User:Twlighter/2006-07 Los Angeles

The 2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 58th in the NBA and 61st overall. The year began with the team attempting to advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Ultimately, even though team Captain Kobe Bryant was the leading NBA scorer with 31.6 PPG, the Lakers were eliminated in five games in a rematch against the Phoenix Suns.

Roster changes
In the 2006 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected Jordan Farmar, the PG for UCLA. The Lakers also made more draft day noise by cutting J.R. Pinnock and Von Wafer. Along with the cuts, Los Angelos traded their 51st pick(Cheick Samb) to the Detroit Pistons for SF Maurice Evans.

Regular season
The Lakers started their season opener hosting the Phenoix Suns, the team who knocked them out of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant was out, allowing Maurice Evans to play in his place. Centers Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm were out on injury, forcing Bynum in their place.

Even with two of their starters out on injuries, it didn't seem to affect the team, as Odom led the team until Bryant recovered. The next night at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors, Odom had stats, almost recording his first triple-double of the season, 22 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. Ronny Turiaf, known for his sideline celebrations, had career-highs in almost every catogary, including 23 points and nine rebounds for a 110-98 win. Bryant also sat this out.

The Lakes finished the first month 11-5.