Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott is aware that most analysts are already counting them out, but he vowed to silence their critics in the upcoming 2014-15 NBA season.

Scott said in an interview before their training camp started on Tuesday that he is motivated to help the Lakers bounce back big time from one of the worst season in franchise history after finishing with a measly 27-55 record last season.

The Lakers are not included among the projected title contenders in the upcoming season with some saying that they might not even reach the playoffs. But for Scott, the negative things that he has been hearing about the team over the past several weeks is just motivating him to work harder and prove that they are among the elites.

"I love the fact that pretty much everyone has written us off," Scott said via ESPN Los Angeles. "That's obviously fuel to the fire. Obviously I'm going to use that to my ability to talk to our players about how people are viewing us as a basketball team."

Scott is confident that the Lakers will regain respectability this year mainly because of Kobe Bryant, who is set to make his return from a knee injury he sustained in his sixth game last season following his recovery from an Achilles tendon surgery.

The 53-year-old coach said that he expects Bryant to play 82 games in the upcoming season and average around 23-24 points per game. Scott added, though, that managing the 36-year-old's minutes is very crucial.

"I expect him to play 82 games and to play well," Scott said of Bryant. "He's a guy who's still going to average 23, 24 points per game. The biggest thing is for him to stay healthy and keeping his minutes to a minimum where he can play those 82 games."

Bryant, who averaged 13.8 points to go along with 6.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game last season, said that he felt good after practicing for more than two hours on Tuesday.

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