The 2012-13 NBA season has finally hit a boiling point for the new-look Los Angeles Lakers. The team has lost 24 games and appears to be on the verge of being knocked out of playoff contention in the Western Conference if things don’t get turned around quickly.
The loss to the Chicago Bulls on the road on Monday was more costly than most this season. Dwight Howard was upset over a lack of touches on the offensive end of the floor and Kobe Bryant continued to struggle with his shooting going 7-22 from the floor.
As a result of Howard’s recent comments about the team and being clearly unhappy about his current situation with the Lakers, Kobe confronted the superstar center in a team meeting according to Mike Bresnahn of the L.A. Times:
The Lakers needed to talk. So they did. Loudly.
They held a clear-the-air team meeting before Wednesday morning’s shoot-around, with Kobe Bryant very directly asking Dwight Howard if he disliked playing with the long-time Lakers star.
Apparently, Howard didn’t strike back at Kobe or give a straight answer to the question asked.
Over the past week or so, Kobe has been increasing vocal about the status of the team and the fact that all the pieces brought in to win a championship clearly isn’t working.
Kobe’s confrontational approach may not be to Howard’s liking, but it may have motivated the three-time Defensive Player with Howard claiming that the season starts tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.
