NBA Preview 2013-2014 Season: Los Angeles Lakers

Last Season: 45-37 (Finished 7th in the Western Conference)

Prediction: 38-44

Key Losses: SF Metta World Peace, C Dwight Howard, and PF Earl Clark (Probably PF Antawn Jamison as well)

Notable Free Agent signings: SG Nick Young, PG Jordan Farmar, PG Wesley Johnson, and C Chris Kaman.

Well, this is depressing. As a Lakers fan, you never want to write a preview predicting your team to do significantly worse than the previous season. The Lakers are in for a roller-coaster ride of a season. I don’t see them going very far, maybe the eighth seed in the Western conference, but definitely getting bounced in the first round. Good thing they signed most of the free agents to 1-year deals, because I fail to see how any of these pick-ups are going to win over the hearts of the Lakers faithful.

The loss of Dwight Howard is the most significant blow to the Lakers this past offseason. With star Kobe Bryant suffering a devastating Achilles injury at the end of the 2013 season, if Howard had stayed, he would have been the Lakers’s go-to scorer. However, when Howard left for the Rockets, so did the Lakers’s most dominating interior defensive presence.

Even with Howard on the roster, the Lakers were near the bottom of the league in defense and this year, they should slide to the very bottom. Their rebounding numbers (they were 4th in rebounds last season) will also take a dip, as the signing of Chris Kaman is not enough to make up for the rebounding void left by Howard.

Along with the Lakers main interior defender, their primary wing defender, Metta World Peace, also left the Lakers for the New York Knicks after the former amnestied him. The former Defensive Player of the Year (even though it was close to a decade ago – 2004) brought energy and hustles to the court and could hit 3’s occasionally. He was a fan favorite and will be deeply missed when the season starts.

So who did the Lakers front office sign to replace the loss of these valuable assets? Let’s take a look at the quality signings the purple and gold made this offseason.

Chris Kaman- Ah yes, the journeyman center and former all-star has failed to find a home since leaving the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. Kaman is often injured, and is a liability on the defensive end. He is slow, even by big man standards, and will have trouble fitting into coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense. His game is on a downward spiral and his offensive game has failed to find a rhythm since he became a bench player. Of course, things might change once he takes the court at Staples Center this year, but my hopes aren’t high.

Nick Young and Wesley Johnson- Here’s my breakdown of Nick Young in one sentence: He’s incapable of playing solid defense for any stretch of time, refuses to pass the ball, and is a glorified ball-hog. You want one for Johnson too? Johnson is a career 40% shooter from the field, posts a little more than one assist a game despite playing extended minutes, and can’t shoot from beyond the arc (32.3% last season), yet feels like he’s entitled to shoot more than three of them a game.

When Young is hot, he can score in a hurry, but he isn’t a consistent shooter. He can barely play defense and will get bullied in the post. Johnson isn’t much of anything. He turns the ball over and isn’t a good passer. He’s a horrible shooter and a poor defender. Why Kupchak? Why?

Maybe this is all part of the Lakers front office’s grand plan to tank the season and prepare for next season’s draft and free agency, but if it isn’t, maybe its time for Lakers fans to get a little worried.