L.A. Lakers: Why Pau Gasol Shouldn't Be Fall Guy for Lakers' Playoff Struggles

The Los Angeles Lakers struggled mightily in the postseason this year, barely getting past the Denver Nuggets and then losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in just five games.

Lakers’ big man Pau Gasol is the one who most fans blame for the team’s forgettable playoff appearance, which is a bit unfair.

Gasol, who averaged only 12.5 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game in the postseason after putting up 17.4 PPG and 10.4 RPG during the regular season, isn’t innocent by any means, but fingers shouldn’t be pointed at just him.

Some of the blame should be placed on head coach Mike Brown, who took over for the great Phil Jackson this year.

Sure, Brown guided the Lakers to the third seed in the Western Conference, but he’s absolutely horrible when it comes to making in-game adjustments, and it seems as if his players don’t respect him, including the team’s top two stars, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Fingers should also be pointed at the Lakers' bench—or lack thereof. The team's second unit this year consisted of guys like Steve Blake, Jordan Hill, Matt Barnes and Devin Ebanks, which isn’t the type of group capable of helping a team capture a title.  

Those guys might help win your team a title in college basketball, but not in the National Basketball Association. 

Losing both Lamar Odom—traded to Dallas for basically nothing—and Shannon Brown (via free agency) dramatically weakened the Lakers’ bench—that’s for sure.

You can also blame the Lakers’ struggles on their lack of a quality starting point guard. In March, the team traded for Ramon Sessions, who went on to average only 3.6 assists per game in the playoffs.

Just imagine if NBA Commissioner David Stern didn’t veto that Chris Paul trade back in December. No doubt about it, Paul would have been the perfect floor general to run the show for the Lakers.  

Gasol will more than likely be traded sometime during the offseason, and it’s unclear what team he’ll be suiting up for once next season rolls around.

Most Lakers fans won’t shed too many tears when Gasol is shipped out of town, since they believe he’s the fall guy for the team’s recent postseason woes. However, they need to realize that he isn't the only one to blame.