I know it's tempting to say "It's the Lakers", and just assume they'll reload with a spectacular trade or a big FA signing, but I really wonder if we won't look back on this in a few years as the start of the true "fall" for the Lakers. Not that they'll turn into the Bobcats or anything, but a long stretch of mediocrity where they're always in that 45-50 win range, making the playoffs, but never being taken seriously as a legit title contender. The Hawks, basically.

D12 may bolt after this year for another team, but even if he does, the Lakers are still on the hook for like $65m+ of Kobe, Pau, Nash and Artest. Any trade of Pau would have them taking on some other terrible contracts, so the cap relief from that would probably be minimal at best.

Almost every contract they have save Nash drops off for '14/15, and the rumor is that they're targeting LeBron, but is that realistic? The CBA changes made putting together Heat-level super teams much more difficult; LeBron could count on the Lakers to sign one other top flight FA that year, but probably not two. Plus, why would he go to LA if he's won another title or two at Miami by then and has largely repaired his reputation? And just about every other team in the league will be after him as well, of course, including probably NYK and Brooklyn.

Kupchak's contract also expires in 2014 as well.

Just saying, eventually solutions to the Lakers problems are going to stop falling into their laps.

These are the End Times. -_-

Trocadero: I hope Chris Paul, Blake Griffin et al, read about Donald Sterling's various court cases over the years. I hope they sign somewhere else and give their reasons as Donald Sterling is a terrible human being who has no business owning an NBA franchise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sterling#Accusations_of_racism_a nd _discrimination

On August 8, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination in using race as a factor in filling some of his apartment buildings. The government's ongoing case alleges Sterling refused to rent to non-Koreans in the Koreatown neighborhood and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.^[8] The suit alleges Sterling once said he did not like to rent to Hispanics because they "smoke, drink and just hang around the building," and that "Black tenants smell and attract vermin."^[8]

So Classy.

Scorpitron is reduced to a thin red paste: The Lakers are always, always, always going to be back.  FAs want to play there like crazy.  Plus Jerry West is still alive and will sell off some other team's prize player(s) to them for nickels.  Oh, look, he's the GM of the Golden State Warriors now.

I think I might bookmark this comment, just on the off chance we get a Pau for Lee/Barnes/Thompson deal sometime this summer.