When the announcement came during the off-season that the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Dwight Howard as their center and Steve Nash for point guard, it was seen as a very good move by the organization. There was talk of exactly how good the Lakers would be with three All-Stars. There were discussions on finishing with the first or second seed in the Western Conference as well as being a formidable contender against the Miami Heat for the NBA Championship. That was then and this is now.
Now, LA fans have to wonder will the Lakers even make the Playoffs. Since the beginning of the season the Lakers have lost their key player, Steve Nash, to an injury that sidelined him for seven weeks. The Lakers fired Head Coach Mike Brown after going 12-14. The organization then had a very public search for a replacement which led back to the future Hall of Famer Phil Jackson. This on again, off again relationship apparently fell through after accusations and blame by both Jackson and the Busses. This process seemed to be a reminder for the public of why people broke up with their ex in the first place.
Once the confusion cleared up that there would be no Zen Master coming back to coach, the Lakers finally hired Mike D’Antoni as Head Coach of the Lakers. This led to additional concern and confusion for some because of D’Antoni’s offensive style, which didn’t seem to exactly match the Lakers strengths. D’Antoni’s fast-break offense is not working. The Lakers are ranked 29th for fast-break points. I think one reason, but not the excuse, is because the Lakers are an aging team. Kobe Bryant is 34, Pau Gasol is 32 with ailing knees, Steve Nash is 38 and Metta World Peace is 33. This is in addition to their star center Dwight Howard’s low season free-throw percentage of 46.9, which leads to hacks in the fourth quarter by opposing teams.
If that’s not enough there have been rumors of in-fighting between Howard and Bryant after losing on New Year’s Day to the Philadelphia 76ers. There has since been a twitter makeup with images of a staged fight between the two. If the heat isn’t turned up enough in LA, the LA Clippers with (MVP contender) Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford are only making it hotter as their team sits at first place in the Western Conference. Before the season started no one would believe me if I said the Lakers would finish at the bottom and not make the playoffs, while the LA Clippers would be a premiere team in the conference with a real chance of winning the NBA Championship! This NBA season can be called Battle: Los Angeles 2 and what’s at stake are the fans and possibly a spot in the playoffs for the Lakers.
Will the Lakers make the playoffs?
- Yes (74%, 23 Votes)
- No (26%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 31
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2 Comments
Jacob Hutch
February 26, 2013 at 8:29 pmSo far in the Season for the Lakers, under ,500. and the 9th seed in the Western Conference. But lately though, they are 3-1 from the All-star break and in some ways, I think that they can make a run for it and get that last spot for the playoffs. The biggest thing for them though is that the Houston Rockets are in their way for the 8th seed in the Western Conference and they are up on the Lakers by I believe 3.5 games back. Another major problem is that everyone on their team needs to be healthy so they can at least make a run for it. I think that the starting five for them is very good, lots of great talent on their, but they need to know how to get good possession out of every time they touch the ball on offense. They also really need to work on their transition defense. If you saw the game last night, they gave up 94 points in the paint against the Denver Nuggets! Not to mention over 80 points in transition that they gave up! That is definitely a huge problem for them. Overall for them, I think they can get the 8th seed and put up a fight in the playoffs.
BearzNation
January 9, 2013 at 4:52 pmDefinetely not! Too late in the season and they dont have a healty line up that will carry them through enough wins to catch up with the likes of Houston, OKC, LA Clippers, and Golden State.. this season is a wrap! LOL!