COMMENTARY | For awhile on Thursday night, it seemed as if the new-look Los Angeles Lakers could compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder - then the third quarter happened.
The Lakers were all but literally run out of the gym after halftime while being outscored 34-19 in the dismal third quarter. Beyond the box score and the 102-93 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, just the fifth of the season for the Lakers, the game exposed many of the team's underlying issues.
To paraphrase former NFL head football coach Dennis Green, the Thunder are who most thought they were, and that's the best team in the Western Conference. They are more talented than the Lakers and have more youth, which will be another advantage late in the playoffs.
They also have a brighter future. The window is closing for this Lakers team, who have six players on the roster above age 30. Even Kobe Bryant implied as much when responding to the question of why Oklahoma City seemed to have so much energy. "Because their younger and have more of it [energy] than we do," said Bryant. That's the problem with this team in a nutshell. They are just old. Ramon Sessions may have mitigated some of the age issue at the key point guard position, but unfortunately, the problems go deeper.
The failed trade for Chris Paul remains a factor in the struggles of the team. General manager Mitch Kupchack knew he had to improve this team before the start of the year. Regardless of the reasons why it never came to be (reports remain conflicted as to why the trade didn't happen), the non-trade was a setback. Not only did they fail to acquire a superstar in the backcourt, but they lost Lamar Odom. Pau Gasol would have been lost in the fray, but the Lakers would still have been a tough matchup for any team. the lockout didn't help matters either.
Losing Fisher could come back to haunt the Lakers. One thing to remember is that the acquisition of Ramon Sessions did not have to result in the departure of the heart and soul of the team in Fisher. He was part of the problem at point guard as a starter, yet also a key piece of the framework of the team.The Lakers could've had it all. Fisher could've played fewer minutes - it was reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on Twitter that Fisher would have been willing to accept a lesser role coming off the bench.
Speaking of the bench, it has struggled mightily to score points this season, ranking last in points-per-game (20.8 through 51 games). With this in mind, the Lakers are one injury away from becoming a complete non-factor in the Western Conference. If Bryant, Bynum, or Gasol were to miss significant time in the playoffs, the team would be in danger of another early postseason exit.
Sessions makes the Lakers better, but not as good as they need to be. I wrote before that a virtually risk-free move like signing Gilbert Arenas would have made a lot of sense for the Lakers. Sessions would have still been able to come aboard, and the team would have been that much deeper. If Arenas turned out to be a bust, then the financial investment would have been minimal. As it stands now, the team has personnel issues that are directly related to depth.
The new and (marginally) improved Lakers will continue to struggle against elite teams. The lack of youth and discrepancy in bench talent and athleticism between the Lakers and the other great teams in the NBA is too large. It's not that the Lakers can't win a championship; it will just be a very tall order to come out on top at season's end.
With the issue of age in mind, it clearly affects the ability for the Lakers to play four quarters of rock solid defense. Without a bench that can sustain the offense, the starters will need to log more minutes and spread themselves too thin.
Kobe is shooting more because he knows he has to given the lack of scoring punch on the second unit. As he goes, so go the Lakers. Fans need to rely on him having enough left in the tank to continue to carry the team through the playoffs.
Michael C. Jones is a Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports and southern California native, following all developments related to the Los Angeles Lakers, his favorite sports franchise.
Follow Michael on Twitter: @MikeJonesTweets
Source:
Basketball-reference.com
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