Los Angeles Lakers: 10 Signs Kobe and the Lakers Should Give Up on 2012

The Los Angeles Lakers are sitting at 20-14 overall, after the first 34 games of the 2011-12 NBA season.

For most teams in the NBA that would be a solid start to the season, but for the Lakers, it's an underwhelming start to say the least.

When you stop and look at the way the Lakers have been playing so far this season, with arguably the worst bench in the NBA and the league's 22nd ranked offense with an average of only 93.1 points per game, you understand how concerning the first half of the season is for the Lakers.

If ever NBA team had the opportunity to just hang up their laces after the first half of the season, the Lakers would be at the front of the line of teams wishing to do so.

Ahead are 10 reasons why the Lakers need to give up on the 2012 NBA season.

The Lakers Are Interested in Rasheed "Mr. Technical" Wallace

According to Comcast Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Lakers will be signing retired power forward, Rasheed Wallace within the upcoming week.  

The Lakers are doing what?

Yea, the fact that the Lakers are even toying with the idea of bringing Rasheed Wallace into their locker room is reason enough to give up on the rest of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Wallace hasn't played a minute of NBA basketball since the 2010 NBA Finals, and there's good reasons as to why he's not played since then. Wallace, at the age of 37, isn't the same player he once was, and in a jam-packed season, due to the NBA lockout, Wallace won't be able to hang with the pace of the game.

What's next for the Lakers? Maybe signing Dominique Wilkins or Clyde Drexler to long-term deals?  

Lakers Have the Worst Bench in the Entire NBA

The Lakers have arguably the worst bench in the entire NBA, averaging an NBA-worst 21.1 points per game with the league's-worst bench efficiency rating of only 24.9.

With guys like Jason Kapono, Steve Blake, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts and Metta World Peace coming off the bench, the Lakers fate of making an early playoff exit in 2012 is all but sealed.

If you're only as good as your weakest link, then the Lakers are pretty darn bad. The one commonality amongst NBA champions in the past few years is the presence of solid production coming off the bench.

That's something that the Lakers don't have, and it's a reason why the Lakers' 2011-12 NBA season isn't going to end the way the Lakers want it to.

Health of Andrew Bynum's Knees

Andrew Bynum played all but five minutes in his first NBA All-Star appearance on Sunday night, and it was because he had a "synvisc injection" in his right knee on Friday night.

Apparently a synvisc injection acts like a lubricant for the knee that's supposed to provide the person with up to six months of pain relief. Uhoh, Bynum's right knee, the same knee that's held back his career so far, is acting up again.

The fact that Andrew Bynum is getting an injection in his knee to "relieve pain" isn't a good sign because it shows that there's still somewhat of an issue with Bynum's knee.

If Bynum ends up missing time with knee issues in the second half of the season, the Lakers chances of doing anything in the 2012 NBA playoffs will go right out the window.  

Just the thought of Andrew Bynum's knees acting up is a reason to realistically think that the season is all but over.  

No Lamar Odom Means More Than Originally Thought

When the Chris Paul trade fell through this past offseason for the Lakers, little did they know the impact that it would have on the outcome of their 2011-12 season.

Offering up Lamar Odom in the CP3 trade package apparently hurt Odom's feelings more than anyone would have thought. Trades are a part of being in the NBA, and the fact that Odom was so hurt that he demanded to be traded was pretty ridiculous.

Either way, losing Lamar Odom turned out to be more than the Lakers could handle this season. Losing Odom's average production of 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season, is something the Lakers haven't been able to find an answer for.

There's no way the Lakers are going to be able to find an answer for Odom's missing production this season, and that's a major reason why it's time to just throw in the towel. 

Pau Gasol Trade Talk

The fact that the Lakers are even considering moving Pau Gasol before the trade deadline is reason for concern for Lakers fans and the organization alike.

There's not too much information circulating on who the Lakers could get for Pau Gasol, but unless it's a straight-up trade for Dwight Howard, which won't happen, moving Pau Gasol is a bad, bad idea.

First of all, moving Gasol would be a disastrous move with only 32 games left, as it would crush any resemblance of team chemistry that the Lakers have moving forward. It would also be a bad move because Gasol is a productive player, and like the Lakers have seen with losing Odom, replacing a productive player isn't all that easy.

