The Trainer's Take  by Mike Trudell Lakers Reporter  The 2012-13
NBA campaign seemed like the longest season of Gary Vitti’s 30
as the team’s head athletic trainer … at least until 2013-14.
After the team lost 186 games to injury in 2012-13, Kobe Bryant
alone missed all but six of the 82 in 2013-14, and Steve Nash
all but 15, as the starting backcourt wasn’t on the floor for
143 of the 319 Lakers games lost to injury. As Vitti explains in
an extended Q&A, some of those games missed may have been due to
an increasingly fast style of play across the NBA, mixed with
increasingly athletic and explosive players putting their bodies
at greater risk than at any point in the league’s history.
Vitti also touched on his relationship with good friend/former
player he trained/new head coach Byron Scott, his expectations
for the health of Bryant (good!) and Nash (we’ll see…) heading
into 2014-15 and more.  Below is a transcription of the
conversation:  Mike Trudell: I know you have a very strong
personal relationship wi