So far, Winter likes what he’s seeing

Tex Winter has seen it all, coached it all and even collected it all together in a voluminous book.

Now 84 and in his 60th year of drawing a basketball-related paycheck, the Lakers consultant is known to speak his mind, mixing the good with the bad, whatever price the truth might bear.

In recent years, he has chastised Kobe Bryant for forcing too many shots and criticized Lamar Odom for inconsistency.

So it might come as a surprise that his view of the Lakers’ exhibition season is fairly bullish.

“Of course we’re faced with a number of key injuries, with [Chris] Mihm being out and of course Kobe,” he said. “And we’ve had other guys playing hurt quite a bit. But I think overall our preseason has been very good. They’re very eager.

“I’m well pleased with the attitude they’ve had, especially with Phil [Jackson] being out. [Assistant coach] Kurt Rambis has done an outstanding job. “

Of course, Winter always sees ways to improve. When asked how, he points immediately to the frontcourt.

“We’ve got to solve that post problem some way,” he said. “I just hope that [Andrew] Bynum can get the job done for us. I think as the season goes, he’s going to improve. He’s shown some signs now that I didn’t see previously. He’s getting up and down the floor better, for one thing. It seems to me there had been times where he was stuck in mud.”

Winter also senses a need to spring Odom for more points, supplementing assists and rebounds with more scoring. Odom averaged 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season.

“I’m not sure what it’s going to be, but we’ve got to do something to tear him loose,” Winter said. “He’s a much better basketball player than a guy scoring three or four buckets a ballgame. That’s about all we’ve gotten out of Odom thus far [in exhibition play]. We need to get a whole lot more out of Odom than that if we expect to be a contender. And I think we will. I think he’ll be OK. He’s had a rough summer, a rough time.

“I’m in hopes that Odom can break loose and be the kind of double-figure scorer and double-figure rebounder and defensive player that I think he’s capable of being. I think he’s capable of being one of the very best in the league.”

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The Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 94-91, in an exhibition game Sunday night in San Diego.

Bynum had 16 points and nine rebounds and made eight of nine shots for the Lakers, who had seven players sit out, including Bryant. Bynum had five dunks and two layups.

The Lakers improved to 4-3 in exhibition play. Thursday’s game against Denver is their final exhibition before the opener Oct. 31 against Phoenix.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com