Life hasn’t been much fun of late for the Charlotte Bobcats. Just seven victories were notched last season, setting a record for the lowest winning percentage in league history. With a 25 percent chance for the first pick in the 2012 draft, they watched helplessly as the New Orleans Hornets -- with a 13.
As Brian mentioned in Thursday’s Rapid Reaction, math is not on the Lakers’ side at the moment. Even if you believe the eventual return of Pau Gasol and especially Steve Nash can help this team round into quality form (and for what it’s worth, I do), what’s troubling is how that may not even matter come April.
If there's an award out there for the NBA's anti-Lakers squad -- i.e. a team exceeding expectations and exciting its fan base rather than driving those loyalists towards self-medicating -- the New York Knicks would make a strong candidate.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the world by trading James Harden just days before the season opener, many wondered whether the franchise was prioritizing the bottom line ahead of winning. On and off the court, Harden's been a critical factor in the Thunder's steady rise since 2010, and his do-it-all skill set was often the grease for the dual engines of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
For 24 minutes Tuesday night in Houston, it appeared the Lakers were on the verge of bouncing back from a mortifying loss to Orlando with a blowout win over a Rockets squad with consecutive home wins under its belt.
Under the best of circumstances, conventional wisdom dictated the Lakers would require some time to jell. With so many new faces (and at the time, a new offense, which eventually sparked the decision for a new coach), instant chemistry would be a tall order.
If the Lakers have been the most underwhelming team relative to expectations so far this season, the Denver Nuggets may run a close second. After pushing L.A. to the limits in a tough, seven-game first round series during the 2012 playoffs, the ingredients appeared in place to build on that momentum.
The Lakers aren't the only team with high expectations that has struggled out of the gate. After providing the Miami Heat with a credible 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals challenge, the Indiana Pacers were expected to be one of the most dangerous teams in the East.
The Lakers haven't played many high-end opponents this young season, much less many outside the cozy confines of Staples Center. Tonight, they'll get a serious taste of both. The Memphis Grizzlies are playing as well as any team in the NBA.
With the Lakers now north of the .500 mark, the early-season chaos has increasingly given way to an atmosphere of normalcy. However, the skeptic would note how, Tuesday's win over Brooklyn the noted exception, each win has come at the expense of nobody terribly impressive.
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