Insider: Will Kobe and PJax be Ready ?

It says so right in my first batch of Power Rankings for the new season.
The Los Angeles Lakers, just to maintain their spot in the West's top eight, might need even more from Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant than they got last season.

Which might not even be possible now.

Friday's disclosure that the Zenmeister needs an immediate hip replacement means he'll likely be unable to coach any of training camp or the exhibition season and perhaps even longer than that. The Lakers are hopeful Jackson will be ready for their Halloween Night season opener against Phoenix, but that would be a faster-than-normal recovery.

The natural question: Why didn't Jackson, who has been hobbling noticeably for years, have the hip replacement soon after last season? The answer: Jackson badly wanted to avoid an operation and was counting on physical therapy and rest to get him sufficiently mobile for Year 2 of his three-year contract.

That'll have to go down as a rare miscalculation for Jackson, who doesn't have any more offseason left to take care of this. About a week ago, with the 61-year-old's condition steadily worsening instead of improving, Phil finally conceded that he had no other option.

On top of that, don't forget, there's no guarantee Kobe will be ready for Opening Night, either. That's because Bryant waited until July to get his right knee cleaned up, instead of doing it in May, forcing him to withdraw from Team USA's World Championship roster. The Lakers won't know if their new No. 24 will be able to start the season until they get a decent look at him in camp.

Too early to be so panicky, you say? You're entitled to that view . . . but then look at the competition out West. There are five non-playoff teams -- Houston, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Golden State, Utah and Minnesota -- that legitimately believe they've improved enough to bump Memphis, Sacramento or Denver.

Or Phil and Kobe's Lakers, for whom a bumpy and/or limping start looks inevitable.