The acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to go along with free agent signees Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison have many NBA fans convinced that the Los Angeles Lakers will be a legitimate NBA title contender next season. Not only will the Lakers be a force to be reckoned with next season, but they may be a perennial title contender in the Western Conference if Howard stays in Los Angeles long-term.
Reportedly, the Lakers reloading the roster with superstar talent around Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol has not only excited Lakers fans heading into next season, but convinced many that a 17th championship will be won next season as a result according to poll via Mark Medina of the L.A. Times:
“Based on a series of poll questions, there’s very little sapping the enthusiasm of Laker fans. There’s an 87% majority of fans who say the Lakers’ title chances are already a foregone conclusion. A 38% plurality simply gush over the Lakers’ overwhelming talent in the Lakers’ Fantastic 5 starting lineup.”
With a glance at the new-look lineup for the Lakers it’s hard to argue that the team hasn’t vastly improved the roster from top to bottom. The sign-and-trade to bring in Nash was enough to turn heads in Los Angeles and around the league with the team finally acquiring an All-Star caliber point guard, but it didn’t stop there as Jamison, Howard and Meeks followed shortly after.
Now that the Lakers have arguably the most intimidating and talented roster in the NBA, there’s a very good chance that yet another championship parade will take place next summer on the streets of Los Angeles.
Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming NBA season, the Lakers will be without a doubt one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the league with a superstar lineup on the floor. It remains to be seen if the new combination of stars is as good as it looks on paper, but there are a lot of players and teams weary of what the Lakers’ front office has been able to accomplish during the off-season.
