Yes to say the Lakers are a mess is an understatement to be sure. They have become a traveling soap opera the equal to what the New York Knicks were under Isiah Thomas.Yes it is that bad. To make it worse there are no quick fixes in store for this team. Despite rumors to the contrary, the Lakers are not going to trade Dwight Howard to the Nets for Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries or to anyone else. Howard by his bad play and bad conduct both in Los Angeles and Orlando makes him someone no team wants to touch right now. That’s how toxic he has become. The excuse was he needs to get out of Orlando and a change of scenary will do him good, pair him up with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash and the fact he is a free aganet in waiting and he’s playing for a new contract, those factors should be good to motivate howard to a good season. How’s that working so far? The fact that Dantoni is armed with a 3 year contract is mindboggling, ask Knick fans about giving Dantoni anything more than a year at a time. His system that worked in Phoenix didn’t play in New York and isn’t working in Los Angeles, it’s time for dantoni to do something else. It is called adjust to his players strenghts not freeze out players like Pau Gasol. Kobe shoots way too much for the talent he has on the floor. It’s the same complaint knick fans had about Carmelo, if the shot doesn’t fall they shoot more not less, yet Kobe feels he needs to do it all himself. That’s why the coach has to reign Kobe in. Dantoni couldn’t seem to do that in New York with Carmelo, yet the Lakers think he can do it in Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant? If it weren’t for the fact they already fired one coach and that Dantoni has a 3 year deal I’d say send him packing and hire the man who should have been the coach in the first place- Brian Shaw. However that isn’t going to happen right now, so all parties have to work together to make a run at the playoffs. There is still time left in the season for the Lakers to make a playoff run but the clock is ticking, and with that Kobe feels his clock on matching Michael Jordan’s 6 championships slipping away with each lose and each bad performance. The Lakers and again in particular Coach Mike Dantoni needs to play to his players strenghts, and do it with smarts, something that neither the coach or the players have been using to this point.
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 