The latest LA Lakers news is not exactly what fans would like to hear as ESPN has forecasted the team to finish 12th in the Western Conference with the 30-52 record. Pundits say that the Purple and Gold will not be dead last, but they won't improved much either.
Ryan Ward of the Lakers Examiner said in a poll by Lakers Nation that Kobe Bryant might be back stronger than ever but it would still not be enough to bring the team to the playoffs.
"It is hard to say the Lakers will finish dead last in the Western Conference. The fan in me says no way that will happen, but realistically, Los Angeles won't win more than 35 games in my opinion," he said. "The problem is that outside of Kobe, the roster and situation in Los Angeles is very similar to last season."
Recent LA Lakers news updates are silent on any more signings. To date, the new additions to the roster are Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, not exactly vaunted for their defense. The team finished near last in team defense last season.
Russell Valenzuela, contributor the Lakers Nation blog, said that last year's team won only 27 games but that was mostly due to injuries to the main stars like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, as well as role players like Steve Blake, Xavier Henry, Antawn Jamison and Jordan Hill.
"If the team can stay healthy, I believe they will definitely see more than a three game improvement," he said.
"Although I believe the Lakers will significantly improve their record, I still don't see them in the playoffs. The top nine of the West is still extremely good, and it would take everything to go right for the Lakers to finish with one of the eight best records," he wrote.
The LA Lakers news offered by Corey Hansford, senior writer of Lakers Nation, also doesn't inspire confidence.
"I am of the belief that this Lakers roster is better than last season's. Unfortunately, most of the West also got better. And those who didn't improve, didn't get bad enough for the Lakers to surpass them," he said.
