Los Angeles Lakers rank laughably low in multiple NBA power rankings

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into the NBA All-Star Break with a losing record as the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Not only was the play on the court far worse than Laker fans were hoping for, but the dysfunction has extended off the court as well.

While Rich Paul of Klutch Sports has done his best job to settle some of this beef, there have been reported tensions between LeBron and the Lakers for not trading for John Wall. Safe to say things are not going well either way in Tinseltown.

Nobody should be giving the Lakers credit for anything. It is one thing for a small-market team with no expectations to struggle (like the New Orleans Pelicans). It is another thing for the league’s most prestigious team to struggle when there were big expectations heading into the season.

Latest NBA power rankings showcase the Los Angeles Lakers place in the league.

We rounded up several NBA power rankings from the best outlets to showcase just how badly perceived the Los Angeles Lakers are after the All-Star Break. And quite frankly, we cannot blame anyone for ranking the Lakers in the bottom third of the league, even as the ninth seed in the West.

Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report: 19th 

"“How will Westbrook play after news of his non-trade to the Houston Rockets (for John Wall) came out? Will he have a late-season surge like he did with the Rockets and Washington Wizards? Or, will the Lakers’ collapse continue as he fails to fit alongside LeBron and Anthony Davis?”"

ESPN staff: 18th 

"“As if L.A. didn’t have enough to overcome this season, the Lakers couldn’t even make it through the last game before the All-Star break without another thorn in their side. Anthony Davis came down awkwardly on Rudy Gobert’s heel after going up for a lob and will be out at least four weeks with a mid-foot sprain.”"

Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports: 19th 

"“It’s not great that LeBron James is publicly talking about eventually joining his son’s future team, and potentially the Cavaliers, but if the Lakers were relying on 40-year-old LeBron to lead them to a title, they have serious problems. The bigger issue is that Anthony Davis, who was supposed to take the reins from LeBron as the face of the franchise, hasn’t been able to stay healthy and has failed to take the leap into the echelon of the NBA’s elite No. 1 options.”"

Jack Simone, Hoops Habit: 18th 

"“It was particularly surprising to see the Lakers make no moves at the trade deadline. Now, they’ll have to spend the rest of the season figuring things out with the guys they have on the roster. There could still be some roster changes based on the buyout market, but none of the available buyout players would seriously improve the ceiling of the Lakers. Barring a miraculous turnaround, their season might be lost”"

As you can see, the different outlets are pretty consistent with where they think the Los Angeles Lakers should fall and none of the four outlets put them in the bottom-third in the league. Perhaps it is because we are a bit more disappointed here at Lake Show Life, but we certainly would but the Lakers in the bottom third.

Some of the power rankings have both the Hornets and the Wizards behind the Lakers in the power rankings. While the three teams have similar records, the Hornets and Wizards had far less expectations, and quite frankly, play in a much tougher and deeper Eastern Conference. I would put both of those teams ahead of the Lakers, moving them back to 20th at the very best.

Regardless, a team led by LeBron James has no business being ranked near the bottom third, let alone being ranked outside of the top 10. The Los Angeles Lakers have been horrible this season and need to turn it around quickly.