| Lakers Falling On Their Faces Authored by Scott Essman - February 8, 2006 - 8:23 pm
Without Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom to rebound the ball, and with Kobe Bryant slowing down after his late-January surge, the Lakers have been stumbling the past two weeks and could fall out of playoff contention as early as Wednesday evening after a game in Houston.
With only three wins in their last ten games, the Lakers who shocked the NBA with their December-early January prowess, have fallen back to earth. The Lakers of those last ten games cannot score with consistency, are not rebounding and defending well, and cannot close out tight games.
Now at .500 with a 24-24 record, they are grasping at solutions. Granted, lacking Mihm and Odom, they were doomed of late, losing all four games thus far in February, all on the road. To right their ship, they will need both players back at full strength, providing defense and supplementary offense.
Of course, much rests on Bryant's scoring ability, which has been off the mark of his amazing late January run. Bryant's amazing 81-point game on January 22 was thrilling in every regard, but the team has only won two games since that date. In a loss at Dallas last night, Bryant scored a human-level 24 points, on only 5-22 shooting.
Perhaps Bryant is tiring, or perhaps he needs more support from teammates. Regardless, with a .500 record and one more road game Wednesday night, the team faces serious questions about the balance of their season and a potential playoff appearance.
With the All-Star break still ahead, might a personnel move be in the team's future? That decision rests with Dr. Buss and their formidable GM, Mitch Kupchak, who has yet to make an advantageous trade during his Laker tenure. |
