The year of 2014 was not a good one for the Los Angeles Lakers. This past year is a result of failed free-agent signings, trading away draft picks, and giving a 36-year old man 48 million dollars.
The Lakers entered the calendar year of 2014 last season at a respectable 13-19 record. This is actually quite impressive considering Kobe Bryant was out as he had broken his knee a few weeks before-hand. The low point of the season came ten days into the year of 2014, as the Lakers were throttled by the Clippers 123-87.
The Lakers went on three different losing streaks of at least six games in the second half of the 2013-2014 season, and ended with a record of 27-55. Two weeks after the season ended, Mike D’Antoni resigned as coach, leaving the Lakers searching for their third coach in three years.
With basketball ending much earlier than Laker fans are accustomed too, there was one thing we had to look forward to, and something we hadn’t seen in years; the NBA lottery! Finally, the Lakers were given the chance to actually draft a good player. The Lakers went into the lottery with the 6th best odds to land the number one overall draft pick.
The Lakers ended up with the 7th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, as the Cavs jumped ahead of every single lottery team and ended up with the first pick. Laker fans were still ecstatic that in the best draft class in years, we were getting the chance to draft one of the elite prospects.
The Lakers worked out many prospects such as Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Doug McDermott, and Zach LaVine. With Smart and Gordon being taken in front of the Lakers, Julius Randle was the one who ended up in the purple in gold. The one who grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant was now going to play with and be mentored by him for at least two years.
The Lakers also drafted Jordan Clarkson out out Missouri with a second round pick they traded for with the Wizards. Clarkson did very well in the summer league, and Laker fans were, and still are, optimistic about his potential as a steal in this draft.
With all of this going on, the Lakers were without a coach. Mitch Kupchak had the idea of waiting to fill out a roster before any coaching decisions were made. After trying, and failing, to land the home runs in LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, the first official move Kupchak made was trading for Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin. The Lakers also received a 2015 first round draft pick.
Five days later, Pau Gasol left for Chicago to team up with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. This one was a heart breaker. Although we all knew it was coming, Gasol was one of the most beloved Lakers the city had seen. But, it had to be done as the Lakers were clearly entering rebuilding stage.
The Lakers made a series of moves after that, including signing Nick Young to a four-year contract. Jordan Hill and Ryan Kelly were also signed for two more years, and Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry were brought back for another year. The Lakers also signed Ed Davis to a two-year, 2 million dollar contract, which is looking like a steal.
However, the Lakers lost Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar, and Jodie Meeks in free agency. The Lakeres also waived Kendall Marshall, after an impressive season in 2014. The last move of the summer saw the Lakers land Carlos Boozer. Boozer was amnestied by the Chicago Bulls to clear cap space, and was won in a bidding war by the Lakers for 3.25 million dollars.
Now that the Lakers had a roster (barely), they decided it was time to find a coach. The Lakers had been interviewing several coaches such as Derek Fisher, Kurt Rambis, and Byron Scott. There was also talk that the Lakers were also interested in Jeff Van Gundy and even Phil Jackson!
The Lakers went with Bryon Scott because of his championship experience as a player and a coach, and his relationship with Kobe Bryant. A month before the season started, the Lakers signed point guard Ronnie Price to back up Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash.
The Lakers went 3-5 in the preseason, and it was looking as if this team would be some-what decent. Kobe Bryant was looking like he could still be an elite scorer, Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis were having great chemistry, and Julius Randle was showing signs of greatness.
Just a few days before the season started, it was announced that hall of fame point guard Steve Nash was out for the season due to a back injury. We have not heard much from Nash in the last few months, and the odds of him returning next year are not very high. Still, not a good way to start the season.
The opening night was a disaster. Not only did the Lakers get torched by Dwight Howard and the Rockets, but our star in the making, Randle, broke his leg on a drive to the basket. A devastating blow to Randle and his fans. On November 24th, Xavier Henry tore his Achilles in practice.
Here we are now, and the Lakers stand at 9-20, outside the bottom five records in the league. You know what that means, no lottery pick for the Lakers.
There have been many line up changes made already, including moving Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer to the bench, and now that Kobe Bryant was take more time off, we will be seeing a lot more from Wayne Ellington.
Lets say in September, 2012, who would have though by the end of 2014, the Lakers would be one of the worst teams in the NBA, with no Pau, no Dwight, and no Steve Nash. It has been a painful year for Laker fans, and the first five months of 2015 won’t be any better. Hopefully free agency and our potential top five pick will turn the franchise around.