On Sunday the Los Angeles Lakers made history. However, this history was not made in a good way. The suffered a defeat to the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. This was not just a defeat, this was the largest defeat in the team’s 70-year history. What has happened to this once hallowed franchise?Where has the glamour gone?
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team of vast history. Here is a franchise that has 16 Championships, 31 Conference Titles, and 23 Division Titles. They also have 9 retired numbers and multiple league MVPs. But here is now a franchise that is suffering one of the worst stretches in the history of the game. But why? Can they not lure the big names anymore?
The Los Angeles Lakers have not made smart front office moves over the last couple of seasons. This has left them with little talent and high-priced contracts. They currently have a salary cap of $92 million. Most of that money is tied up in 3 players, Luol Deng ($18 Million), Timofey Mozgov ($16 million), and Jordan Clarkson ($12.5 million). Journeyman players like Deng and Mozgov are not actually the type of guys that are going to attract bigger names to play alongside. In order to return to glory, the front office is going to have to spend some money or lose these some of these bigger contracts and rebuild.
[Sean]
To help the Los Angeles Lakers return to their winning ways they are going to have to decide a rebuilding route. Are they going to take on trade deadline contracts or hit the draft and go with youth? The best way would be to draft youth and let some of the bigger contracts expire. There needs to be some sort of plan in the front office that resembles a shift back to winning.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team of history. Past players like, Johnson, Worthy, Jabbar, Scott, O’Niel, and Bryant would not stand for this. A 49 point loss is uncalled for at the NBA level. There should be heads bouncing like balls with these guys. There just is not the desire right now. The glamour of being a Laker is gone.