And that's putting it lightly.
The Lakers, who previously relied on efficient, balanced scoring from their starters and bench, along with solid defense, have lost three of their last five, and have dropped two straight.
Los Angeles still leads the next closes team by four wins with seven games remaining in their regular season, but the way their playing could be setting up the domino's to fall against a slew of first-round opponents that could arguably give them a run for their money.
Stemming from Pau Gasol's open frustration about not getting enough offensive touches, and Kobe Bryant not being on top of his game on a consistent basis, the Lakers have recently run into stretches where their bench scoring is non-existent, their defense is complacent, and we're back to the Lakers of old.
This isn't the same team that won the NBA Finals a year ago. Sure, they have the talent and the roster to do it again, but the results and consistency doesn't equate to another championship run.
L.A.'s latest struggles can be best displayed by the lack of a scoring punch from their bench, as Bryant out-scored his entire cast of supporting bench players by six points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
It was even worse in a 108-100 loss to the New Orleans Hornets, where the Lakers bench scored just 12 points in nearly 50 minutes of combined play.
Unlike last season, this inconsistency and lack of support for the Lakers bench has been a recurring theme in the 2009-10 season, and has recently become a big issue.
So, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
While desperate might be considered crazy in this conversation, the Lakers might be advised to do themselves a favor and unleash a potentially letha...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
