L.A. Implosion

The NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner. Though that's considered the mid-way point in the season, in reality more than half the season is gone. The Los Angeles Lakers are 23-27, they've played 50 games and have just 32 games left in the regular season.

At this point in the season, most team's have a good idea of where they are. While plenty can still happen, the contenders are established and the rest are jockeying for playoff or draft position. Heading into the year, the Lakers were projected to be a top team in the Western Conference. Currently they are in 10th place — just outside the playoff picture.

And what's worse, it doesn't seem like this team can get a lot better. Pau Gasol is out for six to eight weeks, and the Lakers haven't played well as a unit. And all that was before they started taking shots at each other through the media.

The Lakers might be one of the best franchises in basketball history, and they might have a stacked roster, but that doesn't make them a championship contender. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are getting older, Gasol hasn't been the same — nor has Metta World Peace — and who knows what's going on with Dwight Howard. On paper the team is stacked. On the court, it's a group of individual talents that don't mesh.

And that's even before considering the team's biggest problem. The system brought in with new replacement coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't fit the personnel. While it might have enjoyed minor success elsewhere, it's out of place with these Lakers.

Though I am a Lakers fan, I think this year's misfire goes beyond disappointment. It's confounding. Even more confounding is that the Front Office and ownerships seems unable or unwilling to do anything about it.

Bryant is one of the best players ever, but you get the sense his championship window might have closed due to the inept efforts of his organization. And that's a shame.