Worse yet, this loss was a milestone of the worst sort for the Purple and Gold. On a night when Steve Nash moved into third place among the NBA's all-time assists leaders, the Lakers set a mark of another sort.
The franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1960, so yes, it's been a while. It went 25-50 its last season in Minneapolis.
It's been a season Lakers fan would like to forget. Kobe Bryant played in just six games, and Steve Nash missed the vast majority of the season, instantly turning the season into more of a rebuilding effort than an attempt to make the playoffs.
The lackluster effort has turned many Lakers fans away, at least from their TVs. Variety's Rick Kissell reported in March that the franchise's ratings had taken a steep hit, writing, "the 57 telecasts of Lakers games on Time Warner Cable SportsNet have averaged 199,000 viewers — down a whopping 49% from last year at this time (390,000)."
Viewership could be the least of the organization's worries, though. Its main priority is likely determining whether head coach Mike D'Antoni will remain with the team next season. Sporting News' Sean Deveney reports that "Bryant, sources said, has 'no interest' in playing for D'Antoni next season, and wants a new coach in place for the 2014-15 season."
Believable?
As NBC Sports' Kurt Helin put it, "D'Antoni is on thin ice however you view it. Everything in Los Angeles is not his fault — the Lakers have done a very poor job of giving him elite talent that fits his system (the roster was why he was an odd hire to begin with) — but he is going to take the fall. The question is when."
It could be sooner than later with lackluster efforts stacking up.
It's not just that the Lakers are losing. They're getting po...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
