HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers are on one of those rare runs of success having navigated through the perilous postseason journey to reach three consecutive NBA finals and win two straight championships. On the surface everything appears to be in good order as we enter into the homestretch of the season. 

But just looking at a situation on paper alone can be very deceiving. After being dealt a shellacking at the hands of the up and down Charlotte Bobcats, the Lakers suffered a demoralizing loss to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers in their next outing to head into the All-Star break on a sour note.

The paranoia and extreme skepticism which follows the team from game to game is more fickle than the New York Stock Exchange as it is and those back-to-back losses multiplied the panic levels tenfold.

Yet amidst the mounting pressure to make a trade in order to reverse the team’s recent misfortunes, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak seems to be content riding with this unit over the long haul.

"I think it’s unlikely," said Kupchak to the Los Angeles Times on the likelihood of swinging a deal by the trade deadline. "But there’s eight days to go. All of the general managers are here in Los Angeles [for All-Star] weekend, and there will be a lot of yapping. There will be a lot of guys moving off to the side, and there will be a lot of phone calls. … I stand by what I said, that it’s unlikely, but I don’t think any general manager can stand here and say there will be absolutely no changes in eight days, in particular at this time of year."

Regardless of the annual worries coming out of Los Angeles keep these facts in mind.

The team still holds a 38-19 record which is good enough for a top 3 record in the talented Western Conference, owns a 9.5 game advantage in the Pacific Division standings over the .500 Phoenix Suns and all of their major cogs from last season’s title run are healthy.

Based on this information Laker nation shouldn’t have a worry in the world right?

Not exactly, but the Lakers’ core unit is a playoff tested, proven to thrive and survive in the clutch bunch. The problem is this same unit has become bored with the daily grind of the regular season. The Lakers recent struggles are more centered on inexcusable lapses in focus rather than a deficiency in the level of talent. 

"There’s a tendency to overreact, and I get it," continued Kupchak "This team is not that different than the team we had last year, and in some ways, it’s been improved. We have guys that didn’t forget overnight how to practice and play."

Kupchak is likely to take the safe road in attempting to overcome the current midseason gut check.  It’s not hard to see why. The team has already proved they have what it takes to overcome adversity and win a game 7 of the Finals. Plus the inconsistent Orlando Magic, who pulled off two blockbuster deals in December to bolster their title hopes, are a shining example that radical changes aren’t the solution for all problems.

Expect A Lockout This Summer

A handful of players and owners will meet today away from the bright lights of All-Star weekend to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. Both sides have remained adamant that if terms cannot be agreed upon during this meeting, a lockout will likely be an unavoidable consequence from the stalled talks.

The current CBA has players slotted to receive 57 percent of all basketball-related revenue from owners, but last October NBA commissioner David Stern publicly stated the league wanted to slash $700 – $800 million from the annual $2 billion player salary pool.

With owners projecting huge losses and players not believing the league is losing money there appears to be little hope for both sides to meet in the middle on an agreement this weekend.

Salary cap expert and frequent HOOPSWORLD contributor Larry Coon agrees with the widespread assumption that not much will come out of this weekend’s meeting and told Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News the following:

"I don’t think any progress will be made," said Coon. "The stakes aren’t high enough. Both sides are too entrenched and all you’ve got now is posturing. What happens in July? There are some free agent signings and summer league – not that big of a deal. "The owners will want to perpetuate the lockout when you get into September, when training camps are usually about to start, and then October, when the regular season would normally be about to begin."

"When the stakes get really high is Nov. 15 when the players will miss their first paychecks," continued Coon. "Guys like Kobe Bryant, who are making the highest salaries, can withstand a long lockout. But the rank-and-file guys can’t. That is when the players are likely to return to the bargaining table and to give in to the demands of the owners. They’re [players] not as cohesive as the owners. They have different agendas, and its one man, one vote."

{AUTHOR_BOX} When it comes to business savvy it would be a mistake to not believe the owners will eventually get their way. The owners are a well-financed group with deep pockets. Most of them further expand their wealth from ventures outside of the revenues they collect from owning a pro franchise.

