Lakers Trying To Tank

Over the past few days, hall of fame PG Earvin Magic Johnson weighed in on the Los Angeles Lakers and their 6th worst NBA record. He didn't hold back when he stated that the Lakers need to lose if they expect to be a top contender for the 3 top college basketball players coming out of the 2014 college class.

Last years draft there were no superstars. This year there are about 3-4 superstars in college basketball and we need one of them!

Of course, the NBA has no right to tell the Lakers they are allowed to lose games on purpose, but for teams to slump it will damage the NBA's image and reputation. It would hurt the fanbase, and the franchise, who historically has been one of the best ever. For the Lakers to lose would create absolute chaos because of the competitive nature out in Los Angeles in every sport. The same goes for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been tanking for the past 2 and a half years by acquiring D league players to help propel their team to the top pick of the NBA draft. This was not possible however, because they were unsuccessful both years, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers who used their pick to draft Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins. Both are no longer on the team and are currently residing in Minnesota.

Of course, the major difference in Los Angeles compared to Philadelphia is the Lakers still have Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer. However, all 3 guys have underperformed this season. Nick Young seems to be their only hope in the young season, but the injury prone guard can not carry a team on his own. Kobe Bryant is still chasing every possible statistical category he is close to, but he slowly sees his potential last season ever in the NBA wither away. It seems that Kobe's numbers are down, but he averages nearly 25.5 points per game, which is higher than last season but still nearly 1.7 points off his average. Kobe Bryant is still trying to get used to a new offense, that was implemented nearly a year and half ago, when Phil Jackson resigned due to poor performance. Kobe thrives in a triangle offense, and by taking away the offense, he struggles to find areas for open shots and is forced to give up the ball more.

Looking forward, LA must move forward and start to rebuild the team around strong young talent and not dwell on aging players they have now with Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer. Both are washed up and need to be traded in order to free up cap space and sign big name free agents. One name that has been floating around last off season was Blake Griffin. No doubt, he can be a cornerstone to any franchise, and can improve a team instantly. Then, if LA Lakers tank, they could potentially land top college players like Karl Towns, Stanley Johnson, and Jahlil Okafor. Each are freshman that could consider leaving college early, and enter the NBA draft. The next draft class is also intriquing, with top high school players making an impact already and some are being considered to be stars in the next few years. Antonio Blakeney, Ivan Rabb, Harry Giles III, and Kwe Parker are all currently ranked one of the top 10 high schoolers in the country.