Peeking at the Lakers’ 2013-14 season

So, I wanted to just do a brief preview of the Lakers and the stuff surrounding them this season. For one, I hope Kobe has one more year left in him after this season because finals is gone.

I think if Kobe comes back and is able to some how play at the level he was playing right before he got injured, then the Lakers should be able to make the playoffs. Of course, it matters how well the team can play without him. They need to be able to hover around at least the lower seeds (5th-8th) so when Kobe comes back, they have a chance of hanging on.

The drawback would be Kobe messes with chemistry. We know he demands the ball. If the players do flourish, it’ll most likely be from sharing and caring. You know they’ll be doing some standing around with Kobe on the floor. That is, if he plays a lot. I would think for his first couple of weeks his minutes would be monitored unless the Lakers desperately need him to show up.

As tough as Kobe is, he’s never had an injury this severe. How’s he gonna handle it mentally? I mean, he’ll be healed but take Derrick Rose for instance. He was medically cleared to play but in his mind, he wasn’t quite ready. Rose wanted to come back to the court and play like normal; instead of thinking about his knee. I wonder if Kobe will be mentally prepared to play.

Rumor has it Pau Gasol could be traded if the team is in too deep of a hole by the trade deadline. Indeed, if this team isn’t playing well, things could take a serious turn. Whatever happens, I would think that the Lakers are aiming for one last push with Kobe for a championship. Since it’s very likely this season is not the season, next season will have to do.

Kobe pretty much called his retirement to be at the end of the 13-14 season. The injury kinda made people think he would go another year after this. We’ll see.

What do think happens to the Lakers this season? Playoffs? How far in the playoffs? Does Pau get traded? Could D’Antoni get axed? Some drama going on in Hollywood!