Lakers: 5 Biggest Mistakes From First Half of Season

No. 2 Making Kobe Bryant’s Retirement the Primary Focus of the Season

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss frightened fans last summer when she announced that this year would be all about celebrating Bryant’s career. The front office then backpedaled by suggesting the season was really about developing the youth, which is what fans wanted to hear. With such an inconsistent mission statement from the front office, it was hardly surprising that when the season started that no one knew what the team was supposed to be doing. This shows a lack of strong leadership.

It was not until recently that the truth emerged when general manager Mitch Kupchak finally admitted recently that the team could not move on with Bryant on the roster. Kupchak all but called this season a wasted year. 

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It has been painful to watch Bryant play so badly on a team that loses games at a record pace. He was barely making 30 percent of his shots and 20 percent of his three-point attempts for most of the season thus far, and, of course, he was not shy about shooting. The media tried to create drama by questioning Bryant daily regarding if he would return next season and Bryant was always coy about it. For anyone who was watching Bryant play, however, it was very obvious he was not coming back. So when he finally made the announcement, it was no surprise at all.

Certainly the young players are getting minutes, but when Bryant is on the court it is still all about Kobe. It is inevitable that his teammates spend a lot of time watching Bryant work for a shot and then covering for him on defense when the opponent grabs the missed shot and starts a fast break in the other direction.

The bigger problem is that, as with last year, Bryant is in and out of the lineup so much that other players do not know game to game whether they will play or what the rotations will be like. The result is it is impossible for anyone to gain consistency or benefit as much from their playing time as they need and deserve.

As Kupchak finally acknowledged, this year is really about Bryant and the true rebuild will only start when he is gone. Sentimentality and public relations aside, it was a bad decision for the franchise and its future.

Next: No. 1 Stunting Development of the Future