NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Might Be In Better Situation Thanks To Disastrous 2012-13

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By @AnthonyIrwinNBA

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Maybe it’s the bliss that comes from the Los Angeles Lakers’ first win, but thanks to the unmitigated disaster that was the 2012-13 season and the rebuilding that’s stemmed from it, the Lakers might actually be in a better place now, with more flexibility to produce a long-term rebuild centered around youth and cap space.

I know it sounds insane, but stick with me. That summer started with the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to form a super team of sorts with Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. However, Dwight hated Bryant, Nash was never healthy, Bryant’s Achilles snapped right before the playoffs, and coach Mike Brown was fired five games into the season, which ended in a butt kicking at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

That offseason, the Lakers had to amnesty fan favorite Metta World Peace, while Howard joined James Harden on the Houston Rockets. Since Howard’s departure, the Lakers have endured one of the worst years in franchise history and appear to have more losing in their immediate future.

But imagine if that season goes differently – literally any other way would’ve been an improvement. Let’s say the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni (or Phil Jackson) before the season started and gave him a full training camp to find an identity. Let’s also have a healthier Nash and a more cooperative Howard and Bryant.

If the Lakers had enjoyed more postseason success, Howard probably would have signed a max contract, and the Lakers would have to form a team around an aging Nash, Gasol, Bryant and even Howard – crazy as this sounds, he’s in his 10th year.

Yes, that team has more names and would definitely contend for the playoffs so long as they’re all healthy, but given their combined average age, it’s hard to envision that happening consistently. Plus, once that core does break up, the Lakers would not have many assets beyond cap space with which to retool.

Last year’s first-round pick would’ve occurred late in the first round rather than in the top 10. While Julius Randle endured a freak injury in his first game, he definitely showed enough promise to garner some Rookie of the Year talk, and will figure in the Lakers’ foreseeable future. He’s definitely a valuable asset moving forward, and one the Lakers would not have if 2012-13 goes differently.

Another factor is Howard himself. A widely reported rumor is how little respect other elite superstars have for him. While Henry Abbott thinks Kobe’s to blame for the Lakers’ current situation, it wouldn’t have been much better while trying to build around Howard — the fact that relatively few came to his defense is a telling sign.

While the Lakers are definitely near rock bottom as an organization, their outlook moving forward really isn’t terrible. They could conceivably have two top-10 draft picks and will have anywhere from $16 to $26 million in cap space, depending on player and team options, and the off chance the cap increases given the lucrative TV deal the NBA just signed.

Yes, this season is going to be a long one for Lakers fans, but, if successful in this version of their rebuilding process, the Lakers could be very well-positioned for the next decade.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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