After the Los Angeles Lakers whiffed on signing Carmelo Anthony (and LeBron James to a lesser extent) during free agency, things didn’t look good for the legendary franchise.
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Yes, they still had Kobe Bryant, though it’s not the same Black Mamba who single handily could own the league during his prime. Thankfully some quick actions on the part of Mitch Kupchak and LA’s front office brought in Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin.
Combined with rookie Julius Randle, the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting unit isn’t likely to win a playoff series though they’re proven and battle tested. Given that, David Aldridge of NBA.com feels the Los Angeles Lakers could be better than most want to give them credit for.
"Not conference finals better. But better than bottom five better. It’s just an inkling. But they can’t be worse than they were at the end of last season, right? Anything above that would be a drastic improvement."
Of course, being middle-of-the-pack good isn’t exactly the most beneficial thing in the NBA considering you’ll likely lose out on a high lottery pick and be void of the postseason. Still, the Los Angeles Lakers know they have to keep Kobe Bryant content and the NBA icon isn’t about to go through a season where the Los Angeles Lakers push 2o victories.
How many wins Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and company will help the LA Lakers achieve is unknown, though as Aldridge notes, they should be far more respectable than originally anticipated.
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