Kobe knows the Lakers are on the sideline for the title chase. (Photo: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE)

The writing is on the wall and every one of the Lakers has read it. This team just can’t compete for a championship. At least not right now. Their struggles on the road more than illustrate all of the team’s shortcomings and last night’s loss in Philly punctuated all of those.

These are not the Showtime Lakers. This team couldn’t outrun Kevin Duckworth on a nightly basis.

This team looks nothing like that last two dynasties we saw built in Los Angeles.

This team’s recipe for success is simple. Play stifling defense and grind out wins.

There is no production from the bench. The point guard position is a black hole. Outside of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum there is absolutely no offense to speak of.

This team is fatally flawed and unless they’re playing perfect hoops every night then the Lakers’ odds of winning significantly decreases.

Mike Brown is already going to the desperation move of getting tossed in hopes of firing up his squad. That failed miserably. So, what’s next?

The only thing left to do is shakeup the roster and not in the manner in which Lamar Odom was dealt for a deck of cards and a bag of spicy peanuts. In order for this team to have any chance of being a contender they’ll need Mitch Kupchak to make a major move. An upgrade is in the cards and any man not named Kobe should keep their bags packed.
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Kobe Bryant: “Our margin for error isn’t that big” - Lake Show Life - Lake Show Life - A Los Angeles Lakers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

A historic night for Bryant ended badly for the Lakers. (Photo: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Kobe Bryant might have been the headliner but Lou Williams stole the show. After an amazing first half that saw KB24 drop 24 and move ahead of Shaq on the all-time scoring list it would be Williams that took over in the clutch and put this game to sleep.

No real surprise that the Lakers would struggle on offense. That is nothing new plus the 76ers are the league’s best defensive unit. What was tough to digest was seeing the Lakers’ offense revert to standing around and watching Kobe with the game on the line.

Bryant’s second half was equally forgettable to how memorable his first half was.  4 second half points was all Bryant could amount to while Williams hit clutch shot after clutch shot to the lead Sixers with 24 points and most important to a 95-90 win.

This road trip is at his midpoint and what we’ve come to expect of this Laker team continues.

John Kuester took his turn running the show while Mike Brown sat in the hotel and ate a cheesesteak. Brown will be back on the bench in Boston having served his one game suspension for the Utah meltdown. However tonight it didn’t matter who was calling the shots.

As usual Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum were the only Lakers in double figures. Gasol and Bynum combined for 36 points and 31 rebounds. You’d think those numbers would ensure victory.

That’s not the case when the Lakers start getting away from getting the ball inside instead relying on the let-Kobe-do-it-all approach.
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Lakers Fail In Philly - Lake Show Life - Lake Show Life - A Los Angeles Lakers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More