1. It was going to take some time anyway
To borrow a phrase from James, many expected that the development of this year’s Lakers wouldn’t be “instant oatmeal.”
The team has many new players, including a new superstar. To complicate matters, the new Big 3 only played in two preseason games together, and Nunn, Horton-Tucker and Ariza didn’t play in those games.
The simple truth is that it takes time to build even a rudimentary level of chemistry. I felt at the end of the exhibition season that this team really needed at least two more preseason games before they were really ready to start the regular season.
There have been past Lakers teams that started the season poorly and still went on to win it all. Just think back two seasons and how they lost on opening night to the Los Angeles Clippers. They looked old and slow that night, and plenty of fans were acting like Chicken Little.
Instead, the team was 24-3 by mid-December.
In fact, several of the famed Showtime teams lost on opening night, only to win the NBA title.
For an encouraging example, look at the 1981-82 Lakers. They lost on opening night to the Houston Rockets, a team that had knocked them out of the first round of the playoffs the year before when they were the defending champs. The Rockets then went on to lose in the NBA Finals. Sounds familiar, right?
That team also lost its second game of the season. Just days later, Magic Johnson complained to the media that head coach Paul Westhead’s slowdown offense was stifling his talent, and he asked to be traded. The next day, Westhead was fired.
(By the way, nonplayerzealot4 on Youtube has posted some rare clips of the press conference where Westhead’s firing was announced. Then-owner Dr. Jerry Buss and the entire organization seemed to be clueless and in turmoil at the time. There’s also tons of other great historical Lakers stuff on his channel.)
A lowly assistant and former player named Pat Riley was promoted to head coach, the team won the world championship that season, and voila, Showtime was born.
Let’s give this year’s Lakers squad some time, OK? We just may be pleasantly surprised with how it turns out.