Lakers have become disgraceful

There are a ton of reasons to look at the Los Angeles Lakers, assess the situation, and then shake your head. It could be the obscene amount of money that the team is paying Kobe Bryant to be one of the worst players in the Association. It could be the 9-41 record. It could be the complete lack of youth and talent across the roster.

There is talk about D’Angelo Russell, but this youngster is already being buried under the ineptitude of head coach Byron Scott. Russell was the second-overall out of Ohio State University and has been decent, but certainly not the game-changer that Los Angeles was hoping for. At 11.9 points and 3.3 assists per game, Russell is solid, but the Lakers need much more than solid to pull them out of their ever-growing hole.

Los Angeles is the most successful team in NBA history this side of the Boston Celtics. The Lakers, when combining their time in Minneapolis and Los Angeles, have won 16 titles and been in the NBA Finals on 31 occasions. This is a franchise that not only is immensely proud, but does not tolerate anything but the ultimate prize.

Apparently, the Lakers are finding out that life without Dr. Jerry Buss, their former owner who passed away in 2013 at 80 years old, is very difficult. The team was left to his children to be run, in particular by Jim Buss, who has been nothing but a complete disaster. Los Angeles has been in chaos since, seemingly bringing players in and out of the building as though it is a rundown bus station.

Going into Monday night, the Lakers trailed the Golden State Warriors by 36 games for the Pacific Division lead. Considering Los Angeles only has 32 games remaining, the division is already out of the reach of the Lakers, and we are in the first day of February.

This group is a long cry from the days of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Michael Cooper. It appears that Los Angeles has not only descended into the darkest corners of the NBA, but it might be staying there for a while. The Lakers have no direction, little talent and an ownership group that does not have the know-how to win championships.

It is sad to watch this franchise lose night after night. Los Angeles was once the mecca of basketball, with stars consistently adorning the landscape from Chamberlain to Shaquille O’Neal. Now? The Lakers are in a sorry state, a second-class citizen in their own stadium.