Can the Lakers Come Back? Or is This Collection of Superstars a Failed Experiment?

Don’t lie: whether you are a fan of the purple and yellow or a hater, you thought the Lakers were going to be better than this.  With a couple of big time additions, LA looked like a serious threat to dethrone the Heat, who after adding leprechaun-turned-ring-seeker Ray Allen, appeared to be a lock to repeat as NBA champions in 2013.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case 24 games into the season.  As we approach the once highly anticipated NBA Christmas Day, the Lakers sit at 10-14. They are losing by an average of 8 points, and have dropped 8 of their last 12. The projected dynasty in LA, led by the pairing of newcomer Dwight Howard and Laker legend Kobe Bryant, isn’t panning out. The Lakers aren’t the Lakers, and do not look like a threat to win a title, at least right now.

So are the Lakers out of it already?
No, definitely not.

Lets look at the some stats from a recent Laker game:

Bryant: 42 points, 5 rebounds

Howard: 19 points, 20 rebounds

Having all five of the regular starters on the floor
has been a rare occasion for the Lakers this season.  

Metta World Peace: 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Pretty good numbers, right?  Figures like these certainly look like the beginning of a stat line that would equate in a Laker victory, but these numbers are from the Lakers ugly loss to the Cavaliers the other night in Cleveland. How on earth did the Lakers lose a game where Kobe scored 42 and Howard dominated the boards?

Well, they’re missing a few starters who would play key roles for this team. Here they are, your current starters at point guard and power forward for your Los Angeles Lakers and their numbers in that game against the Cavaliers:

PG: Chris Duhon- Two points and two assists.
PF: Jordan Hill- Two points and one assist.

And that is why the Lakers lost that game. Now, what if Gasol and Nash were both active, and playing at their 2011-2012 averages instead of Hill and Duhon in that game.

Gasol: 17 points and 10 boards.

Nash: 12 points and 11 assists.

Needless to say, the whole game changes for the Lakers with such valuable additions.  Many people would have you believe that the Lakers are hopeless. The media talks as if the return of Nash wont be the return of a former NBA, MVP point guard who, keep in mind, did this under newly hired Lakers’ coach Mike D’Antoni, and that Gasol will never be himself ever again. By the end of the season, Gasol will be Gasol, and Nash will be Nash.  Line those two up with Howard and Bryant, and I believe the Lakers will be a championship contender when the playoffs roll around.  



-Brian Fagan
briandfagan@gmail.com