Are The Lakers Capable Of Playoff Run?

Has everyone calmed down now?  Granted, the Los Angeles Lakers have done their fair share to irritate their fan base over the last year or so, but honestly, Byron Scott can take this team in the right direction. As the ink dries on his 4 year, $17 million dollar contract to be head coach of the Lakers, take a moment,  if you would, to just close your window from purchasing Clippers gear and allow me to explain.

It’s not all gloom and doom.  Sure, the Western Conference is deep, perhaps as deep as it has ever been, however, the Lakers can still make a run into the playoffs. Is this a title team? Definitely not very likely.  However, as spoiled as we have become as Laker fans it should be noted that our beloved Lakers are not Minnesota, Orlando, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia. Before we condemn the Lakers into the abyss of lesser franchises whom don’t do their part to be very competitive, we should embrace a near unfathomable idea: The Lakers are not what they used to be in regards to star power.  And, they have a lot of work to do to get back to the  glory days of such.  However, the Lakers are still a competitive team.

Byron Scott is capable of leading this roster to the playoffs.  Carlos Boozer, contrary to popular belief, is a productive player.  The bigs on the roster need a veteran presence in the locker room and Boozer serves as just that.  Boozer also has always been a double-digit scorer his whole career.  Signing him is a low risk, high reward signing. Same is the case with Jeremy Lin.  Scott grooms point guards very effectively and typically gets the best out of them.  With the assistance of Steve Nash, Lin’s tryout season to remain in L.A. long-term can be of a pleasant surprise.

The Lakers also have gotten younger, quicker, and stronger with Julius Randle, Ed Davis, Jordan Clarkson,  and returns of Xavier Henry and Wesley Johnson to supporting cast roles.  Nick Young can and will be a sufficient running mate for Kobe Bryant and assist him well in a starting role to put points on the board.  Byron Scott is a defensive minded coach.  With quick players who can run and stretch the court who are young and eager to prove their worth, Scott can encourage and motivate these guys to exceed expectations.

Those expectations are not of a lottery team.  The 2014-15 Lakers, with a healthy Kobe Bryant, are capable of an 50-win season.  The Lakers have their competent coach, star player, and hungry young athletes virtually playing for a long-term deal.

As easily as many are knocking the Lakers as being perennial bottom feeders, one can say on the contrary that the Lakers will be a scrappy bunch and formidable opponent.  Yes, this roster is not particularly what NBA titles are made of.  However, in the west, many teams during the free agency period didn’t exactly shock the world with mind-blowing transactions.  Most franchises stayed the same, made small moves to improve depth, or lost players via free agency or simply bad deals.  The Lakers very well may not be the best roster on paper, but it is quite overblown as though they are the worst.