The front office had one of the most successful off seasons in recent memory with the acquisitions of Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison, making them the early favorites to come out of the Western Conference.
However, it was not smooth sailing for the Lakers in the early going as the team started the season 17-25. There was a great fear that the Lakers would miss the playoffs and there was chaos in the locker room. The chemistry on the court seemed to be lacking and the players did not look comfortable in the roles under Mike D’Antoni.
—- Know more about Antawn Jamison’s career in this player profile! —-
Nevertheless, after the All-Star break, the Lakers got their act together and are currently the eight seed in the Western Conference. Lakers forward Antawn Jamison spoke to ESPN Radio and he said that he came to Los Angeles to win rings, not just to make the postseason.
Jamison: “I didn’t come here to just make it to the playoffs–I came here to win a championship”
— ESPNLA 710 Radio (@ESPNLA710) March 20, 2013
Talent wise, the Lakers have one of the best teams in the NBA, but that does not guarantee anything in this league. Even though the team has improved post All-Star break, it still has a lot of work left to do in order to reach the Finals.
At this point, the Lakers will either face the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the post season, two opponents that will present Los Angeles with a lot of problems in a seven game series.