Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
If you didn’t see a single Lakers game this season and only knew of their struggles via the delusional ramblings of Jim Buss then you’d assume everyone else is overreacting. According to Buss all of the Lakers problems are the direct result of injuries and there is no need to push the panic button.
Never mind the fact that a team built to win now is off to the worst start in franchise history since drafting one Kobe Bryant.
You’d also have to ignore the current five game losing streak which just so happens to be the worst such streak in over six years.
But not too worry…Dwight Howard will be back next year, Mike D’Anonti is a great coach and all that’s happening is the Lakers are taking the same route the L.A. Kings did to winning the Stanley Cup.
That’s pretty much what Buss had to say yesterday about how awful this season has gone. So those of you that were worried about the Lakers missing the playoffs all together don’t lose too much sleep. Buss sees the glass as overflowing.
Look, I get that given his position Buss must be completely optimistic when discussing this disaster. However a little slice of humble pie would go a long way in fixing this mess.
Without a doubt injuries have played a very large role in the team’s struggles. But that does not excuse a complete lack of effort on most nights and by no means is it acceptable for a team wit the nucleus of Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard to be completely out of the playoff picture half way through the season.
Buss has to be positive. But he also needs to face the facts.
Things are not improving regardless of the injury issues. That’s an indictment on the coaching staff. The biggest problem of all is L.A.’s total lack of defense and for that D’Antoni never will have an answer.
If Buss doesn’t think the time to panic is now then let’s hope he doesn’t take the same approach when it come time to try and re-sell the franchise to free agent Dwight Howard.
Of course even Buss must be able to count. Simple math tells you the Lakers need to win 70% of their games from here out just to contend for the 8th seed in the West. If that isn’t reason enough to take another look at all the decisions made to this point in building this debacle then Buss is clearly more incompetent than previously thought.
The clock is ticking not only on this season but on this franchise as we know it. At no point have the Lakers had to face a full rebuild. With the way things are going that could very well be in the cards and what will Buss hang his hat on then? We’re not asking for this entire team to be blown up but doing something to so show that this run of bad play will not stand would go a long way in helping Jim Buss to repair his already awful image as an owner. But instead of that Buss chooses to fiddle while the Lake Show burns. And you wonder why this team is playing so poorly.