NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony and Andrew Bynum in Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles Lakers have looked awful the last couple of weeks. On the Grammy road trip, they have been blown out by both Orlando and the Bobcats. The starting five has looked tired and lackadaisical. The bench, with the exception of Odom, has looked even worse. The acquisition of Steve Blake, once considered the most underrated addition this offseason, has turned out to be a big bust. Even Phil Jackson has called the team out, calling their recent loss to the Bobcats embarrassing. 

I don't the Lakers themselves realize how bad they've been playing. It might not be sinking in yet, but they could possibly play a lot of road games come playoff time. The Lakers are a proven and tested veteran team, so the playing on the road doesn't scare them but this year might be different. Do the Lakers really want to play a team like the Thunder or the Mavericks on the road? That might seem ridiculous but the Lakers are now three games behind a surging Mavericks team and at this point, it looks like the Spurs will run away with the West. They are currently tied with the Thunder in the loss column at 19 losses and with the way the Lakers are playing right now, OKC could very well pass them in the standings. 

The Lakers will almost be guaranteed home court in the first round. The Pacific division is too horrible for the Lakers to allow Phoenix to sidestep them in the standings. As a Laker fan, the most concerning issue about this season is the unknown. Because the Lakers have pretty much gave up on the regular season, coupled with the rise of several Western Conference teams, the pathway to their fourth straight finals appearance might have to be won on the road. LA has always entered the playoffs as the first seed, and because of their struggles this season, they might have to play both the Spurs and the Mavericks on the road. 

I don't doubt that the Lakers could beat these teams on the road, it's just that their play thus far has ...