Somewhere inside us, we knew this was coming, when you consider that they are without Lamar Odom, a huge anchor in their playoff success, they have six new guys in their 12-man rotation, they are still getting used to playing with Andrew Bynum, and they have a new head coach in Mike Brown.
You may be wondering now, "What exactly is the point of this article?"
Well, my case is that the Lakers don't necessarily need to make a blockbuster trade to remain on top of the West. Now, a Dwight Howard or a Deron Williams would certainly turn the Lakers into an even bigger contender for the title, but, with the group they have now, the Lakers can still contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Here is the current Lakers' depth chart:
Point Guard: 1. Derek Fisher, 2. Steve Blake, 3. Darius Morris
Shooting Guard: 1. Kobe Bryant, 2. Jason Kapono, 3. Andrew Goudelock
Small Forward: 1. Matt Barnes, 2 Metta World Peace, 3. Devin Ebanks, 4. Luke Walton
Power Forward: 1. Pau Gasol, 2. Josh McRoberts, 3. Troy Murphy
Center: 1. Andrew Bynum, 2. Derrick Caracter
Now, technically, Derrick Caracter is injured, and Darius Morris and Luke Walton are yet to play this season, so they can basically be taken out of this list.
With this group of players, I say the Lakers can still win the NBA title. They just can't win it currently with the way they play and the way certain players are getting minutes.
Here is my projected depth chart (in other words, the rotation I want to see):
Point Guard: 1. Steve Blake, 2. Darius Morris, 3. Derek Fisher
Shooting Guard: 1. Kobe Bryant, 2. Andrew Goudelock, 3. Jason Kapono
Small Forward: 1. Devin Ebanks, 2. Metta World Peace, 3. Matt Barnes, 4. Luke Walton
Power Forward: 1. Pau Gasol, 2. Josh McRoberts, 3. Troy ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
