Story by Isaiah Salgado
Staff Writer
Five NBA titles, two scoring titles, three MVPs awards, two finals MVP awards and four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards are just some of the accomplishments the Lakers starting lineup has achieved.
And then there’s this: their current record is 28-30 and they sit 2.5 games back from the eight seed and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.
With only 25 games left in the Laker’s season, the chances of the Lakers making playoffs are not good. If the Laker’s fail to make it to the postseason, it would be the first time since 2005 this has happened.
But this season has been much worse than the infamous 2004-2005 Laker season. That team with players like Smush Parker, Luke Walton and Kwame Brown, was not expected to make the playoffs.
This Laker team has no such excuse.
“I don’t know if the Lakers will make the playoffs,” English teacher Mr. Gabriel Escovar said. “Maybe [they make it] as the eighth seed. I’m a firm believer that your record is who you are.”
During the offseason the Lakers were able to trade for stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. To most observers, these two pieces joining Bryant, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol seemed to guarantee that Bryant would get his sixth ring.
This however, has not been the case.
“It’s really disappointing what’s happened so far this season,” junior Frank Vierra said. “All these great players joined the Lakers and here we are in the ninth seed.”
Howard hasn’t been 100 percent the whole season after recovering from back surgery. Pau Gasol has been injured several times this season and has been out the last month. Jordan Hill injured his hip and is out for the season. Nash has shown many signs of aging.
Many believe that Coach Mike D’Antoni being hired over Phil Jackson is the problem. D’Antoni is known for his fast-paced, shoot-first method of coaching, which is a lot to ask from a team riddled with players in their 30s.
“The biggest mistake this year was getting D’Antoni because he is a completely wrong coach for this team,” Vierra said. “The only person he has experience with is Nash.”
However, there has been some signs of light.
Earl Clark has made his way into the starting lineup after riding the bench for the beginning of the season. Antawn Jamison has found his game after struggling early on in the season.
At 34, Bryant is averaging 27.1 PPG and is racking up the assists as he has become more of a facilitator.
“You can’t put the blame on Kobe,” Vierra said. “He has been doing more than enough. He scored 27 points per game. He facilitates and he’s been carrying this team on his back.”
They have gone 10-5 in their last 15 games and have been looking very fluent in their passing. D’Antoni has made adjustments to his offense that are better suited for his players. Many Laker fans are having starting to regain hope for this Laker team.
“I think the Lakers have gotten a lot better throughout the season,” junior Nicole Perez said. “Earl Clark has really energized this team and Howard and Kobe seem to be getting along better.”
Whether that’s enough remains to be seen.
