What is Going on With The Lakers?

Published: 17^th Jan 11 1:35 pm

by brandonlachance
brandonlachance

RANT It!

Going into this season I thought there would be two predictions that could never be wrong: Kevin Durant would be the MVP and the Los Angeles Lakers would return to the NBA finals to attempt another Laker three-peat.

Durant is still in the MVP hunt, but the Lakers look almost down and out in the Western Conference.

What is going on in with the Lakers?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) talks with teammates Matt Barnes, left to right, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Shannon Brown during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago on December 10, 2010. The Bulls won 88-84. UPI/Brian Kersey

There is no doubt about it, Kobe Bryant is the face of the Lakers. But, does that mean he should be the fall guy when things go wrong. From Dec. 21 to Jan. 2 Los Angeles struggled losing to mediocre teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks by 19 points and the Memphis Grizzlies by nine. They also got massacred by the San Antonio Spurs, 35-6, best record in the NBA, and the Miami Heat by 16 points on Christmas.

Everyone was blaming Bryant for shooting too much or not getting anyone on his team involved. But, if you watched Laker games, the rest of the team was motionless on offense or clanking shot opportunities. How is this Bryant’s fault.

He has a winning mentality, his team isn’t doing anything, this means he has to take the game over…not his fault.

The problem is, he might not be able to do it anymore. Bryant has played a ton of games in the last three years including three trips to the finals and playing in the summer Olympics for a gold medal. The miles are piling up and his leg lift doesn’t seem to be where it should be. Defenders are not scared of Bryant in the same way as they used to be.

He is having a harder time beating people off of the dribble and isn’t hitting the miracle shots in the same magnitude as he used to. Is he still the best all around player in the league, yes, but can he win games against top notch teams with three star players, no.

Since the loss to Memphis on Jan. 2, the Lakers went on a seven game winning streak before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers 99-92 on Sunday.

Some of the winning streak credit should go to the schedule because the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets are beyond dismal. On the other hand, the Lakers did defeat the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and the New Orleans Hornets. These three teams are not dismal, but above average.

This shows they can beat teams they’re supposed to beat, but what does this mean in the playoffs when every team in the league is aiming to send the Lakers back to Los Angeles without a ring? The Lakers can’t expect to win a seven game series against teams such as the Spurs or Heat when Pau Gasol gets 13 points a game like he did against the Clippers.

I think it’s crystal clear what’s going on with the Lakers…they’re done winning championships with this squad.

It could be that: Bryant is the only one on the team hungry for another ring, Phil Jackson is losing his zen master skills or Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom fold in pressure under the bright lights against the top teams because we’ve seen and heard all of these claims before.

The toughest thing for Lakers fans could be that it’s all three and the Laker dynasty ends here.