Following one of the worst off-seasons in recent memory, the Los Angeles Lakers franchise is facing an uphill battle in the wake of the Chris Paul trade that never was. Now, the team must put this behind them and focus on reasserting itself among the elite teams in the Western Conference.

Here are five keys to their success in 2011-2012:

1. Stay Healthy

It is difficult to quantify just how big of a setback Lamar Odom’s departure will create. The area that will suffer the most as a result is depth. Now, it will be extremely important that the likes of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant all make it through the shortened season virtually injury free. Should there be a significant injury to any one of the Lakers’ three best players, the season will be in jeopardy and another early exit in the playoffs is a likely result.

2. Embrace the new system

Mike Brown will stress defense in his first year as Lakers head coach just as he has throughout his NBA coaching career. The team will need to play to its strength of front court length and dominate the paint and exploit its mismatches down low. The team was sixth in defensive rating in the 2010-2011 season and will likely need to improve in that category to have a chance at a deep playoff run.

3. Follow Kobe

Bryant is 33 years old and is in his 16th NBA season. He has made the playoffs in all but one of those seasons. What that equates to is a lot of wear and tear on the most valuable body in the organization. Lakers fans can only hope that the extra time off because of the NBA lockout allowed Bryant some much needed rest and recovery. According to Bryant himself, that’s exactly what he got . This season, the team will need him to be among the league’s leaders in scoring. It remains to be seen how his latest injury, a sprained wrist, will affect him throughout the year.

4. Find an answer at Point Guard

With Derek Fisher in the twilight of his career and Steve Blake’s inconsistent play last season, the Lakers need to solidify the point guard position, especially defensively. Failing to acquire Chris Paul was a huge blow, and they will have to improve significantly to return to prominence. The best case scenario is that rookie Darius Morris is able to acclimate quickly to the NBA game and contribute right away. Youth is desperately needed on the defensive side of the ball, and he and fellow rookie Andrew Goudelock will be called upon to provide just that.

5. Play with something to prove

Last season’s playoff exit was embarrassing. The team needs to rally around the fact that its last game was simply not Lakers basketball. They need to prove to themselves, their opponents, and fans that they have not lost their identity as a classy, winning franchise. For the first time in a number of years, there are a lot of questions surrounding the team that need to be answered. The Lakers definitely have a chip on their shoulders in 2012, and they need to play like it.

Michael C. Jones is a southern California native and Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports, following all news and developments related to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Follow Michael on Twitter: @MJisyourhomeboy

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A bizarre offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers has left many unsure what to
expect from one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.

Expectations couldn’t get much higher for reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the
Chicago Bulls despite not much of an offseason stir.

It appears a banged-up Kobe Bryant will play in the season opener as the
Lakers host Rose and the Bulls in a much-anticipated Christmas Day matchup.

After failing to work out a trade for Orlando’s Dwight Howard and seeing its
deal for star point guard Chris Paul – who ultimately landed with the crosstown
Clippers – rejected by the league, Los Angeles enters the season with plenty of
uncertainty.

Former coach and 11-time champion Phil Jackson’s retirement will certainly
take time getting used to, and sending Lamar Odom – a key member of the 2008-09
and 2009-10 title teams – to Dallas for a 2012 first-round pick only fueled the
frenzy surrounding the Lakers.

“I’ve never quite seen something like this unfold,” said Bryant, who expects
to play despite recently tearing a ligament in his right wrist. “Phil (Jackson)
called it years ago. It’s kind of become somewhat of a mess, but I think
everybody is glad that it’s behind them and everybody can move and just talk
about the teams and the season.”

Despite going 57-25 last season to claim a fourth consecutive Pacific
Division crown, the Lakers were ultimately swept by the Mavericks in last
season’s conference semifinals.

Though it was rumored four-time All-Star Pau Gasol was upset about being
part of the Paul deal that fell through, his presence along with that of Bryant
still makes a 17th ring for the Lakers a possibility. However, getting
accustomed to new coach Mike Brown’s system will be a big adjustment as well.