There’s the difference.

The sole source of most players’ annual income is derived from excelling on the hardwood. Sure a few hold lucrative endorsement deals and business ventures of their own, but an owner’s asset portfolio reins king in comparison.

Simple economics. The guy signing the check will always be in a better position over the long run compared to the guy cashing the check. The longer this saga continues, the more the players will back down from their current stance.   

Carl Landry Will Consider Going Back To Houston

The Houston Rockets gave Carl Landry, a second round 2007 draft pick (Sonics/Thunder), his first shot to excel at the professional level. Landry did just that and gave the Rockets a solid return on their initial investment. Problem was during Landry’s 2010 breakout campaign his market value rose dramatically and Houston was able to package him in a trade with Sacramento to acquire high scoring wing Kevin Martin.

The Rockets have long been rumored to be interested in getting Landry back onto the team’s roster and with the fourth year pro expected to test the free agency waters this summer a reunion may be possible.

While Landry maintains his priority is with Sacramento, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Houston or just about any other franchise this summer.

"I would go to almost any team in the league," said Landry to HOOPSWORLD. "My dream is to play in the NBA, not any specific team. Obviously the Kings are my number one priority, number one option now but if they decide to look elsewhere and move on then Houston would be good because I am really accustomed and used to that place. I came from there before coming here and you know I just want to be competitive every time I step out onto the floor. I want to compete and have a chance to win a championship."

The summer of 2010 was a lucrative time for many of last season’s free agents, but this summer isn’t as promising due to the looming lockout and uncertain CBA. The former Purdue University standout hasn’t let those aspects of the business impact his thought process.  

"I am really not sure about that right now," said Landry on the possibility of a lockout. "I really haven’t given that much thought. I am just really happy and excited to be a member of the Kings and I’m just trying to do the best that I can to help my market value increase as much as possible. Who knows when the season is over with we’ll just go from there."

For now, Landry has graciously accepted a lesser role with Sacramento as the Kings are focused on developing some of their other young frontcourt players and complaining about his minutes are not in the equation.

"No, it’s not tough," said Landry to HOOPSWORLD on whether the reduced role has been a rough adjustment. "I am blessed to be in this situation that I’m in. Glad to have the opportunity to play for the Kings and the opportunity to play in the NBA. Just whenever I get the opportunity to step on the floor I just try to help my team as much as possible."

One of the players who’ve contributed to Landry’s decreased playing time is rookie DeMarcus Cousins. There have been widespread reports of Cousins and head coach Paul Westphal getting into heated exchanges and plenty of instances which show Cousins’ lack of maturity. Despite all of that Landry sees the talent of Cousins and enjoys him as a teammate.

"He’s still a young player; everybody gets emotional playing this game," said Landry. "He’s very competitive. I am glad to have him as a teammate. He goes out there and plays his heart out on the court and that’s all you can go out and ask for at the end of the day is continue to be a professional athlete and go out there and play your heart out and that’s what he does."

There’s no doubt the Kings are headed back to the draft lottery with only 13 wins at the All-Star break, but Landry also believes the team’s record is misleading and the club is on the verge of turning heads as the season progresses.

"I think we’re real close," said Landry to HOOPSWORLD. A lot of games we’ve had the lead in the fourth quarter. I think we’ve lost 17 games where we’ve had the lead in the fourth quarter but wasn’t able to finish and complete the game. We’re still young, trying to learn but we’re really close into turning those 17 losses into wins. I think it’s just the little things, the experience on the screens, making sure we block out. [Getting] everybody on the team diving for loose balls, taking that extra charge to give our team that extra possession. Little things like that will put us over the hump."

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NBA Chats: There are two NBA chats on today’s schedule. Alex Kennedy hosted his weekly NBA chat at 1:00 p.m. EST. Salary Cap guru Larry Coon will host another NBA Salary Cap chat at 8:00 p.m. EST. Susan Bible will host her weekly NBA chat tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. You can always find the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.