progress on defense.

The team now sports 4 wins and 3 losses in the preseason. It might be what most fans were expecting, but considering that Kobe has never played, and they have been decimated by injuries, it isn't such a bad record considering how much they have had to rely on their youngest players.

Some reports have Kobe penciled in to play on Thursday. But even is he does play, if Kwame, Mihm, Shammond Williams and VladRad remain on the bench for the last preseason game, it will still be hard to evaluate exactly where the Lakers are. One thing for sure they will enter the first few games of the season as a work still in progress.

That favorable home schedule at the start of the season is starting to look real good right now.

Jamfan

There were some bright spots and some low points in last nights lackluster effort. Devin Green, despite all his athleticism and potential, contintues to struggle to hit open jumpers and had 5 pts, hitting only 1 of 7 shots, and hurt the 4th quarter rally. Smush, who only had 6 pts in 20 minutes, continues to embarrass the Lakers with his inability to imitate someone playing defense. At the end of the 2nd quarter, Bynum made a bad pass with 5 seconds to go in the half. Mike Bibby stole the ball and came up the floor to take a long 3 point shot. Smush, who was in the area, only made a token effort to alter his shot, and then quit. A high rebound came to the sideline, Bibby retrieved it and hit a 3 as the half ended. Smush stood 12' away with his hands to his side watching the play. He might as well have taken a seat next to Jack Nicholson. The Lakers are literally playing 4 on 5 on defense when Smush in on the floor.

Lamar Odom despite his off season problems continues to look in mid season form. Last night he had 12 pts, 4 rebs, 3 assists, and 1 steal in 23 mintues. Brian Cook is looking good every night and had 12 pts and 9 rebs. Sasha, coming off a foot injury, continues to impress with 10 pts, 4 rebs and 1 steal in only 13 minutes. Farmar's point production was down last night, but continues to stay aggressive and made a couple of nice drives to the hoop in traffic.

The guy, who to me has been the biggest surprise of the pre-season so far, is Ronny Turiaf. Last night he was the glue who held the squad together. He played the most minutes with various player combinations and played well with all of them. He finished with 15 pts, 7 rebs, 3 offensive rebs, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He connected on 5 of 8 shots, hit all 6 of his free throws, is shooting 62% from the floor this season, and 50% so far for his young career. He is starting to show his versatility and should get significant minutes this season.

Next up, the LA Clippers, who embarrassed the Phoenix Suns last night. Thursday nights game will be televised on TNT and FSN at 7PM.

JamFan

Granted, Smush was impressive on offense hitting 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc for eighteen points. But a point guard who can score but can't play defense usually comes off the bench to add scoring while the starting point guard for the opposing team is sitting. That way he gets to guard the second string PG.

The man who came to play last night was Ronny Turiaf. He had 7 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 assists, and 3 blocked shots in 23 minutes. Moreover, he played with that infectious Ronny Turiaf enthusiam. Expect him to get plenty of minutes this year.

Shammond Williams is starting to find his way. Last night he hit 100% from the field and the free throw line for 12 points in 19 minutes. He played steady and great defense. He lit it up in Europe last year so expect more of that this season.

Baby Bynum, starting in place of injured Kwame Brown had a nice game with 8 points on 4 of 6 shots, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. His defense was steady, and when Leonardo Barbose drove through the lane, Baby sent his shot packing with an impressive block. In the low post, Bynum made an impressive pass to Turiaf who was running the baseline for a slammer.

Walton had another nice night with 12 points 5 rebs and 7 assists. Jordan Farmar was impressive with 9 points, had another steal, made a couple of really impressive passes and had one 3 pointer negated by a Bynum illegal screen. Jordan continues to remain agressive.

For the second night in a row Mo Evans could not get it going and went 0 for 6 from the field. Aaron McKie finally made a basket in the preseason and finished with 2 points. That should be worth 2.5 million.

Sasha, Kobe, Kwame, Mihm were still out with injuries, and Von Wafer did not play. Next up, Sacramento on Tuesday.

JamFan

The following is a player update based on what we have seen so far.

