EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Shaquille O'Neal is said to have shed up to 20 pounds. Brian Shaw lost 15 pounds no one asked him to lose. Kobe Bryant cropped his hair close to the scalp and made his biceps swell significantly. Rick Fox took up tennis and did something basketball-related every day of the summer but four, by his count. Derek Fisher worked out all summer because, for the first time in three summers, he wasn't coming off foot surgery and could actually stand upright.

You come to the Laker Compound near LAX and you hear all these stories and you sense something pretty quickly about the thrice-defending champions.

They're into it. Already.

	Kobe Bryant, who added muscle over the summer, showed off his new physique on Media Day.

"It's tough," Bryant chirped. "It must be frustrating. We don't go anywhere."

It's often said that injury or boredom -- or now the Sacramento Kings -- are the only forces that can prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from extending their championship run, in this case from three straight titles to four. Much as L.A. loathes to say anything nice about the newest of the forces, the Kings' ability to drag the Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference finals has clearly snapped the champs to attention. It made them determined to start the season healthy and the furthest thing from bored.

The Lakers desperately want to seize a record 10th ring for coach Phil Jackson. As a team, they're looking to haul themselves past George Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers (1952-54) and two editions of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls (1991-93 and 1996-98) with a fourth consecutive championship. It would be the longest uninterrupted domination since Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics owned the trophy from 1959 through '66.

That's why O'Neal hopped aboard a treadmill this week earlier than the doctors wanted him to, hoping to prove that his recovery from toe surgery will happen faster than the docs expect. Shaq suddenly wants to be available for the bulk of the season, instead of complaining that the 82 games should be pared to 55, and that's how the whole team seems. Fox reveals that the mission started on the bus ride home from title No. 3 back in June.

"Guys were asking each other, 'What are you doing this summer?' " Fox said. "Every day I didn't do something basketball-related, I felt guilty. I was obsessed with it.

"We're our biggest challenge. In the past we've had to fight through boredom and fight through injuries. Right now the challenge is clear. You can see it. Last year, it was kind of hazy. The challenge is to be one of the best teams ever. We have a chance to do something ridiculously special, and this opportunity is not going to come again in our lives. It's as clear as day."

It's also in total contrast to July through October, circa 2001. "After our second one," Fox said, "I know we were completely exhausted as a group." To wit, even Bryant admitted to being "a bum" that summer, and he's the Lakers' resident workout zealot. Bryant and Jackson were also dealing with deaths in the family during Camp 2001 … while O'Neal and Fisher were injured already … and Devean George was fretting over an uncertain contract situation.

Now? Fox smiles broadly when asked to identify the tone-setter for camp, saying simply: "Shaq had his surgery." The result is a tangible looseness/focus that has the Lakers feeling unusually frisky for Halloween, which should be useful in the face of a challenging first seven games. Shaq, meanwhile, has started in on the Kings with the trash talk earlier than anyone can remember him paying attention to a rival. Once you drag him off the Stairmaster he hopped aboard after practice, Fox can also tell you what that means.

"When he's talking about having a big season and coming back with a vengeance, that's exciting," Fox said of O'Neal. "Because I know Shaq usually backs that up."

Throw George into the ready-to-go group mentioned above after signing for four seasons at $21 million. One reason Fox is on that Stairmaster: George will be coming hard after his minutes at small forward.

	“	Conditioning-wise, we're probably in the best shape collectively since Phil has been here. In some respects, June is a long way away, but we've found satisfaction in the fact that everybody's really giddy about getting into this season. ”
		— Derek Fisher

For the most part, though, the Lakers aren't likely to look much different than you remember them, barring long-term setbacks to O'Neal or Bryant that would obviously change everything. Samaki Walker figures to play more on knees that are cooperating better. Walker and George, like Bryant, spent much of the offseason in the gym, adding a little bulk.

Newcomers Tracy Murray and rookie Kareem Rush also have the potential to help -- Murray as the 3-point threat L.A. always needs (outside shooting remains a Laker shortcoming), and Rush as a long-limbed guard prospect Jackson pushed for. Just remember, though, that Jackson rarely plays the newbies, no matter how much it makes sense to outsiders. Robert Horry, the modern-day Mr. Clutch, will continue to join Fox and Fisher as the primary sidekicks to O'Neal and Bryant. George, Walker and probably the slimmed-down Shaw are next in line.

If there is a surprise, it could come from center Soumaila Samake, the smash of camp. Samake is the only other legit 7-footer Jackson has, and O'Neal and Bryant have lobbied for the Lakers to keep the former New Jersey Net who didn't play college basketball. Yet it's owner Jerry Buss' preference that general manager Mitch Kupchak keep only the minimum 12 on the Lakers' roster because of luxury-tax concerns, which would leave Walker and Slava Medvedenko as Jackson's center options behind O'Neal.

Then again, perhaps we've already seen and heard the early surprise. You come to the Laker Compound near LAX in the preseason and get no loud complaints about how far away the finish line feels.

"There are probably still going to be times during the season where we want to get to June," Fisher said. "We're going to be tooling around in January and going, 'Oh, there's a long way to go to the good part.' There will be stretches where we probably won't play NBA Finals basketball, especially with Shaq out.

"But, conditioning-wise, we're probably in the best shape collectively since Phil has been here. In some respects, June is a long way away, but we've found satisfaction in the fact that everybody's really giddy about getting into this season."

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. E-mail him at marc.stein@espn3.com.