Just the fact that the Lakers are considering trading Pau Gasol shows that they aren't sure about the future of their franchise, and that's a major reason for concern moving in the second half of the season. 

Kobe's Shooting the Ball More Than Anyone in the NBA

Oh Kobe Bryant, the man that consistently shoots the ball more than any other player in the entire NBA.

So far this season, Kobe's jacked up a ridiculous 807 field goals, which is 139 more attempts than the next closest player, Kevin Durant, who's hoisted 668 field goals on the year.

The fact that Kobe shoots so much is an issue for the Lakers because it kills any resemblance of a "team-first" approach to the game for the other four players on the court with Kobe.  

I know Kobe's arguably the best shooter in the league, but that doesn't mean he needs to control the ball 99.9 percent of the time.

Kobe's not going to start taking only smart shots anytime soon, and that's a major reason why this season is all but over.  

Kobe needs to be more a of a team player and incorporate guys like Bynum and Gasol into the offense. But realistically, we all know that's not going to happen.   

Mike Brown Doesn't Have a Hold of the Team

There's no doubt that Phil Jackson could've found ways to win more games with the same talent that the Lakers currently have, but that's because Phil had control of the team, even with Kobe on the roster.

Phil Jackson won all those championships with the Lakers because he was able to command control of not only the locker room but also the way that players worked together on the court. Those are both things that Phil's successor, Mike Brown, has yet to do.

Mike Brown hasn't figured out how to control Kobe Bryant, and more importantly, he hasn't figured out how to let him know that he's the man in charge.

Kobe needs a coach who's willing to call him out and willing to put him in his place a time or two, but Brown's not that guy, and that's concerning for Lakers fans and the franchise alike.  

If I was Mike Brown, I'd call up Phil Jackson and get as much advice as I could get from him, in hopes that it would help.

Meta World Peace Looks Worse Than Ever

I'll just get to the point. Metta World Peace has been absolutely atrocious so far this season, and his inability to produce is a major reason the Lakers are struggling this year.

World Peace is averaging 4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists, with a PER of 7.08 in 22.8 minutes per game, and that production is seriously holding the Lakers back.

Ever since changing his name to Metta World Peace, the artist formerly known as Ron Artest has been a different, less productive player. If he doesn't manage to boost his production back up to his career averages of 14.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, the Lakers 2012 season is doomed.

If Metta World Peace continues to drag his feet in the second half of the season, the Lakers would be better of trading him away, in turn giving younger players a chance to show what they've got. 

Lakers' 22nd Ranked Offense Is a Major Issue

In a surprising turn of events, the Los Angeles Lakers are the proud owners of the NBA's 22nd ranked offense, averaging a measly 93.1 points per game. Luckily for the Lakers, they're giving up only 91.4 points per game on average.

The reasons why the Lakers' offense is among the worst in the NBA have all been listed in this article. From Kobe shooting the ball too much to Metta World Peace's ineptitude on offense to a lack of productivity off the bench.

The bad news for the Lakers is that their offense isn't going to get any better in the second half of the season, because all those reasons listed above aren't going to change anytime soon.

There's no solution for the problem of the Lakers offense, other than Kobe Bryant being more of a team-focused player, but we all know that's not going to happen.  

The second half of the Lakers 2011-12 NBA season is all but over, and one of the reasons why is because they can't find enough ways to produce on the offensive side of the ball.  

Lakers Can't Compete with the Elite Teams in the NBA

The Lakers have lost 14 games so far this season, which isn't all that terrible, but when you stop and look at which teams the Lakers have lost to, those 14 losses mean something different.

Eleven of those 14 losses have come against teams that would be in the 2012 NBA playoffs if the season ended right now.  

The Lakers have been dominated by the two favorites to play in the 2012 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they haven't competed with a majority of playoff-caliber teams.

The main reason why the Lakers can't hang with the elite teams in the NBA this season is because their bench just doesn't have enough depth, and their starting five don't have enough chemistry. 

No matter how well Kobe Bryant plays, he can't carry the Lakers past teams like the Heat, Clippers, Nuggets, Thunder, Bulls and Magic all by himself, which is another major reason why the Lakers 2011-12 campaign is all but over.

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