I swear, off the top of my head, not a fortune cookie.
In an attempt to assemble a win-now, championship-or-bust roster, the Lakers took a chance by acquiring another veteran in Steve Nash to join fellow veterans Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol in the starting lineup.
These guys are a different kind of old. Actually, Nash is every kind of old. But he, along with Bryant, Gasol and even World Peace, has played heavy minutes for an incredibly long time.
Minutes Per Game
'03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 Kobe Bryant 41.5 37.6 40.7 41 40.8 38.9 36.1 38.8 33.9 38.5 38.6 Steve Nash 33.1 33.5 34.3 35.4 35.3 34.3 33.6 32.8 33.3 31.6 32.5 Pau Gasol 36 31.5 32 39.2 36.2 35.6 37 37 37 37.4 33.8
Bryant has played at least 33.9 minutes per game in every year since 1998. Think about how crazy that sounds.
And you know 33.9 is on the lower end of the spectrum. He's played at least 37 minutes per game in 13 seasons.
Steve Nash and Pau Gasol have logged at least 31 minutes a game in 13 and 12 consecutive seasons, respectively.
With all those miles on the tires, these 32- (Gasol), 34- (Bryant) and 39-year-old (Nash) vehicles will eventually break down riding an 82-game course.
Bad luck?
I had an electric razor—it was around 10 years old. This razor cleaned my cheeks thousands and thousands of times. So should I have been mad the day I was forced to attend a wedding with a half-bearded, half-shaven face?
No! I should be mad at myself for not expecting the a worn-out razor to die in the middle of an important session.
For the Lakers, I'd say this is an important session. Nash and Bryant's motors died at the worst possible time.
General manager Mitch Kupchak took a risk by acquiring...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
