Mar 22, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard
Kobe Bryant(24) and point guard
Steve Nash(10) in the second half of the game against the Washington Wizards at the Staples Center. Wizards won 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
For the past two seasons, it has seemed like a dark cloud has been draped over the Lakers franchise. Dr. Jerry Buss passes away. Dwight Howard leaves for nothing in free agency. Kobe Bryant tears his achilles and breaks his knee in the same 12 month span. Steve Nash has his leg broken by Damian Lillard in the 2nd game of his Lakers career and he’s never been the same. Mike D’Antoni was hired and has since left. Not to mention the overwhelming amount of injuries that have plagued the team these past two campaigns.
When you type it out it really seems like a lot.
Hoops Habit
But what if things are finally turning around? The Lakers hired Byron Scott, a perfect coach to be not-Mike D’Antoni. They had a top draft pick and selected promising young power forward Julius Randle. The Lakers grabbed Jeremy Lin and a 1st round pick for nothing from the Houston Rockets this offseason. Kobe Bryant is healthy.
If you were to look at the Lakers roster and compare the talent on it to other teams in the league, you’d probably put the Lakers in the bottom half of the league, overall. But what if things go as well as they possibly can? What is the Lakers’ ceiling?
What if Steve Nash is able to play 65+ games for 20 minutes a game? What if Kobe goes into full “EFF YOU” mode this year? What if Jeremy Lin flourishes under a coach who has had great success with his previous two young point guards (Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving)? What if Carlos Boozer decides to sharpie his head once more?
Right now, I see the Lakers as a .500 basketball team. But if the Lakers catch all the breaks they haven’t been getting these past two seasons, it isn’t far-fetched to see this as a 50 win team. The 2012-13 Lakers team that featured Dwight, Nash, Kobe, and Pau won 45 games with perhaps the worst team chemistry I’ve ever seen from a Lakers squad.
Remember this?
Who pisses off Steve Nash?
If this team clicks, and everything, literally EVERYTHING, goes right, I think this team could challenge for the 4th or 5th seed in the West.
Don’t expect any of this to happen, but if you’re having a tough day and need some good thoughts, just sit back and dream of a throwback Kobe season.