This past summer was filled with storylines in L.A.
Dwight Howard abandoned the Lakers for the Houston Rockets, Mitch Kupchak completely revamped the roster, and Kobe Bryant has been rigorously rehabbing from a torn Achilles.
But the big headlines won’t slow down, even when the team actually starts playing basketball again.
Will Mike D’Antoni coach his way into a long-term job on the sidelines? Can Bryant come back as the same player? How will Steve Nash stay healthy?
These questions, and probably hundreds of others, will persist from the time the ball is tipped off on opening night until the end of Los Angeles’ run, no matter how far that run may be.
L.A. has an improved roster, and the following slides rank each position with a letter grade.
The system used to assign each position’s grade is based on improvement from last year, comparison to the rest of the NBA (emphasis on the Western Conference) and projected contributions.
No position is stacked with talent, which is why it’ll take a collective effort by each player on the roster—and a better year from D’Antoni on the sidelines—for the Lakers to have a chance to make some noise in 2014.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
