A place for LA Laker fans to gather and discuss basketball's greatest professional team. We can talk about anything from the glory days of the Showtime Era to this years roster or free agent acquisitions that could help the team. Training Camp is here and the team is loaded and poised for another deep run into the playoffs.

Lets talk about them.

My main request is that you keep the language clean and be respectful to opinions that differ from your own.

All are welcome!!

Informal negotiations have already begun, and the Lakers are secure in their belief that a new deal will be signed. For now, Bryant is under contract this season for $23 million and next season for $24.8 million. He can become a free agent by opting out next July, an unlikely possibility because of the expected success of the Lakers and the unpredictable NBA economic climate, where there might not be enough palatable offers for a player scheduled to earn as much as Bryant in the 2010-11 season.

At any rate, Bryant was beaming as he moved from station to station Tuesday at the team training facility, giving radio interviews, posing for photos and looking into TV cameras as he read public-service announcements. He even donned a giant blue foam finger at one point and exclaimed, "Let's go Dodgers."

Lakers center Andrew Bynum looked fit and said he is feeling healthy and ready to help the team defend the NBA championship.

Bynum, who has had problems with his right and left knee the last two seasons, said he might wear a brace on both knees this season.

Bynum missed 46 games during the 2007-08 season with a left knee injury. He missed 32 games last season with a torn ligament in his right knee. Bynum came back this season and played in the playoffs, but he was not the same player.

"Everything is fine with the knee," Bynum said Tuesday during the Lakers' media at the team's training facility. "The knee is 100%."