1. Better days can be ahead
I know this sounds like an empty platitude, but it’s happened before.
In 1999, the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and a 20-year-old named Kobe Bryant were one of a handful of teams that had a real shot at the NBA championship during a 50-game lockout shortened season.
After a campaign that featured the firing of head coach Del Harris, the signing and release of Dennis Rodman, and Elden Campbell and popular guard Eddie Jones being shipped out for Glen Rice in a controversial trade, the team never found any consistency and ended the year being swept in the second round of the playoffs by San Antonio.
It was such an empty, disappointing and dispiriting end to what seemed like a promising season that Fox, who would emerge as the poet laureate of that group, lost all love for the game according to Laker historian Roland Lazenby in his book “The Show”.
Shortly afterward, they hired Phil Jackson as their new head coach, Shaq dedicated himself to hard work and leadership, Kobe emerged as the best non-big man in the game, and the purple and gold instantly won three straight world championships.
I believe that the harder and smarter one works, the luckier they get. I’ve also heard that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.
Yes, the Lakers have had bad luck this season. But their players need to remember that this is their career, and that career goals often take longer than expected to accomplish.
Many of the players on this team will be free agents at the end of the season. Whether the Lakers show interest in keeping them around next season or beyond, they’re playing for their future at this point.
Continuing to play hard and set a good example the rest of the season could get them a decent contract, interest from a team on the verge of winning a championship or perhaps even lead to the Lakers winning the world championship not too long from now.
As Kobe Bryant once said right after being eliminated from the playoffs, next season starts right now.