“It’s going to be different, but we still have a lot of talent,” Gasol said.
“We can still have a great season.”

So can Chicago, which likes its chances of contending for a title behind
Rose.

Averaging 25.0 points and 7.7 assists to become the youngest MVP in league
history, Rose – who recently turned 23 – led the Bulls to a league-best 62-20
record in 2010-11 before they fell to Miami in the conference finals.

Chicago hardly changed the roster, with the notable exception of Richard
Hamilton’s addition, and the strong returning corps of Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos
Boozer and Luol Deng has Bulls fans excited about what lies ahead.

“Our goal is to win a championship, and I think that we have a decent shot
with the guys that we have coming back,” said Rose, fresh off signing a
five-year, $94.8 million extension. “I have a lot of belief in my teammates, and
I know that they have a lot of belief in me and a lot of confidence in me as a
player. That’s all we need.”

Chicago stands to greatly benefit from the acquisition of Hamilton, who
signed a three-year, $15 million deal after being bought out by Detroit. The
12-year veteran has averaged 17.7 points for his career and figures to provide
the Bulls with a consistent scoring threat at shooting guard, something they
clearly lacked last season.

“They were already a great team before me, and I felt it was an opportunity
where I could help,” Hamilton said.

While Chicago will undoubtedly lean on Rose, having Noah and Boozer stay
healthy and contribute consistently also will be key. They missed a combined 57
games last season, and Chicago went 24-5 with both big men in the lineup.

“I felt like we had the team – we still do – to win the whole thing,” said
Deng, who averaged 17.4 points last season. “But going into this year, we’ve got
to focus on us – what we’ve learned from it and how we can get better. We can’t
just focus on one team. There are a lot of good teams in the East, but we’ve
just got to focus on where we’ve got to get better and what we’ve got to do this
year.”

Noah and Boozer won’t have to worry about defending Lakers center Andrew
Bynum, who will begin serving what is now a four-game suspension for making
unnecessary and excessive contact with Dallas’ J.J. Barea in the playoffs.
Bynum’s punishment was reduced by one game due to the shortened season.

His absence surely won’t make things easier on Brown, who planned to move
Metta World Peace to the bench this season but could start the former Ron Artest
while Bynum is out.

“I’m going into the season knowing that this is my team, and I’m happy about
it,” Brown said. “I’m going to coach this team right here, and I’ll let the
perceptions swell. At the end of the season, we’ll see how it all shook out.”

The Lakers had taken seven straight meetings in this series before losing
the most recent one, 88-84 in Chicago last Dec. 10.

Read More: Matt Barnes (F – LAL), Devin Ebanks (F – LAL), Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a tumultuous last few weeks, but the team gained some sense of stability on Friday as head coach Mike Brown named Devin Ebanks the starter at small forward. Ebanks, a second year wing out of West Virginia, was in a close battle with Matt Barnes for the starting spot in practice and eventually won out with the season opener less than two days away. Here is the story from Andy Kamenetzky:

Brown opted to go with Ebanks, despite the forward’s lack of NBA experience. As a rookie in the 2010-11 season, Ebanks averaged just 5.9 minutes and 3.1 points per game and appeared in only 20 contests before suffering a season-ending stress fracture on his left tibia in March.

However, Ebanks’ improvement was immediately evident during a strong training camp, and he scored eight points in less than 13 minutes on Wednesday during the Lakers’ second preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I learned about it today after practice,” said Ebanks. “I’m just ready to go out there and play now.” Brown thought Ebanks “did a nice job.”

There are players around the league the Lakers would rather have than Ebanks, but it may do the team some good to get some fresh legs on the court. LA has aged in recent seasons and Ebanks may be able to provide a nice spark, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

For more on the Lakers, head on over to Silver Screen and Roll.

On Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second straight preseason game to the Los Angeles Clippers 108-103. Kobe Bryant sat out the matchup with a torn ligament in his right wrist.

Normally, an exhibition game between two teams means absolutely nothing. However, with the all of the drama surrounding the Lakers and Clippers, including Chris Paul trade, I think this year’s preseason series has some importance.

