Establishing Lakers Success Through Focus & Hunger

Watching the Lakers get swept off of the court this year made one thing glowingly clear: they lacked focus. The signs were there throughout the season, but because they have Kobe Bryant and because they are the two-time defending champions – everyone gave them a free pass through the year, truly believing that once the postseason rolled around, they would show up. Unfortunately for themselves and their loving fans, the Lakers transformed from a basketball super team into an arrogant collection of rockstars, and subsequently decided to blow off the 2010-11 playoffs.

It was apparent from the first quarter of their postseason’s opening game against the New Orleans Hornets –- and from that point on, as much as I believed in them when they were down 0-3 to Dallas, they never had a shot at three-peating. And it wasn’t because they lacked talent or skill –- even on the heels of the embarrassing 0-4 outing against the red-hot Mavericks, they still have one of the most formidable rosters in the league. Rather, their unfocused mentality unsurprisingly carried over into the playoffs, and it ultimately hit them where it hurt.

If the Lakers want any chance at returning to basketball glory one more time before Kobe Bryant begins to loose basketball relevancy, it is imperative that they establish focus now and maintain it through the season. And similar to this past season, their mentality during the 82-game season will carry over, but instead of it being defined by words such as loose, unfocused and complacent, the Lakers will be focused and hungry. But only if they start now, because after an exit akin to their Mother’s Day debacle, they have no other choice.

But where do they begin their road to redemption?

Next: Replacing the ‘Zen Master’

Above finding a new point guard and fresh legs with a defensive mind, the Lakers have one hole that needs filling: their currently vacant head coaching post. Unlike the last time they were faced with this issue following the 2003-04 season, they have ample time to find a suitable replacement for Phil Jackson. Obviously, anyone who replaces arguably the greatest coach of all time is going to be seen as a down grade, but considering that Jackson leaves the game with 11 titles in 20 NBA seasons, that was an unavoidable reality from the moment Jackson announced that 2010-11 would be his last.

Currently, the Lakers have a solid group of potential candidates for the job. And although they would have to go in house with Brian Shaw or Chuck Person to bring in someone with a championship pedigree, their list of outside hires isn’t anything compared to what it was during the summer of 2004, when they replaced Jackson for the first time, with well-aged, past-his-prime, Rudy Tomjanovich.

Assuming Gregg Poppovich doesn’t somehow become available for hire, former Blazers, Warriors, Kings and Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman should be viewed as the front-runner for the job. While he doesn’t have a championship ring to his name (which could be a result of losing to Phil Jackson-coached teams when his team’s were contenders), he does a fantastic job at leading a team from the sidelines. (And he has already had a few years experience coaching the enigmatic Ron Artest -– a major plus for any potential replacement.)

But regardless who the Lakers choose to hire, it is crucial for their future success, to do so soon, and to make the right decision. Obviously, this is the ideal case in many scenarios –- quick and effective — but considering where the Lakers are right now, and how much uncertainty clouds this team, it is the only option for them.

Next: Creating a Focused & Hungry Foundation

The Lakers need not go out and throw cash at the first guy who sounds appealing. It’s still arguably one of the most important moves a team must make in the wake of failure. Choosing a coach can set the direction of the franchise, and with a core group that made three consecutive finals appearances together, it can cause major problems if done so hap-hazardly.

Before they make any trades or free agent signings, selecting a coach has to be the Lakers No. 1 priority, and by doing so sooner rather than later, it will give the Lakers the focus they need by clearing away a major cloud of uncertainty.

They need a coach who’s going to be able to tell Kobe Bryant, “no,” because the two-time Finals MVP is nearing that point in his career where he is going to have to take a back seat to the team’s younger, more athletically capable players. Unlike the 2004-05 Lakers squad, Kobe Bryant cannot be running the team — it just doesn’t work. It will cause major locker room rifts, and could ultimately set the stage for an unfavorable end to his illustrious career.

The Lakers coach must also be committed to defense. This team is beyond capable offensively, but as we see each and every year — if a team’s defense isn’t a top asset, they will not win the championship. In times of offensive struggles, games and even playoff series can be won with pure, hard-fought defense. It simply takes effort, and for the Lakers, it apparently takes a lot on the line for them to exhibit this mentality, because realistically, the last game in which they played a full 48-minutes of impeccable defense, was during Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The suitors are in place for the Lakers to select, and I don’t envision the crop getting any more appealing. With that being said, Lakers management must make its decision. During a time where complacency has been running strong amongst the team, it’s time for a newfound sense of hunger and focus to be instilled in the Purple and Gold of Tinseltown.