L.A. Lakers Must Make Serious Headway Before Steve Nash Saves the Day

The Los Angeles Lakers just can't catch a break. Not only is the team in third place in the Pacific Division and on a two-game losing streak, but point guard Steve Nash's injury woes don't seem to be getting any better.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, as told to him by Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, Nash will not play on the team's upcoming four-game road trip, one that includes a game against the rival New York Knicks on Thursday.

Granted, Nash's absence with a leg injury has played a great role in Los Angeles' struggles, but his not being there to run D'Antoni's offense is just the tip of the iceberg. The Lakers' problems run much deeper than the mere lack of their point guard, and they have greater issues to fix. If the players and fans think that everything will be back to normal once Nash is back, they will be in for a rude awakening.

The team has many problems, each of which must be addressed before Nash returns.

 

No Reliability at the Point

The Lakers' most obvious issue is the lack of a solid point guard. Backup Steve Blake's abdominal surgery leaves the team with two men to run the point: the inconsistent Chris Duhon and inexperienced second-year man Darius Morris.

This is a problem for the Lakers for two reasons. First, Duhon is not much more than a shooter, and he doesn't have the same court vision as Nash.

Morris, on the other hand, has decent, developing court vision and the potential to be a fine NBA point guard. His only problem is that he has not received the necessary playing time as a backup, nor the right tutelage. Nash could certainly provide this, but his being sidelined and unable to be a full participant in practice doesn't help Morris' development.

As a result, Kobe Bryant has often been the man running the point, with varying results. This leads to the Lakers' next problem.

 

The Two Fa...

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