LOS ANGELES _ NBA teams can have up to 20 players during the offseason before trimming their rosters to 15 for the regular season. That means the bench area can become a crowded place. Often the players at the bottom of the team's totem pole wind up sitting on the floor while their more prominent teammates get spots on the bench _ whether they're playing or not.
That's what made one scene Friday night during an exhibition game against Golden State in San Francisco so amusing.
Five players sat on the ground behind the baseline, with their knees bent or legs crossed, watching the game.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Danny Green, Talen Horton-Tucker and Quinn Cook.
None of them were playing in the Lakers' exhibition finale against the Golden State Warriors, and they left the comfortable chairs to the rest of their teammates. It was a final night off before a season heavy with expectation was set to begin.
"Productive," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said when asked about the preseason. "I think we're working through the obstacle that was the China trip and the fatigue that goes along with that. And we still have a long way to go. But I'm happy with where we are in terms of implementing our system. We're a couple days away from opening night; let's give it a go."
Vogel was coy on who he intended to start opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers but has offered hints during the last month. In their first practice of training camp his starting group was James, Davis, Green, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee.
He altered that lineup slightly in the first exhibition game and on Wednesday, which was the last in which most of his veterans played. James, Davis, McGee and Green were joined by Avery Bradley to start those games.
