Lakers News and Rumors Recap: How Does L.A. Fix This Team?

The Lakers record; 17-24. The fans; unhappy. The players; scattered. Playoff expectations; low. Now it is off to Memphis to face the Grizzlies amongst a whirlwind of trade rumors, shoulder shrugs and “he said, he did”. Geez.

Despite all the talent on this roster, the Lakers are not able to string together consecutive wins and there seems to be no cohesion on the court. The defensive issues on the team have been discussed over and over again. But if you watch the offense, it is just as bad.

When D’Antoni was hired, everyone was excited for the new and improved offense, but the readability of the scheme leaves the Lakers scrambling and giving up too many turnovers. Mike D’Antoni said it himself:

“Our offense is just ugly. It’s not very good ball.“

Admitting you have a problem is the first step, am I right? I hope Mike changes up his offensive game this week because things need to change. Now.

Kobe and Nash need to play off one another more. Nash is an excellent shooter and is not given the opportunity for good shots enough. On top of that, Kobe needs to remain dominant offensively because the new defensive role he has taken on wears him out. Rather than relying on supplemental players to bring the baskets, I much prefer keeping Kobe in that role to be the powerhouse he is, while resting the majority of the defensive game on Dwight and Metta.

Speaking of Howard, he needs to stop being such a baby in the paint, and he also needs to hustle. Watching him straggle back on defense is just painful. The Lakers are fighting for an 8th seed spot in the playoffs at this point and every lost game is a step farther and farther from that goal. Shouldn’t that be lighting a fire under anyone’s ass?

Ramneet Singh of LN said it best; “D’Antoni cannot expect the Lakers to score 105 points a game in order to win, especially with this old and aging roster.” What this means is a better plan and some structure. Heck, any sort of workable guidance from D’Antoni. What you can get away with when it comes to young, healthy players, like the option to “let them play” and sort of take on a street ball mentality, you cannot do with this Lakers roster. They are too old.

Kobe said it best: “Obviously, this isn’t working.”

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