Los Angeles Lakers: Top 5 Concerns for the Streaky Lakers Entering the Playoffs

Trying to get a handle on the Los Angeles Lakers is like trying to hold a slippery ice cube. This version of the Lakers is just as difficult to grasp.

Sometimes the Lakers appear to be true contenders for the 2012 NBA title, and at other times they seem to be a guaranteed first-round casualty.

At least the Lakers keep it interesting.

When the postseason does start in a couple of weeks, the Lakers will most likely be the the third seed in the Western Conference. They could also possibly fall to fifth considering they only hold a two-game advantage in the standings over the current fifth place Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers have the talent and potential to play deep into the postseason, but in order to return to the NBA Finals the Lakers will have to overcome several obstacles that have plagued them all season, and a few more that have recently manifested.

I have compiled a list of the top five concerns for the Lakers heading into the playoffs, and if the team fails to address these issues a speedy exit from the postseason is almost a certainty.

In my opinion, if the Lakers can conquer their demons they have just as much a chance to compete for a championship as any other team in the NBA, but which team will show up? Please enjoy.

5. The Reserve Group

Lakers fans certainly had their qualms with former bench players Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown, but I'm guessing that general manager Mitch Kupchak and all those fans appreciate Odom and Brown's past contributions now.

In one word the Lakers reserve unit has been abysmal, and the prospects of facing the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs does nothing to ease the nausea.

Los Angeles may arguably have the worst reserve unit of any team heading into the postseason, and I'm not sure if their elite starting four of Ramon Sessions, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum is enough to offset the difference.

I would ride with those four players when it comes to any other starting unit in the NBA, but what happens when they get tired?

4. Will Pau Show Up?

When Pau Gasol arrived in Los Angeles he immediately made the Lakers a championship contender. He lived up to that promise by helping the Lakers reach three consecutive NBA Finals and win two championships in a row.

When was the last time you saw that player?

Last season Gasol pulled a disappearing act in the playoffs, averaging a career low in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. Some would argue that he has yet to fully recover.

Gasol has dropped to the Lakers third scoring option behind Bryant and Bynum, but if the Lakers hope to capture some of their magic from the last championship season, Gasol will need more performances like Monday night's win over the New Orleans Hornets.

In that game, minus Bryant, Gasol scored 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds while displaying a brand of intensity that has been absent from his game most of the season.

There is no doubt that Gasol has the talent to perform like the superstar he is, but can he do it when the games matter the most?

3. Andrew Bynum's Attitude and Immaturity

Lakers center Andrew Bynum is finally realizing the potential and promise that team President Jim Buss envisioned when he discovered Bynum as a high school player in New Jersey.

The only problem is Bynum seems to realize that he is a true NBA star. And he's feeling himself.

Bynum has been blessed with an extended period of good health after suffering through a rash of unfortunate injuries in his career. The 24-year-old center has blossomed into a bona fide, legitimate star. But can he handle the attention that goes along with it?

Bynum is averaging career highs in every number across the board, but unfortunately his immaturity seems to manifest at the worst possible times.

No offense to Bryant, but Bynum's size, strength and talent gives the Lakers an advantage that no other team in the west and possibly the league can counter, but that is only true if Bynum is able to keep his composure long enough to utilize that advantage.

If Bynum approaches the postseason with focus, intensity and aggression, then the Lakers will be a tough out regardless of how their playoff matchups shape up.

For Lakers fans sake, let's just hope they can avoid Houston in the first round.

2. Beware of Kobe Bryant's Shin

Blame it on injuries, but Kobe certainly didn't seem like himself last season in the playoffs, and Lakers fans have to be holding their collective breath after Bryant recently missed his first two regular season games in over two years due to a shin injury.

Optimists will undoubtedly say that Bryant is only receiving a much needed blow before the playoffs after logging more minutes than any other player on the roster, but we can only hope that is true.

Shin injuries, like knee injuries, tend to be a lingering concern, and while I have yet to hear any discouraging statements concerning Bryant's health coming from the front office, you have to wonder.

The difference between a championship and another early postseason exit could literally hinge on Bryant, and if last season's results are any indication, fans should approach the upcoming playoffs a little cautiously.

1. What Can Mike Brown Really Do for the Lakers?

Lakers coach Mike Brown's offensive and defensive philosophies are simple to grasp and easy for even the novice NBA fan to understand, and when the Lakers execute his strategies to perfection they resemble a championship contender.

But what happens when they don't?

For most of the regular season, Lakers fans have been forced to bear witness to a motion offense that was absent of much motion until point guard Ramon Sessions arrived. But now that the offense has improved, other issues have reared their head.

Brown has hung the hat of his coaching career on defense, but in the last few weeks Los Angeles has looked nothing like the defensive powerhouse they resembled earlier in the season.

That's bad. But the fact that Brown seems to have absolutely no clue at all on how to correct the issue is even worse.

Additionally, Brown's strategic ineptitude extends beyond the defensive end of the floor since Brown appears to have little knowledge or understanding of player rotations, end game situations or critical adjustments.

I wouldn't go as far to say the Lakers have survived thus far on talent and experience alone, but I wouldn't argue too much with anyone who said they have.

Brown's record in Cleveland suggests there is a valid reason that he is a NBA head coach and I'm a writer, and while a little talent may play a role in both instances, only one of us had the privilege of coaching LeBron James