Lakers coach Phil Jackson is readying himself for any possible distractions this season.

"Hopefully it'll be a camp in which nothing too exciting is done and we get through this thing," Jackson told the Associated Press. "You have a hell month in basketball and this is it."

The Lakers won't just be defending their NBA title, but also working Ron Artest into the lineup and dealing with Lamar Odom's pending Hollywood marriage.

"On paper we certainly are a better team," Jackson added, "but sometimes it's chemistry that counts between players and how they work together."