The Case for Los Angeles Lakers to Go All-out for Carmelo Anthony in 2014

Carmelo Anthony isn't a cure-all for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he may be the quick, aesthetically appealing fix for which Kobe Bryant is longing.

With the New York Knicks struggling and the Lakers even worse off, much has been made of Anthony's impending free agency. Will he leave? If so, where will he go? Can the Los Angeles Clippers legally pay him in empty promises?

One of the most talked-about destinations has been Los Angeles—specifically the Lakers, who can create enough cap space to make Anthony a sizable offer. While his name itself is enough to get the excitement juices going, though, there's so much wrong with a potential Anthony pursuit, it's almost a turn-off.

Or rather, it was almost a turn-off.

Pining for the days when they were a powerhouse, the Lakers don't have the luxury of patience. Tradition demands they win. Bryant demands they win.

"The important thing is winning a championship," Bryant said of Anthony shedding his current stigma, per the New York Daily News' Peter Botte. "That’s the only way to shake it. That’s the only way Michael [Jordan] shook it. That’s the only way any top scorer will be able to shake it."

One of the only ways for the Lakers to shake free of this present rut is to be aggressive in their quest for change, starting with the addition of another superstar such as Anthony.

 

Win Now Means Win Now



Bryant wasn't extended for another two years so the Lakers could waste his time.

This season is already a lost cause. The Lakers aren't going to contend for a championship, let alone make the playoffs. At 16-29, they're 9.5 games back of the Western Conference's final playoff spot. Good luck even trimming that deficit out west, where anything less than greatness might as well show itself out.

Short of any miracles—such as, you know, an edict...

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