BRIAN COOK - Looked phenomenal tonight, connecting on several shots from long range, and a couple going to the hoop. He had 15 points hitting 5 of 10 shots and 6 rebs. He is more than ready to go, and tonight looked like the most improved player from last years squad.

JORDAN FARMER - I take back everything I said in the prior article. He is not the PG of the future, he is a guy who seems prepared to be the starting Point Guard now. In 22 minutes he had 10 pts hitting 5 of 9, 5 assists, and a couple of steals. But the stats do not tell the whole story. He looks like he is ready to run the show. Did he look like a 19 year old rookie to you tonight? He didn't to me. He looked like he has been around the Lakers running the Triangle for years. And some are talkling about sending him down to the D league. Cut me a break.

LAMAR ODOM & SMUSH PARKER - Both look like they are ready to pick where they left off last year. Smush hit a couple of deep 3 point shots.

DEVIN GREEN - He has so much portential it is impossible to imagine letting him go. If they do, it will come back to haunt them. His athleticism is scary. One play, a rebound came off the rim and he flew in from the baseline and slammed it home in traffic. One another play, he led the fast break with all the skill of a prolific point guard. He missed a couple of open shots, but the others are the stuff of hightlight reels. He finished with 8 pts, hitting 3 of 6 and both freethrows, 1 steal, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, and 1 block, all in only 11 minutes.

JR PINNOCK - Didn't play a lot but showed that he is very quick and could eventually play defense against the fastest point guards in the league. Might be a Steve Nash stopper some day. He will need more playing time to make a case for making the team. He has a lot of potential, but with all the guards I think he is heading to the D league. To Bad.

RONNIE TURIAF - Played a lot of minutes tonight and showed he has improved over his last year's injury delayed season. He has taken off a couple of pounds. He was aggressive even when guarded by centers. He moved well without the ball and was rewarded with some good passes leading to scores while slashing accross the key. He had 15 points while hitting 6 of 8 shots. He is going to give us hustle points and hustle rebounds, but may never become a prolific scorer. The most valuable asset he brings to the team is his infectious enthusiam that makes everybody playing with him have fun. He is the best bench cheerleader I have ever seen.

KWAME BROWN - The lakers traded for him looking for a power forward and found a center instead. His numbers definitely went up last season after he became the starting center. He showed tonight that he continues to improve and 11 points and 4 rebs in 21 minutes. There may be centers bigger than him, but there will not be a lot centers who are going to be stronger than Kwame. He works best close to the rim where he can use his power to score.

ANDREW BYNUM - played with better poise and confindense tonight. Seemed to know his role and where he was going on offense. His defense was solid. He hit a couple of nice shots around the hoop going for 6 pts in only 10 minutes and didn't miss a shot or a any free throws. Nice night for the young guy.

AARON MCKIE - Played quite a few minutes tonight and accomplished.......NADA. In the last three years he has accomplished....NADA. If the Lakers keep this guy and send Devin Green packing I'm going to go shoot somebody.

MO EVANS - Couldn't get it going tonight at the same level as he did on Tuesday. When handling the ball he looks like a PG. Tuesday's game impressed everybody.

LUKE WALTON - Played a lot of minutes tonight and already looks ready for the start of the season. He was definitely one of the team leaders when he was on the floor and showed more versatility on offense than we have seen in the past. He had 10 pts in 20 minutes hitting 5 of 8 shots, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He looks like he is ready to step up the season.

VLADRAD - Played sparingly tonight but played confidently. Hit a couple of nice long range shots. With a new team and a new offense it will take him a little time to get comfortable but when he does, watch out.

VON WAFER - Played only a few minutes. He is headed for the D league. It is just to crowded at guard.

SHAMMOND WILLIAMS - Played quite a few minutes tonight and look lost a lot, and did not play with a lot of confidence. He even passed up a couple of easy open shots. He is only dealing with a new team, a new coach, a new offense, a new league, on a new continent. So lets give him a free pass and a little more time to get into his groove. He didn't shoot all that well the first time he was in the NBA but he lit it up over in Europe. He probably won't start often, but against certain teams and certain matchups where we need a small guard on the flloor to guard a quick PG, he will get his minutes.

