The Lakers Not Giving Up On Contending

When Carmelo Anthony opted to stay in New York, the biggest loser of the whole situation was the Los Angeles Lakers, who had been courting ‘Melo. There were some rumors that ‘Melo was seriously considering putting on the purple and gold but at the end of the day it was still a long shot.

Pau Gasol, perhaps tired of being treated like a trade chip, opted to not resign with the Lakers and headed over to Chicago. Gasol’s exit should have been the final nail in the coffin for the Lakers. There is always next years draft and free agency.

However, Kobe Bryant only has two or three more years left in the tank and he wants another ring and similar to the rag-tag teams that get thrown together in sports movies like Bad News Bears, Los Angeles has become a place for players who have no where else to go.

A more negative view on the situation is that LA has become a dumping ground for bulky contracts. The Houston Rockets got to unload Jeremy Lin’s contract in LA and the Bulls amnestied Carlos Boozer to the Lakers in order to clear up space for Gasol. Acquiring these large contracts are not the signs of a team who are ready to go into rebuild mode. Instead, they have every intention of competing.

Boozer and Lin may not be A-plus players but they are solid talents that show sparks of greatness.

Boozer adds a scoring option down below for the Lakers, an option they did not have prior, and despite his defensive shortcomings he will blend well with Jordan Hill. Lin is inconsistent, but we all remember the “Linsanity” that made him a superstar, even if he does not consistently play like a superstar.

The Lakers also got great draft picks in Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson who have already been showing great chemistry in the summer league. It may be risky to give allot playtime for the rookies so early, but the Lakers want to contend and will not rule out throwing the rookies at the wall and hoping they stick.

Add Bryant into the mix and one can see that the Lakers are not rebuilding, they are building a team to contend despite the fact that the ‘Melo’s of the world have looked over them.

The Lakers have every intention of competing for a title this season, and much like the previously mentioned rag-tag teams from kids’ sports movies, no one believes that they can win, but perhaps the chemistry will be just right and the underdogs will make a big run.