The Los Angeles Lakers will defend their NBA title with a team that looks better than last year’s squad. If Andrew Bynum can stay out of his own way, and Ron Artest falls into line like Kobe and Phil want him to, they’ll represent the West in the NBA Finals.

Phil Jackson knows repeating is difficult and he’s laid out a couple of plans to get the team ready. He wants to familiarize Ron-Ron with his new environment and to limit the players use of social networking sites. Read the full story