What happened to the Los Angeles Lakers? Was it that the past seasons have finally caught up with them, or did they just face a much better team? Whatever the case may be there was obviously something not right about the returning champs. At the start of this series who would've thought that the Lakers would be sweep by the Dallas Mavericks? Who would've thought that Dallas would come out in game 4 and just embarrass the Lakers the way they did? This series reminded me so much of the finals where the Lakers were beaten by the Detroit Pistons, and we all know the drama field year that was. Ever since the playoffs started you could see that something just wasn't right.When the Lakers let the Hornets come in and dominate them on their home floor. The only reason they survived that series was because they were just a far superior team then the Hornets. But the Mavericks matched up better with the Lakers and exploited them. Evey Laker in this series was a non-factor. Kobe Bryant has too many miles on his legs to carry this team on his back for long stretches at a time. And it was the same story for Gasol, Odom, and Bynum, they just were not aggressive enough. I never thought that I would see a Phil Jackson team dominated in a close out game the way they were in game 4.
What's next for the Lakers? They need a new coach. They need to and some youth to their roster, especially at the point guard position. And they need players that are hungry for a championship. The move that I see happening is that Dwight Howard will end up in L.A.. I think he is tired of playing for Stan Van Gundy, and he should see that with the roster they have down there now, that there is no championships making it's way to Orlando no time soon. The Lakers would probably have to let go of Bynum, and Odom, or Gasol and Odom. My guess is that Andrew Bynum's days in a Lakers uniform is about up. He's injury prone, and he's probably getting to the point in his career where he wants more touches and be a focal part of a team. Lamar Odom is such a under achiever in the NBA. This guy is 6'10, can handle the ball, pass the ball, rebound the ball, but he's all left handed. If the Lakers can land Howard, and and some youth to that line-up and bench, they should be primed for another run at the championship.
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