But their offseason joyride didn't end there. They then went out and acquired 6x All-Star and 3x Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard. D12 is the best true center in the NBA, and he is still very young at only 27 years old. The most glaring part is, the Lakers didn't even give up much to acquire him. It was a four team deal which sent their current big man, Andrew Bynum, to Philadelphia who flipped Andre Iguodala to Denver, and saw Denver send a package focused on Arron Afflalo to Orlando. It seemed the Lakers were practically given the best big man in the NBA, and they could now pair him with the aforementioned Nash, Pau Gasol and, of course, one of the best players to ever lace up his shoes in Kobe Bryant.
The screenplay was written, the stars were together, and now the Lakers just had to go through the motions before, inevitably, reaching the playoffs and making their run to the finals to try and hoist their 17th banner. It all seemed like it would be a cakewalk. Then the season started.
First, Nash goes down in the second game with a broken bone in his leg and subsequently misses nearly 7 weeks. Then, they get off the blocks slow and hobble out to a 1-4 start, ultimately costing head coach Mike Brown his job. So they go out and hire Mike D'Antoni, Nash's former head coach, and an offensive mastermind. The only problem is nothing has gotten better. The defense has somehow gotten worse, Gasol has been uncharacteristically ineffective and injured, Howard is still bouncing back to form after offseason back surgery and more recently injured his shoulder in a loss to the Nuggets. The lone bright spot this season has been the Black Mamba, KB24.Bryant has had his most efficient season in years, leading the league in scoring and currently shooting the highest field goal percentage of his 17 year career. He had been forced to handle the role of primary ball handler with Nash out, and he was efficient in it, yet prone to turnovers. Like the rest of the Lakers, his biggest weakness has been his defense. As a whole, LA is allowing the 5th most points per game and letting opponents shoot a ridiculous 45% from the field. The offense is holding their own, scoring the 4th most PPG in the league and also shooting 45% themselves, but the virtual nonexistence of the defense is killing them.
They're constantly getting beat in transition and allowing younger, more athletic teams to run all over them. They're in the midst of a 6 game losing streak, allowing an unheard of 112 PPG in those losses. Their scoring defense is so bad it makes even the biggest sieves blush. Due to their inability to stop even the simplest offensive sets, their record now stands at 15-21 and good enough for 11th place in the Western Conference. Traditionally, teams in the west need at least 45 wins to even make the playoffs, and at this rate the Lakers might be hard-pressed to even reach the 40 win plateau. Combine that with Gasol currently sitting out with a concussion, Howard still sitting with his injured shoulder, Jordan Hill being done for the season, and Kobe Bryant's ever-growing frustration and you have a recipe that is on a fast track to disaster.
To even have a chance at sniffing the playoffs, the Lakers need to go 30-16 to wrap up the year, and given the disarray of the current team, that seems like a long shot to say the least. Their best chance at a title will probably come in 2014, assuming Howard re-signs, when they have a full training camp with their new coach and system, and everyone at full strength. Unfortunately, Kobe isn't getting any younger and neither is Steve Nash.
If the Lakers don't have a dramatic, Oscar-worthy turnaround this year, then they'll have to place all their bets on 2014 because there's no way Kobe, or an organization as esteemed as the Lakers, will let this franchise hit a permanent downward spiral. If things continue to get uglier, it could be an abrupt fade to black on the stars in the Staples Center.
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