NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Must Focus On Balanced Attack Going Forward

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By @ShaneRantSports

Mark J. Rebilas

Mark J. Rebilas

Who would’ve imagined Kobe Bryant on a losing team? Who would’ve imagined the “Black Mamba” starting an NBA season 0-5? Both those possibilities seem surreal and impossible to believe, but they are actually realities. The Los Angeles Lakers are bad and that is all that can be said. They started the season 0-5 and three of those losses were by 15 points or more. That was until tonight; until the Charlotte Bobcats visited the Staples Center.

The Lakers finally broke into the win column and it didn’t take 35 points from Bryant. Instead, it was a collective effort with both Bryant and Jeremy Lin scoring 21 points as well as five players in double figures. Surprisingly enough, Bryant still shot the ball 20 times and shot under 50 percent. Either way, it is hard to stop a team when the bench contributes 32 points and Jordan Hill deals out seven assists.

All in all, it was an incredibly strong win by Los Angeles as they defeated Charlotte, 107-92. Hopefully coach Byron Scott took some notes and will hammer it into the players’ heads that teamwork is the only way this team will win. Bryant is no longer the player he once was and he has nowhere near the high-caliber teammates he had during his five championship runs.

It is safe to say that the Lakers are far from contending for the playoffs out West. With Bryant’s fat contract looming overhead, it only hurts the franchise further. The only hope is to ride out the storm for a couple of seasons of misery or have Scott get the players to buy into a new philosophy — best of luck Mr. Scott.

Shane Phillips is an NBA Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneRantSports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also email Shane at [email protected].

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