What the Los Angeles Lakers Can Do to Stop the Bleeding

A third of the way through the NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers sit as a 12-9 team, practically nothing more then a mediocre basketball team.

A less-than-mediocre sign is the fact that the 106 points that Kobe Bryant and Co. scored on Sunday in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves was only the second time all season that Mike Brown's team has scored 100 or more points in a game.

This is a team that averaged 102.5 points per game a season ago.

How do the Lakers stop the bleeding and get into contention in the Western Conference?

There are several scenarios to get the Lakers more consistent on offense, but most deal with acquiring a point guard and some much-needed shooting.

The prior can be done quickly. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have interest in Cleveland point guard Ramon Sessions.

They should jump on this opportunity.

Sessions is a very good point guard who would instantly make the Lakers better. They need a good point guard—it doesn't have to be a superstar. Sessions fits that bill.

Finding anyone that could knock down a three-point shot would also be nice. The simple fact that the Lakers are next to last in the NBA in three-point shooting is killing them.

Internal options to make the Lakers option better include leaning on Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum for a little bit.

Don't worry, Bryant is still going to get his, but the Lakers need Gasol to be their legit No. 2 scoring option. In order for that to happen Gasol has to be aggressive on the offensive end. He's done that lately, so the Lakers need to take advantage. You never know when Gasol will revert to being passive.

Overall, there are many things the Lakers can do to get out of their funk.

Unfortunately, most of the pressure is on the shoulders of general manager Mitch Kupchak. He has to make the necessary moves to tinker with this roster. In its current state, the Lakers really aren't more then a mediocre team.

But with a couple of minor additions they could be a factor in the Western Conference.