NBA: The 2014 Los Angeles Lakers – An Era of Uncertainty

Because of the way things have gone in the recent past, the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans are experiencing a serious amount of anxiety entering the 2014 season.

Are we discussing a series of mistakes for [part-owner and executive vice president] Jim Buss? Was it inevitable that the Lakers would essentially go into a downward spiral?  The purple and gold had a lot of salary cap space when they needed it but came up empty-handed in their attempts to sign a top free agent. To make matters worse, after extending two offers to him, the team lost power forward Pau Gasol — one of their own — without any compensation.

L.A. won the bidding process after Carlos Boozer was amnestied by the Chicago Bulls, but the forward was a low-risk signing and is a player that does not deserve punch-line status. Despite several positives (but negatives as well), the Lakers’ signing of Boozer was their low point in free agency because of their desire to land a bigger name.

There is no doubt that rookie power forward Julius Randle can learn a lot from a 12-year veteran. The Lakers (like the Boston Celtics and New York Yankees) is a franchise that is literally a prisoner of the brand. These teams are some of the most storied franchises in sports history, but times have changed… the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has hampered a quick turnaround for the purple and gold.

The NBA is still a winter league and, even if the name and history of a storied franchise is no longer a big enough lure, the weather is. If given an opportunity, players would rather exit a plane in the average annual 57 – 75°  weather of Los Angeles, CA; or the 67 – 77° weather of Miami, FL as opposed to the brutal winter weather of the north east.

The Lakers are in a state of disarray. They are as close to starting from scratch as they have ever been… which is uncharted territory for the purple and gold. Especially when you consider that in recent history, they hired and then later fired Mike Brown.

L.A. decided not to re-sign former head coach Phil Jackson after firing Brown, which disappointed and angered the fan base. The team hired — and later fired — Mike D’Antoni in less than two years although, to the surprise of many, they wanted to sign him to a long-term deal. We are 22 days into the month of July and the team has yet to name a head coach.

Former Laker guard Byron Scott is the leader in the clubhouse to land the head coaching position, having interviewed three times for the position. What is the delay? It comes as no surprise that, barring a miracle, L.A. will not compete for a championship in the NBA’s Western Conference in 2014. The sticking point between Scott and the front office is deciding whether to sign him to a long-term deal (three-to-five years), even with the knowledge that it will take a while for the Lakers to return to being a team that competes annually for a championship.

Los Angeles is in the process of building a roster with veterans and young talent. As of July 22, the roster consists of: guard/forwards Kobe Bryant and Xavier Henry, guards Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson; forwards Carlos Boozer, Ed Davis, Jordan Hill, Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly and Wesley Johnson, and center Robert Sacre.

The Lakers have a crowded front court although re-signing Johnson could solidify the small forward position. But it would benefit Kobe and the Lakers to play him at the three-spot, guarding small forwards to avoid having him chase other shooting guards through several screens. A lot depends on the health of Nash… the Lakers have to find out what he has left to offer. But if he can no longer be counted on, Lin can step in. The Lakers’ projected starting five: Nash, Henry, Bryant, Boozer and Hill.