The Los Angeles Lakers certainly have reasons to be concerned about the path their 2014-15 season is on. The Lakers have suffered two very critical injuries that is putting pressure on their bench and others to step up and replace them. Both Steve Nash and Julius Randle are officially out for the season and Kobe Bryant is left with Jeremy Lin to be his right-hand man.
The Lakers have started their season winless going 0-2 on the year. While expectations started low for the club, they have plummeted even more in recent weeks. Nash is finished for the year following a back injury that he will not be able to recover from quickly. Randle's rookie season is officially over after he broke his leg in the season opener. The Lakers still do not have Nick Young on the court as he heals from injury, meaning it is Bryant, Lin and Carlos Boozer as the marquee options on the court.
So far, Lin is not doing his part to help out the struggling team. The point guard is struggling with the offense and not scoring which is clearly going to be a frustration if it does not improve. Lin had seven points against Houston while adding six against the Phoenix Suns. Bryant is not thrilled.
According to Los Angeles Lakers reporter Serena Winters, Bryant has already had a one-on-one talk with Lin and his level of play at the moment. Winters reports that Bryant told Lin that this was his offense to run and he needed to step up and do it. This is an example of the "mature role" Bryant has said he is taking with the team. That involves being a more vocal leader and showing plenty of patience.
"We're not as bad as these two games," Bryant said, via ESPN.com. "We're not. The frustration comes from getting blown out twice. The clutching and grabbing and stuff, I think Byron is trying to lobby to get me some more calls. That stuff never bothered me. I do quite a bit of it myself."
Bryant is going to have to start demonstrating a lot more patience because things are not getting better any time soon. Depth issues could force trades, but the Lakers do not have the assets to make that work. Chad Ford of ESPN.com makes the unpopular suggestion that the Lakers simply tank, stay healthy and rebuild in the draft and offseason. Clearly that may or may not happen, but if the team continues down this rough path they will have to make some tough choices.
