Tinseltown drowned in a well of chemistry sorrows last season, never broaching the level of dominance they were predetermined to meet. They fell well short of expectations and came out the other end of 2012-13 a bruised, beaten and Kobe-less bunch.
Remove Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace from an already rocky infrastructure that's without Kobe, and the Lakers could be worse off. Or maybe they'll be better.
The "Black Mamba" would be able to play, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, if the Lakers were currently in the playoffs. To know that he could suit up if needed is a relief. It's a blessing. But so his absence.
Battling life without Kobe has forced the Lakers to adjust; it has forced Kobe himself to adjust. All the while, the Lakers, Mamba included, are learning some much-needed lessons about themselves and how to avoid a repeat of last season's emotional catastrophe.
Learning the Ropes of Life Without Kobe
Playing without one of the greatest players in league history isn't supposed to be a good thing. Subtracting 27-plus points and six assists from the box score can even seem like suicide. But the Lakers need this time.
Kobe isn't always going to be around to define the Lakers. To be perfectly honest, most of these other guys won't be either. This isn't the roster of the future general manager Mitch Kupchak assembled. What the Lakers have is a stopgap, something to hold them over until 2014. Nothing more.
Still, this team, the one Los Angeles calls its own for now, can't be overly dependent on Kobe either. He's 35 and working his way back from a career-threatening injury. Shattered timetables don't amount to paralyzing or instantaneous success. When he comes back, the team will need to understand how to play with him in a diminished capacity.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
