NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers’ Chemistry Already An Issue

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By @AnthonyIrwinNBA

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant shot 24 times in the first half on Sunday. The halftime score after that bombardment of Mamba bombs was Golden State Warriors 74, Los Angeles Lakers 55. After the game (a 136-115 drubbing), another type of bomb was dropped as Carlos Boozer took it upon himself to criticize Kobe’s happy trigger trigger, telling the press that team has to “find a balance.”

Forget for a second that it’s Boozer of all people picking apart shot selection. Twitter was abuzz with fans proclaiming their hatred for the man with the reappearing hairline. “Trade him!” They said. “Waive him!” Yelled others. The Lakers can’t trade or waive him. Well, yes, they could waive him, but they’d still be on the hook for his contract, which runs through the end of the season.

Boozer makes a valid point, however, and he isn’t alone in making it. Jeremy Lin’also made some telling comments, saying that a self-centered approach is “sometimes … detrimental to the team.”

Both guys picked their words as if they uttered them with a gun to their head. Bryant was less careful, and incited crime for some reason:

“Obviously I’d rather get guys involved early, but if a purse gets stolen in front of you, how many blocks are you going to let the guy run? You going to chase him down and keep him in sight yourself or just wait for the authorities to get there, or decide to let him run and wait for the authorities to get there? It’s a tough thing.”

However, the only crimes occurring at Staples Center on Sunday, and most of this young season, are those that the Lakers are committing against the game of basketball.

Bryant attempted 11 shots in the first quarter, and the score was 34-23 Warriors after one. Yes, the Lakers were down double digits after only one quarter, but by no stretch was a crime being committed. Bryant may claim that he wanted to get players on track to start, but shooting 11 times (not including the shots he was fouled on) is not exactly spreading the wealth.

Part of the blame also rests with Bryant’s good friend, head coach Byron Scott. The thinking when he was hired was that he might be able to rein in the player he once mentored. Listen to Scott’s quotes about Bryant; it sounds a lot like something you’d find on a Lakers fan site message board. Until Scott, Lin or Boozer do more than passive-aggressive press conferences, Bryant will shoot away.

Winning changes everything. The age-old cliche holds truth. The problem is, winning streaks will be few and far between for this Lakers team. The chemistry will have to be built from within without the help of results. Based on what the players are saying, and more importantly the team’s production, the issue will probably get worse before things turn around.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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