Lakers Rumors: Can the Lakers Win a Title with Arenas or Sessions?

Some Los Angeles Lakers fans have convinced themselves that Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions and out-of-work guard Gilbert Arenas can cure the Lakers' backcourt ailments, but I guess those same fans have lost all hope for a 2012 NBA Finals trip.

This Lakers team is much worse than the version that was swept out of the postseason by the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, and I think that fact sometimes get lost in the confusion of a shortened 66-game regular season.

These Lakers are averaging more than eight points less than they did last season, and while the defense is improved, the orchestrated precision of Phil Jackson's triangle offense is a distant memory.

So what exactly is the root of the Lakers' offensive troubles?

The most obvious answer is the lack of a play-making point guard, but when was the last time the Lakers really had a player that fit that description?

In the triangle, there was really no need for a lead guard who was a distributor because most of the pieces in Jackson's offense were interchangeable. But, Mike Brown's dribble-drive motion offense has turned a mild annoyance into an issue.

It has been no secret that the Lakers have suffered from inferior point guard play for the past few seasons, but Jackson's offense hid the flaw on one end of the court, and the Lakers' team defense hid it on the other.

But in Brown's scheme, the Lakers' inability to prevent dribble penetration has been exposed, and the absence of forward Lamar Odom has revealed the Lakers to be a collection of talent with no real offensive direction.

How else do you explain a team that will comprise two-fifths of the Western Conference All-Star starting unit in Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, and one of the league's premier power forwards in Pau Gasol?

The Lakers arguably have the NBA's top frontcourt, and one of the game's top talents in Bryant. All that skill has led them to a mediocre 17-12 record.

And out of the Lakers' 12 losses, only four have come by double-digits, and none of the games have been blowouts.

The Lakers' worst loss was by 12 points on the road in Orlando, and that type of competitiveness would lead some to believe that only minor tweaks are needed to right the ship.

Unfortunately, that theory is wrong.

Maybe general manager Mitch Kupchak and team president Jim Buss have been perusing the same statistics that I have, but apparently they have come to a different conclusion.

Thus far Lakers management has been reluctant to entertain suggestions of dissolving their seven-foot duo of Bynum and Gasol, and considering that they represent the strength of this Lakers team I can understand why.

But, how far into the postseason do the Lakers and their fans think Gasol and Bynum can carry them?

Lakers fans feel that Arenas or Sessions, or both, are the most critical pieces missing in the Lakers' quest for a Finals berth because each player would address a pressing need.

Presumably Sessions would step in, replace Derek Fisher and become the lead guard the Lakers have been looking for all season, and Arenas would bring instant legitimacy to what has been arguably the NBA's worst second unit.

Hmmm.....

Sessions does average 10 points per game and 5.7 assists, so that would be an immediate upgrade over Fisher's 5.1 points per game average and 3.7 assists, but is it enough to push the Lakers into title contention?

I didn't mention that Sessions only shoots 35 percent from the field, which is only slightly better than Fisher, and while the Lakers' senior citizen has crafted his career mainly on defense and the ability to hit clutch shots, what do we really know about Sessions?

I know that Sessions doesn't have a very dependable jumper, he is an average defender and he has absolutely zero experience running a team where NBA championships are an expectation.

I doubt the addition of Sessions or Arenas will carry the Lakers much further than their second round sweep in last season's playoffs, and if that truly is the case what exactly is the point of signing either player?

No one can convince me that an Arenas deal is a move towards the future, and the hype over Sessions doesn't match his production on the court.

In all honesty, Sessions will never be more than a solid backup, and who really knows what Arenas has to offer at this stage in his career?

The Lakers should never engage in any trade talks just for the sake of making a deal, but would a trade for Sessions or an Arenas signing really be anything more than that?

I do agree that the Lakers need to make some significant changes in order to be considered a true title contender this season, but most of the rumors swirling around the franchise go against the historical precedent the team has set.

Sessions and Arenas may make the team better than they are right now, but if the end result is still an early playoff exit, why waste the time?