With Kobe Bryant on the bench, the Lakers are definitely in trouble. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol performed well inside, and Metta World Peace was decent off the bench, but the team doesn’t have the speed on the perimeter to keep up with the Clippers. The Lakers are going to have the same problems they had last year with strong backcourts. Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams gave the Lakers problems in both games, and that won’t change whether it’s in the preseason or not.

However, the Lakers frontcourt is still the team’s strength, even without the traded Lamar Odom. Bynum was especially dominant on Tuesday night with 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting with 11 rebounds. Both Bynum and Gasol have performed well in both games despite limited minutes. At the moment, I’ll take the Bynum/Gasol team over the Clippers’ Tyson Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

There is another factor that bears mentioning. The Lakers roster hasn’t settled yet. That was evident in the first game, and it remained the same on Tuesday night. Jason Kapono and Matt Barnes were non-factors in both games, and the rest of the Lakers bench has shown little consistency.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have found effective bench players in Randy Foye, Brian Cook and Mo Williams among others. Each of them had their moments in the two-game set against the Lakers, and they should be able to produce when needed throughout the season.

Overall, if there is anything we can take from the exhibition series, it’s that the Lakers’ weaknesses from last season are still there, and the Clippers roster has settled more quickly than their rivals. If the Lakers don’t find a way to seal up some of their holes, this could be the year the Clippers pass them.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers since childhood. His favorite Lakers’ moment is when they beat the Detroit Pistons 108-105 in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

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When the Los Angeles Lakers donated Lamar Odom to the defending champions and the Nets emerged as the frontrunners to acquire Dwight Howard, I wondered:

Are the curtains being brought down on the Kobe Bryant era in L.A.?

In spite of the fact that Byrant had publicly lobbied for both his former teammate Brian Shaw to receive the head coaching job and for keeping the championship nucleus together, the Lakers hired head coach Mike Brown without consulting the Mamba and attempted to blow up the team, twice.

Then, Los Angeles shipped a gift-wrapped Sixth Man of the Year to the Dallas Mavericks, and we all knew Kobe would be furious.

To put Kobe Bryant’s frustration into perspective, he actually joked recently that he’d like to be traded to the Miami Heat and said of the Lakers: “I think we’re terrible … we’re going to be worse [than last year].”

Jokes aside, almost every comment out of Kobe lately is negative. His remarks range from sarcastic to fatalistic and his friend and ESPN insider Stephen A. Smith appeared on SportsCenter and predicted that “Kobe Bryant will demand a trade, and I am not budging from that. He’s livid. I’ve known Kobe too long. He is ticked off.”

Smith added that: “It’s not just because [the Clippers] got Chris Paul, which is a guy that he expected to have. It’s because Jim Buss seems to be doing the inexplicable. … It makes no sense. It’s one thing for the team not to have improved [after losing to the Mavericks], it’s another thing entirely for them to regress. If you know anything about Kobe, that is the last thing that he wants to do.”

Now, it should be noted that in a recent interview with Yahoo’s Marc Spears, Kobe dismissed this notion. When asked if he wanted to stay a Laker, Kobe said: “Of course. No question. Why not? I’ve been here for 16 years. I’m going to up and leave now? … I’ve been with this organization. I like being here. I like playing for the purple and gold. This is where I want to finish up.”

That said, I agree with Stephen A.’s prediction, anyway. I remember back during the Shaq years and even a few years after, Kobe always maintained that he wanted to retire a Laker. Saying that—and even genuinely believing it—didn’t stop a disgruntled Kobe from demanding a trade in 2007, however.

Now, with Pau offended by recent events, Bynum saying he doesn’t really care where he plays and Kobe habitually usurped and disregarded by the Lakers’ front office, I see this situation unfolding similarly.

Unless Los Angeles can trade for Dwight Howard or make other significant moves that make the team a legitimate contender, expect Kobe to demand a trade as soon as he starts feeling helpless again.

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Top 5 Reasons Dwight Howard will join the Los Angeles Lakers

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Interview: Shaq threatened to kill Kobe

How the Los Angeles Lakers can land Dwight Howard

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