#ko8e

Kobe x VC

Let's call a spade a spade; Not only are the 2013 Lakers quickly becoming the biggest disappointment in NBA history, they're shaping up to be, arguably, the biggest disappointment in sports history. I figured the two-year stretch the Philly Eagles have recently put up would stand for a while (that hits me deep as a Eagles fan), but the Lakers are taking the cake right now. Let's look at the obvious atrocities first. First and foremost, I've never seen a roster this talented be mishandled in such an epic manner. You have a ball-dominant Steve Nash who isn't getting the ball enough. You have Kobe Bryant either taking ill-advised shots by choice, or being left out to dry due to the lack of aggression of his supporting cast. A Pau Gasol -- God bless THAT man -- who has been screwed over in such a way that i find myself feeling disrespected, simply because we can't see one of the most talented big men the game has ever seen (pure post game, superb passer, epic footwork) produce at a high-level. I don't even know where to begin with Dwight Howard.

See, Dwight Howard is hard to criticize because -- just looking at stats -- he really has put up All-Star numbers as the 2nd option on a dysfunctional (and new) team. However, I'm a guy that watches basketball religiously, so I pick up on things that can sometimes be covered up by stats. Dwight's putting up 16.7 ppg, a league-leading (sorry Andy and K-Love) 12 rpg, 2.5 bpg, and is shooting a little under 58 percent from the field. That's productive, right? Statistically, that is productive, but overall, he has still been a MAJOR disappointment. Before I dig in on Dwight Howard, I'd like to preface my opinion by acknowledging that he is on a new team with a new system, and he has been playing with a hurt back, and a hurt shoulder as of late. With that being said, Dwight Howard just hasn't been there mentally.

The way Dwight handled himself in his last months as an Orlando Magic really began his "downfall" if you want to call it that. Obviously, Dwight sustained his back injury right before the playoffs started last season. That, and the fact that he required surgury would be enough to set him back. However, it doesn't start there. This is where his mentality comes into play, and where the major problem is. Even before that injury, Dwight had been throwing around a "wishlist" of teams he wanted to play for. I won't waste time going into how many teams he claimed he would want or would not to play for, or how his decision to waive his opt-out clause was imbecilic to be remotely kind, but we all ended up knowing his heart was in Brooklyn, no matter where he would end up, and that he would more than likely end up a free agent. For those wondering how this ties into his Lakers stint, don't worry, I'm going to tie this thing together. As Dwight rehabbed his back, and still (arguably...bs) managed single-handedly cost Otis Smith and Stan Van Gundy their jobs, his name still flirted around in trade rumors. As luck would have it, Dwight ended up getting traded to the Lakers, not only the team he claimed he didn't want to play for because of Kobe, but the worst possible place for a guy with a case of the "flip-flops" could land. Dwight got healthy enough to play, and has continued to play through pain, so I'll applaud him for that. However, his presence hasn't been there. Saying the Lakers defense has been bad would be an understatement, but we'll leave it at that. Dwight's primary role in L.A is to be the defensive anchor. Forget the block numbers for a minute. Teams are not afraid to drive in the lane with Dwight Howard. Think about that for a minute. This guy has won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times, but teams are willing to drive in on him. I blame that because of his frustration on the offensive end. He's frustrated because he doesn't get the touches he feels he deserves. That's somewhat fair when you consider Kobe's shot attempt numbers. However, you can still tell that he isn't as "checked in" as he used to be, and that all boils down to this simple fact: Dwight never wanted to be a Laker. It's safe to say that Dwight won't be a Laker next season, and if things continue to spiral downward, he could be traded by the All-Star break. Either way, Dwight's lack of commitment to the Lakers organization, and "secret" desire to be a Net has affected his game. You may not see it in the stats, but I'm sure Lakers fans can tell as well. Dwight hasn't been the fun, easy-going guy that he normally is. Not only is that hurting his play, but it's fueling his desire to leave L.A.

Anyway, the Lakers' bench has been pretty terrible too. Outside of the late emergence of Earl Clark (who now starts), and the constant energy brought by Jordan Hill (who is out for the year), this bench has been the epitome of ineptitude. Jodie Meeks has been very inconsistent, and hasn't provided the constant shooting nor scoring threat the Lakers expected him to bring. Darius Morris has disappointed me a little this year. Sure, he showed some flashes when he started for Steve Nash in some games, but he just hasn't developed as much as he should have imo. He has a buttload of potential; you could see that when he was balling at Michigan. Hopefully he can put it all together, but he just hasn't done so this year. Steve Blake has been hurt most of the year (bless his heart..dude can't stay healthy if his health depended on it) so I'll give him a bit of a pass. However, I HAVE to go in on Chris Duhon. I honestly think Chris Duhon just left his game in New York. Maybe that's why Raymond Felton has thrived so much in NY, I don't know. Either way, this dude has been terrible in L.A. it's just totally unfair for the Lakers as a whole, and Steve Nash to not have a PG that can run the second unit. Outside of Pau and maybe Kobe, nobody on this roster has been disrespected more than Antawn Jamison this year, and I think that's where the bench issues start. First and foremost, Antawn Jamison is playing the lowest amount of minutes per game of his entire playing career. That's not cool considering he's been playing behind an older AND INJURED Pau Gasol. Mike D'Antoni completely screwed this dude over in the rotation. If Antawn would've received consistent minutes from the start, maybe he would've been able to stabilize the Lakers bench. I'll be talking about Kobe next, then cap it off with the coaching/organization, and what they can do going forward.