That title really does say it all. A team that made the necessary moves this offseason to get back to championship glory is 15-18 and in 11th place in the West. The Lakers will have to seriously step their game up just to make the postseason.
Dwight Howard is out at least a week. Pau Gasol is out indefinitely. The locker room may be in disarray. At least they have a superstar who handles trying situations well, right? Oh wait...
Yes, we're all sick of hearing about the Lakers (especially Lakers fans), but the only other NBA news today was the Wizards beating the Thunder. And five-win teams do not deserve a blog post.
There's not one person to blame here, so let's dish out a serving of blame to everyone in the Lakers organization.
Mitch Kupchak: You're still paying Mike Brown while another coach is losing games at an equally efficient level. Mike D'Antoni's system seems to be dead wrong for these players. All the while Phil Jackson just got engaged to Jeanie Buss, daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Wherever Phil is, he's laughing. He knows he can fix this, or at least be above .500.
Mike D'Antoni: Quit being so stubborn. Yes, you have lucked into an injury excuse to use this week, but nothing has changed. The numbers/results haven't improved and Kobe Bryant is still jacking up the same 25 shots every game.
Kobe Bryant: How is he just being mentioned? Kind of hard to blame. He's as efficient as ever and leading the NBA in scoring. But man, he's the best player on a very talented team. The Mamba will always catch some blame.
Dwight Howard: His personality didn't seem to match Kobe's and now the backlash may have started. A humorous report saying that the two had an argument, with Kobe calling him soft. At least Kobe doesn't have a new social media account to voice any complaints he may have. Oh wait...
Pau Gasol: Yes, you can blame a guy for not really even being there, just ask Royce White and the Rockets. Gasol has been dreadful. He's on a skid that started in the 2011 playoffs and gone through three coaches. A trade seems imminent and it wouldn't be crazy to see Gasol playing in native Spain in a couple years.
Steve Nash: The proposed savior had a Christlike coming back party on Christmas Day. But he's 38 and out of D'Antoni-Nash-Suns magic. His D has lived up to expectations though.
Well, I've blamed too much for one day. Watch out World Peace, Jodie Meeks and Jim Buss because you're next if (when) the Lakers continue to struggle.
To quote Bill Simmons quoting Kobe: Mamba Out.
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