The L.A. Lakers will likely struggle through another long season. They are built around one very big, very expensive piece. And that piece is aging and coming off dealing with injury issues. Obviously the health and well-being of Kobe Bryant is concern number one for L.A. Lakers fans, but there are plenty of other issues to be resolved as we head to the start of the 2014-15 NBA season.
Last year was the Lakers’ worst in quite some time. It’s difficult to find logic and reasoning to believe this year will be that much better.
I love the Julius Randle draft pick. But the health of his foot is a question mark. And how much impact can he make even if he reaches his highest upside? It took The Lake Show a long time to settle on a coach, and new regimes bring all kinds of new uncertainty. As the season is about to commence, ESPN had their lead team of commentators, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, on conference call to preview the upcoming season with the media.
Let’s look at some of the issues the L.A. Lakers face-
Jackson on Bryant and the supporting cast around him:
“I think he’s going to be in attack mode. I think he’s going to score the basketball. But I think that’s a team that’s going to struggle.
When you talk about the talent level and having the battle in the Western Conference, he’s got to be incredible or have an incredible season for them to have a chance to make the playoffs.
They’re just a team that’s in the process of changing right now. But it’s refreshing as a fan of the game to see him back. But I think the talent level around him will make it a tough season for the L.A. Lakers.”
Van Gundy on the team’s defensive issues and lack of other pieces to complement Kobe:
“I think defensively they’re really going to be challenged. They just don’t have defenders. They don’t have basket protectors. I mean, it’s going to be a challenge to get stops.
And so everyone’s going to focus on Bryant and there’s a lot of noise around now about him. But it’s great to have him back. He’s going to give championship effort. He’s going to play as well as a 36 year old guard can play in this league. But at the end of the day they’re going through a rebuilding phase right now and they’re just going to have a lot of times where they can’t get stops.”
Van Gundy on the talent gap, the major issues at point guard, and the defensive liabilities of Carlos Boozer:
“To think that Carlos Boozer all of a sudden is going to lock down the forward position and be able to guard pick and rolls, that’s not happening. To think that they’re going to get a shot blocking center that’s an everyday presence, Ronnie Price going from third point guard to he may start for them.
“These are real issues. These aren’t easy things to overcome. It’s hard to win in this league, and I don’t think people understand how hard it is to get one win, let alone be a team that can be in the 50 win range and to do that you’ve got to have a lot of things.”
Van Gundy on how L.A. Lakers fans are in for another long season, something that they’re not accustomed to:
“And the Lakers have had it for their whole history. So what they’re going through now is what most teams go through a lot of these struggles to find a roster that is capable of competing for a championship or to get into the playoffs.
“This is not unusual. It’s just unusual for the L.A. Lakers.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2