At the beginning of the season, did anyone expect this? The mighty Lakers clawing for a playoff spot. Getting swept by the Clippers
When that trade for Dwight “Bizarro Superman” Howard went through, my FB, text, and Twitter exploded with Laker fans claiming the championship. “The new Shaq/Kobe dynasty” they said. Now, 77 games into the season, the Lakers are scrambling for the final playoff spot.
As you can probably tell from my tone, I’m a Laker hater. I’m a Heat fan and I will do my best to be objective in this piece. Now before you go off calling me a bangwagoner, please understand I was down with the Heat long before Lebron and Wade came to town. When Jay-Z was pushing weight back in 88 and Prodigy was a ballerina….
wow….
I was rooting for Rory Sparrow, Billy Thompson, and rocking my Heat Starter jacket to school.
But back to the Lakers, it really seems like this season was doomed from the start. People really didn’t take into account Howard’s lack of mental toughness. You just knew he and Kobe wouldn’t mesh well. Not to mention the fact that he was coming off of major back surgery and he finally, he has NO post game.
Then you had the Mike Brown/D’Antoni/Phil Jackson fiasco and the Lakers just look like a franchise with no direction. Don’t you get the feeling Mike Brown gets up and does a little dance every time the Lakers lose?
“Please oh please, make them lose!”
So where do they go from here? As Laker fans, what do you want for your team?
I’ve heard the die-hard, delusional fans wanting to get into the playoffs. Thinking the team will somehow, magically develop chemistry and make a championship run. But is there anyone who’s seen this team play really believe that?
If this were an NCAA tourney scenario, I’d give the Lakers a marginal shot. Kobe is good enough to win a game, but this isn’t college. You’ve got to beat an OKC or San Antonio team 4 times and Magic, Kareem, and Worthy aint walking through that door. I just don’t see that happening.
Whether they get in or not is secondary to the offseason questions surrounding LA. Including the biggest question of them all, what is Dwight Howard going to do?
He’s an unrestricted free agent and I firmly believe he is not coming back to LA next season. So if he decides he’s not coming back, where does he go and what can LA get back in a sign and trade.
Of the most attractive places for D-12, Houston looks like the perfect landing spot for a big man with an average post game, but is a great rebounder and shot blocker. There’s enough scoring in Houston, where they wouldn’t really need to go through Howard every night. Plus his coach would be one of the best post players to ever play ball. If you can’t learn a move or two from him, you’re really a lost case.
As for L.A., Houston has enough young players and draft choices that they can give the Lakers something back to start the rebuilding process and prepare for life after KB24 decides to hang them up.
But that’s just my opinion. I want to hear from Laker fans though. What do you think the team should do?
– N.D. Face
TRAGIC JOHNSON 