The new Lakers serve as a sore reminder of the extraordinary team that once was

Photo courtesy of lakeshowforlife.com

The Los Angeles Lakers are in for what looks like yet another year of rebuilding, which is strange and unsettling territory for such a storied franchise. The fact of the matter is that the Lakers have spoiled us for way too long. With the big, bright lights and Hollywood aroma, fans have been treated to a team that was simply too good for too long. With Kobe Bryant stirring the ship, nothing seemed to go wrong. However, as the seasons went by and some time had passed, players took their talents elsewhere, breaking a strong core that saw to two consecutive championships.

In wake of their departure, fans believed that the team was still in good hands, that the championship is never to far off, that the question is whether or not the purple and gold will make it to the finals but when. Now everybody is asking if they even have a remote chance in doing so, who could have known? The Lakers had reached a peak and failed to remember what it took to get there; they tried to fill in the holes with big name stars but did not understand that the key was not in the big picture, but in the components.

The dynamics in a team are what matters and the Lakers are lacking this more than any other. The team will need to take the time to build on its ability to play as a unit, an aspect that the team has desperately needed in the past few years.

It does not take an analyst to see that the team does not play cohesively, they are all just pieces of a puzzle that seem to be a trouble solving. The franchise teams that win championships do not win particularly because they have excellent players, but rather because they have players that share chemistry and a drive to win together.