Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, it's clear that watching the Lakers will remain a depressing exercise for the next few months.
Instead of selling off their inconvenient stable of veterans before Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline passed, the Lakers opted for inaction. Outside of a possible buyout, the roster will not change for the rest of this season.
Standing pat was far from a worst-case scenario. The Lakers could have foolishly put a dent in this summer’s cap space by taking on a long-term contract. They could have traded future draft picks.
That's a win. Still, it wasn’t an ideal outcome.
Instead of accumulating assets to help with their rebuild, the Lakers will roll on as the NBA’s most dysfunctional team on both sides of the ball, with players like Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass and Nick Young in need of minutes that should belong to D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown.
It’s all so very strange, and Bryant sits at the center of it all. He’s the focus...again.
The stretch run of his career should be fascinating cinema as L.A. wraps up what very well may be the worst campaign in franchise history.
Will head coach Byron Scott continue to frustrate the Lakers fanbase by prioritizing Bryant over everyone else on the team? How low will this unprecedented charade (all due respect to Bryant’s Hall of Fame credentials, but that’s what this is) go? Only time will tell, but recent comments suggest marginal alterations for the better are in store.
Just how bad have things been?
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
