My
boy CTO and I (SOM) are at it again.
This time we will be discussing one of the most famed franchises in all
of professional sports, The Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe's Legacy (CTO)
The Los Angeles Lakers have the second most
NBA Championships since the NBA formed in 1946. More recently, the Lakers have
only missed the playoffs twice since the NBA-ABA Merger in 1976 (in 1993-94 and
2004-05). It is almost a foregone conclusion that this year will be the Lakers’
third trip to the NBA Lottery in nearly forty years. This is both a sign of the
Lakers consistent excellence and their current state of ineptitude and
uncertainty going into the 2014 offseason. As the 2013-14 Lakers continue to
lose games in record fashion, pending offseason looms as a glimpse of hope for
next year’s team to return the Lakers to familiar glory. However, the future is
both bright and murky as the Lakers only have two players signed for next
season: Kobe Bryant and a 40 year old Steve Nash.
The current Lakers are defined by Kobe
Bryant; the elder statesmen in the NBA and the Lakers. Kobe remains the
constant sign of Lakers success and past glory in the midst of current turmoil.
And while Kobe has accomplished more than any other player from his draft class
(1996 NBA Draft), his résumé remains incomplete: Kobe still wants to catch MJ
for his sixth ring (not likely in the LeBron era) and he is chasing Kareem for
the NBA All-Time career points record (He would need to average better than 20
ppg for 4 years to get there). Kobe’s injuries have derailed this Lakers season
and his chase for immortality. Kobe desperately wants the chance to play at a
high level to fulfill his own personal goals and to restore Laker pride.
Kobe's Future (SOM)
Close
your eyes and think about the L.A. Lakers franchise. Okay, now open your eyes—if an image of Kobe
Bryant did not pop into your mind, I do not know which planet you have lived on
the past 17 years. Kobe = Lakers. He recently signed a contract extension worth
48 million over a two-year period. The term “overpaid” normally would not apply
to Kobe. However, this recent deal has
drawn the attention of Phil Jackson who stated that Kobe is overpaid. Kobe signed the deal before fully recovering
from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Then,
Kobe returned to the Lakers’ lineup for a few games. His return was highly anticipated, but his
performance was underwhelming, which was consistent with a man who had not
played an NBA game in a number of months—he was rusty.
I
usually don’t bet against Kobe because he usually defies the odds. However, Father Time is undefeated. I do not
think Kobe will be able to carry the Lakers on his back as he once did. He will be able to carry the team for
stretches here and there, but the Lakers need to sign a bonafide number one
option. They have to move forward.
LA's Chances of Landing a Big Name F.A. (CTO)
However, all conversation about Laker pride and
Kobe’s future must focus on the 2014 offseason. The Lakers have a lot of salary
cap space and they plan to use it to sign at least one max player to play
alongside Kobe. The city of LA attracts stars and the Lakers front office will
try to recruit 2014 free agent stars to LA: LeBron, Carmelo, D-Wade and Chris
Bosh headline this year’s free agent class. Other key free agents include:
Lance Stephenson, Rudy Gay (Player Option), Spencer Hawes and even Pau Gasol
(not likely to return to LA).
Many free agents may not want to deal with
the hysteria/fanaticism of Lakers fans and
play alongside an aging Kobe Bryant (36 next year) coming off another
injury. Kobe’s new contract extension also insures Kobe will end his career as
a Laker. Thus, top Free Agents will have to link their basketball careers with
Kobe. Kobe still has goals to accomplish and many of his career goals may not
attract a maximum contract caliber player to sign onto playing four plus years
with a Kobe chasing statistical ghosts.
LA's Coaching Woes (SOM)
The
Lakers are a high profile team befitting a high profile city. They are accustomed to winning
championships. The “Showtime” Lakers won
multiple championships, as did the Kobe-Shaq teams, and then the Kobe led
teams. Los Angeles is a city of movie
stars and they won’t support a losing team without a star player. Whether Kobe remains the guy capable of
carrying this team remains a mystery. However,
as long as he is in a Lakers’ uniform, I believe the fans will support him and
the team. After all, he has been a
fixture with the organization since 1996.
He has delivered many memories—that won’t go without reward.
The Lakers
have consistently attracted top tier coaches with championship pedigrees. Pat Riley and Phil Jackson are a few names
that come to mind. With all due respect
to Mike D’antoni’, his name does not belong in the same sentence with either
coach. Magic Johnson and other Lakers
greats have hinted at D’antoni not being the right man for the job. When they hire a coach with a championship
pedigree, they will be able to move forward in true Laker fashion. Until then, they will struggle to win and
attract top tier players.
The summer of 2014 will be one of the biggest
summers in the history on the Los Angeles Lakers’ storied franchise.
Peace
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