On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers play a game for the first time in nine days.
Their opponents, the Brooklyn Nets, have lost nearly 60 percent of their games, so Brooklyn is not particularly good. The Lakers, however, have lost 75 percent of their contests, so they're altogether awful. Losing on multiple levels, the Nets have lost three games in a row entering Friday night. Obviously, the Lakers carry a six-game losing streak into Staples Center, so both these teams have grown accustomed to quiet post-game locker rooms.
On Thursday, the Lakers did not make any moves at the NBA's Trade Deadline. The Lakers failed to move any pieces and create any rejuvenation in a poisoned environment of losing. LA has lost 40 of the first 53 games in its 2014-15 season, and this is the same group that will end a season on track to be the worst in franchise history.
The Los Angeles Lakers could not trade away the reality of the failed 2014-15 NBA season, so they opted not to trade away anything.
In fairness to the team, the Lakers have positioned themselves to attract talent and build a contender in a hurry. Once the first domino falls, the remainder should follow. Consciously, the Lakers exercised patience and opted not to push the first domino.
So, the summer of 2015 should be exciting.
If the Lakers continue on their current trend of winning only 25 percent of their games, they will end the season with 20 wins. That should provide LA with a top five draft talent, and mended rookie Julius Randle should double LA's tradable asset bank. Add in a free agent or two over the upcoming summer, and the Lakers could build a contender over night.
Unfortunately, Friday night promises the harsh reality that the remaining 29 games offer more value in losing than winning. If Lakers' games did not already feel as though they belonged on a bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone, the final 20 games of the season could hit a new level of awkward.
Does supporting the Lakers mean celebrating losses?
The LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets will ask the question at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday night. On Sunday, the Lakers will host the Boston Celtics in a rivalry game that will again force fans to question their hearts' desires. A win is a loss, and a loss is a win: the Lakers' current reality commences on Friday at Staples Center.
