FanPost

The Lakers Will Be Bad: Accept It & You Will See The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Alright, I'm going to be put this quite bluntly. The Lakers will be a very bad team during the 2014-2015 NBA season. And no, I don't mean "they'll miss the playoffs" bad. I mean they'll stink so bad, that they will in all likelihood keep their 1st round draft pick (which goes to the Phoenix Suns unless it's in the top 5).

Now, don't get me wrong. I love the Lakers. I've been watching them since I was 6 years old in 1997. There is rarely a day that goes by in which the word "Lakers" doesn't cross my mind. But I'm being realistic. This Lakers team will stink. There's just too many "ifs" for this team to be competitive, let alone a championship contender (and let's all be real, that's the only end-goal we care about).

So, what I'm asking from my fellow Laker fans is to accept the reality. The Lakers will be bad. There's no question about that. But I don't just want them to be bad, I want them to be downright awful. From the looks of the preseason, it already is headed that way. But being awful won't payoff unless Lakers retain that pick.

Retaining that owed 1st rounder this year will be huge. That would give the Lakers not only Julius Randle (and to a lesser degree, Jordan Clarkson & Ryan Kelly) to build on, but also that top-5 pick to go along with the #15-30 pick (from the Rockets) and our high 2nd rounder as well (the 2nd rounder is owed to the Orlando Magic, but if the pick ends up in the top-40, LA keeps it and it's obligation is extinguished) .

And please, don't give me that nonsense that Lakers don't build through the draft. We've done it before, and quite successfully too. Here's how the Shaq-Kobe Lakers were built (click on image to embiggen!).

Shaq-Kobe Flowchart

As you see, the Lakers have successfully built not only playoff teams, but championship teams, using draft picks in the past. Of course, the Lakers front office used their draft picks to acquire other players, but that's besides the point. If Lakers want to be good again, they must be patient and gather assets along the way (and you know, play those assets as well!).

So yes, that does mean I am advocating for the Lakers to "tank". Now, I'm not saying go all-in like the Sixers. But the more assets they gather today, the better they will be in the future.

Jeremy Lin, Ed Davis, Jordan Hill, and some other guys are nice complementary pieces. But they probably won't be in a Laker uniform when LA next wins it's next championship. Trading these guys for 2nd rounders - as futile as that sounds - is the right move. All you need is for one of those 2nd round picks you stockpiled to hit the bullseye (think Lance Stephenson, Chandler Parsons & Isaiah Thomas for instance). And if one does, you have yourself a major asset/building block. And of course, you still have Randle to go along with the two 1st rounders and high 2nd rounder next year.

Now, I don't advocate tanking for the long-haul, because then you get stuck in a rut like some other franchises have (Look at the Kings and Wolves). It's not a foolproof system. But for the time being, this is the right thing for the Lakers to do. The Western Conference is stacked and might be the best conference in NBA history. This is the right time to suck, actually.

So who cares about that win on that one cold December night against the Sacramento Kings or against the Brooklyn Nets on that sunny March afternoon. You will not remember these wins. The only wins you and I will remember are the ones that lead the Lakers to the championship.

So, yes, these are tough times. And the current CBA makes it even tougher to rebound quicker. But if you accept that the Lakers will be bad & #EmbraceTheTank, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So let's #Lose64ForOkafor, #EatClayForMudiay, and have #ManyFrownsForKarlTowns. It will be OK at the end..

Go Lakers.