SASHA, who was the talk of Tuesday's game sat out with a day to day injury. CHRIS MIHM is making progress but there still is no timetable for his return. No reason to rush other than possibly including him in a trade. KOBE, who was interviewed during tonight's game, looks like he is chomping at the bit. I gotta believe he will somehow be ready for the opener. Wouldn't be odd to see him maybe coming off the bench at first. NAH!

That's the run down the way I see it so. If you agree, give me some love. If you disagree, hit the discuss buttom and give me hell.

JamFan

Lamar stepped up with 18 points, Sasha and Smuch had 13 each, Evans, who hit 3 long bombs, had 12, and VladRad chipped in 7. Most impressive was the Lakers hitting 51% from the floor and making 8 of 15 from the 3.

Sasha made his statement for more playing time at PG with stellar defense while hitting 5 of 6 shots. He competently led the fast break a couple of times down the flloor as well. Mo Evans, who started for Kobe, and who was signed by the Lakers for his defensive skills, not only had a nice offensive night but hit big shots in the 4th quarter when the lakers were in danger of losing their big lead. Lamar hit 6 of 9 shots, dished out 6 assists, and hit 3 from beyond the arc.

Andrew Bynum had a rough start to his season. He finished with 2 points and 4 turnover in 17 minutes. He did have one nice block, however. Jordan Farmer was impressive while he was playing but his was only in the game for about 5 minutes. He had 3 points, two steals, and brought a lot of energy to the floor.

I know that a lot of fans in the Fresno area got to see this game. The rest of us were either on the radio listening to the play by play or just in the dark. Scanning the postings by the media it makes me think that few of the press were even there to see the game as well. As of Wednesday morning, the LA Times sports section on the web hadn't even posted an article about the game. The box score is missing on the Lakers website.

In these early games, the box score doesn't always tell the whole story anyway. The interesting angle is who played well and stepped up in the absense of Kobe. Coach Jackson did not make the trip as well.

Next up, Seattle on Thursday night 7PM, at the Arrowhead Pond. It will be televised by KCAL which is probably channel 9 for most of you in SoCal, but check your local listings.

Will this dream come true have a storybook ending? Can Jordan take advantage of the fact that the Lakers do not have that one dominant Point Guard? Can he develope fast enough to eventually become that dominant PG before the Lakers go out and buy or trade for one? Can Jordan make his own storybook ending by becoming the the Lakers starting PG in the town he grew up in?

These are compelling questions that only time will have the answer to. So why did the Lakers draft Jordan Farmar? When the Lakers pick finally came up in the first round there was two tall shooting guards still on the boards. I felt the Lakers would probably pick Maurice Ager who fell to Dallas at 28. He was slotted to be gone in the mid first round. But a lot of bigs went early and there was actually a glut of guards still available late in the first round. So I knew the Lakers were going to get somebody good. James White was still there who is also a taller shooting guard. In the end the Lakers went with a true point guard instead of taller guards that Coach would normally want for his triangle offense.

Early in the draft process Jordan was slotted as a late first rounder. As the reports from workouts came out, he started to move up. Then came the competitive workouts in Orlando where all of the best players were invited. Jordan actually was one of the standouts in Orlando, and his stock rose to about the #18 - 20 pick.

So why did the Lakers take him? Well, as a two year player, he is only 19 years old, so he has time to mature and can actually get better. He plays point guard with the court sense of a player well beyond his years. He doesn't look all that athletic, but he is quick and has a deceptive 42" vertical leap.The Lakers drafted him for the same reason they drafted Luke Walton, he's smart. You need smart players to run the triangle. The Lakers had been looking for a true point guard and also signed PG Shammond Williams who was playing in Europe. In the playoffs, the Lakers were dominated by the best PG's on other teams like Steve Nash.

At UCLA, Jordan was a true leader on the court. He led them to the NCAA Chamionship game and stood up when others on the floor were struggling. In the Lakers Summer League he showed that he could grasp the triangle very quickly and he became the leader on the floor for that team as well. But now he is in the real NBA. He has to prove himself again just to make the team. He will have to impress the coaches just to get any minutes on the flloor. He will have to play competently once he gets there. Only time will tell if Jordan will become the starting point guard for the Lakers in the years to come. I think he will.

JamFan