Will the Lakers be "the family circus"

An early season 94-80 loss to the Dallas Mavericks have Mark Cuban and a few others saying I told you so. I know it's early in the season, but the Lakers looked bad last night, in the process making Mavericks owner Mark Cuban seem prophetic. During the preseason he said that the Ron Artest signing would open the door for others in the Western Conference. True things weren't working last night but i'm sure Phil Jackson will get everything straightned out and Kobe Bryant will make sure everyone stays on the same page. Another potential distraction is Lamar Odom. With the high profile marriage to reality tv Khloe Kardashian, he'll have more cameras following him than he had before. Odom usually keeps out of the spotlight, now he's being thrust into it. Hopefully he can keep his mind on his game and not crumble under the increased attention he gets away from the arena. An immense talent, he's always had a tendency to drift and disappear during games. Although this seems like a recipe for trouble i think the Lakers will overcome this circus atmosphere to remain kings of the west until proven otherwise.

Quick note on college basketball

The NCAA head honchos are thinking of of putting a new rule in place that would prevent coaches from hiring outsiders as assistants and camp counselors. This would hopefully end the "package deal" that we frequently see in college basketball. The deal where the college coach hires or pays an AAU coach or a "handler" so the kid will go to his school. Personally I hope this goes through that way it levels the playing field somewhat in the world of college basketball. Also it would show who the true recruiters are and kids choosing a school based on the program alone rather than going somewhere because someone was paid.