Los Angeles Lakers: A championship season vs. an also-ran season

The Los Angeles Lakers also-ran scenario

10 different Lakers are north of age 30, most likely a franchise record. So it is at least possible if not probable that some of them experience slippage in their play.

Many pundits have said that Father Time finally caught up to LeBron last season even though his injury, a high ankle sprain, could have happened to any player at any age.

James will want to show the world that he is still among the game’s best players. But he will turn age 37 in December and might not be able to bull his way to the hoop quite as well as he has the past 18 NBA seasons.

Melo is already 37 and although he played well last year it is conceivable that he will no longer be a successful sixth man and can’t make shots he once took for granted.

Ariza has already started to show his age, 36, and might slow down even more. Rondo, 35, is coming off a down year and his skills might continue to deteriorate, especially on defense.

Neither Howard at 35 nor Jordan at 33 will be counted on to play major minutes. But the latter missed the end of the regular season and all the playoffs because of injuries. It’s doubtful either can play all 82 games this year.

Three relative youngsters, Ellington, 33, Westbrook, 32, and Bazemore, 32, are on the upper edge of their prime years. One or two of them could start to experience a decline in their effectiveness.

At age 28, Davis is one of the younger Lakers and should be right at the peak of his career. But what if the leg injuries that plagued him all last year return, causing his play to be merely ordinary?

Monk was somewhat of a bust his first two years before showing improvement last season, especially as a shooter. At only age 23, he might still live up to expectations. But perhaps the pressure of a contract year on a team with big aspirations causes his play to regress.

Nunn, 26, has started in 111 of his 123 career games. This season he will be counted on to provide offensive punch off the bench.  But what if he has difficulty adjusting to a reserve role and tries to do too much?

THT will be just 21 when the season starts. He showed so much promise last season that the Lakers refused to include him in any trade and re-signed him to a generous contract. But it’s feasible that his outside shot remains suspect and that opponents have learned how to defend his drives to the hoop.

The past two years the Lakers were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. But Pelinka essentially sacrificed defense for scoring. Try as he might, Vogel might not be able to teach an aging squad how to play satisfactory team defense this season.

Howard and Jordan should provide good rim protection. But of all the other new acquisitions only Ariza and Bazemore are better than average defenders. Older players may lack the quickness to adequately defend, meaning the Lakers will have to depend on their offense every game, which is usually what second-tier teams do, not league champions.

Finally, some players believe they are not receiving adequate court time and start complaining. Without the positive influence of Jared Dudley this season, that grousing could ruin team chemistry.

Not all of these negatives are likely to happen. But enough of them might occur that the Lakers are relegated to also-ran status.

Right now the outlook for this season is unclear. Championship or bust- the team could truly go either way. It’s the opinion here that a run for another title is more likely. What do you think?

All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com