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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eranda444" data-source="post: 11519485" data-attributes="member: 34580"><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/news/features/2011-pacific-preview/PAC-preview-608.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Pacific Division: State of transition runs deep in divisionSuddenly, everyone in the Pacific Division is going for redemption or rebuilding. Even the Lakers. They stepped into the unwelcome classification too after not merely losing in the playoffs, which happened before during the run as the dominant team in the West, but after being embarrassed in the second round of the playoffs.So, let the climb back begin, together.<img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/news/features/2011-pacific-preview/lal_pm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />2010-11 record: 57-25Finish: First in Pacific DivisionPlayoffs: Defeated New Orleans in Western Conference first round (4-2), lost to Dallas in Western Conference semifinals (4-0)Strengths: You say aging fast, they say experienced. If the Lakers know what it takes to win a championship, or at least make a long playoff run, then they surely know what it takes to get back. Having that kind of fire lit under them -- volcano is more like it -- will be a big part of the back story as the league watches to see how they respond to the second-round no-show against the Mavericks. Any roster that includes Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum can never be counted out.Challenges: This is a veteran team that has played, and won, with the Phil Jackson system and now gets the transition to new coach Mike Brown. There will undoubtedly be an adjustment period. Needing a couple months to sync up will be fine. Needing much of the regular season will increase the frustration level that went skyward late in 2010-11. And if health issues again force Bryant to the sideline for practices, as was the case last season, the challenge multiples.Outlook: For all the wreckage of the playoffs, this is still a 50-win team that will remain a factor in the West until proven otherwise. It's just that maybe the Lakers have started the proving process. The sweep by the Mavericks was that damning. Now the Lakers get a long chance to show that was a bad moment at the very wrong time, not the beginning of the end.This could make a difference: The Lakers are one of the few contenders that could realistically be looking at multiple lineup changes, to an extent that would have seemed very unlikely at the start of last season. Brown has none of the loyalty to Derek Fisher in the way that Jackson offered unwavering support. The flip side is that no one has shown the ability to replace Fisher. That's not the case if Brown wants to pull Ron Artest -- Odom can be dropped in at small forward.</blockquote>

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