In 2000 the LA Lakers won the NBA Championship. Can Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers top scorer, and the team win again in 2001? They think so, because they have a new player – Isaiah Rider. But the 29-year-old has had problems with his other teams. Will Rider's problems follow him to LA? Or will the bad boy of the NBA help his new team to win?

Lakers coach Phil Jackson wants Rider in the team because he is an excellent player. He usually scores about 19 points in a game. The Lakers' top scorer is still O'Neal, he scores almost 30 points in a game. But O'Neal wasn't fit all of the time last season. Jackson knows that the Lakers need a new star. Maybe it will be Rider.

There were lots of problems with Rider's first three NBA teams. He missed practices. He took drugs. He sometimes pushed and kicked the other team. He was even rude to fans. His Atlanta team was angry when Rider said, ‘This is not a strong team. That's why you've got to give the ball to me‘.

Can coach Jackson control Rider? Jackson's style is unusual. He is usually calm during games. He tries to make the team ‘think as one’. Jackson says that this is like ‘making love’. People have called Jackson ‘the philosopher coach’, because of his interest in Eastern thought. Jackson is probably the only coach who makes players read books! But Jackson isn't soft. If he isn't happy about something, the players soon know! When Jackson was coach for the Chicago Bulls, many people thought that they were the best team ever. They won the championship five times in seven years. Even Michael Jordan's game became much better with Jackson's help.

But Jackson has already had problems with Rider. Once, Rider was late for practice. (His excuse was that his shoes weren't tied!) He got another fine because he didn't go to see a doctor. And he got a third fine because he wasn't thinking about his team enough during the game. Lakers player Ron Harper says, 'Isaiah has to learn – either he has to do it Phil Jackson's way or he won't be in the team!'

Is Jackson's plan working? Will Rider be in the team? The Lakers played the season's first game on October 31. They won against Portland (one of Rider's old teams). Rider scored 13 points – only O’Neal scored more. But the season has only just begun.