4 Reasons Why This Lakers Team Will Not Be a Repeat of the 2003-04 Lakers Team

Every casual Lakers fan that's old enough remembers when the Lakers brought in veterans and long time All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to join superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in a quest for a championship.

Instantly, a superteam was built and every NBA fan, media member, player, coach, general manager and owner felt that there was no team in the league who could even compete with this team, much less overtake them.

After all, two players still in their primes, who had combined for an average of 57.5 points per game in the previous season, were joined by two definite future Hall of Famers who had combined for 41 points per game in the previous season.

How could a team like this be dethroned?

Well, they were dethroned, and pretty convincingly as well. A combination of on-court and off-court issues led to the eventual downfall of this mega-team.

Now, nine years later, the Lakers have assembled another mega-team!

Four superstars and future Hall of Famers will get together when training camp begins in an effort to bring the big, gold trophy back to Los Angeles.

The similarities between the two teams are aplenty.

First off, the ages of the four superstars who will lead this year's Lakers are very similar to the ages of the four superstars who led the 2003-04 Lakers. Entering that season, the young stud of the team, Bryant, was 25 years old. O'Neal, the big man in the middle, was 31 years old. the floor general of the 2003-04 Lakers, Payton, entered the season at the age of 35. Finally, Malone, the elder statesman of this team, had recently turned 40.

Similarly, Dwight Howard will enter this year's training camp as the youngest member out of the four former All-Stars at the young age of 26. Pau Gasol will be 32 when this upcoming season begins. Bryant will have celebrated his 34th birthday when the Lakers get together to prepare for the 2012-13 NBA season. Finally, at the age of 38, Steve Nash will enter this season in the same position that Malone was in during the 2003-04 season, the oldest superstar on the Lakers roster.

If I were to grab a calculator and add all four ages from both of the teams and subtract them from one another, there would only be a one year age difference.

Secondly, just like the likely future of this franchise, Howard, has had to deal with constant scrutiny and ridicule throughout the entire offseason (mainly brought upon my himself). Bryant, the future of the franchise nine years ago, was forced to deal with the same amount of scrutiny and ridicule after being accused of sexual assault and adultery by a 19-year-old hotel employee in Eagle County, Colorado.

Just like in Howard's situation, Bryant brought the whole situation upon himself...well, most of it. The 19-year-old hotel employee definitely deserved some of the blame.

One last comparison between both teams is that just like the 2003-04 team, this year's Lakers team is under extreme pressure to win the championship due to the fact that their window is rapidly closing.

The Lakers entered the 2003-04 season knowing that if the team didn't win the championship, one of their two original superstars would have to be shipped out of town. There was just not enough room for their clashing personalities, especially if things weren't going well.

Sure Bryant and O'Neal had lasted a long time together up until that point and had dealt with more turmoil than most married couples do; however, they put up with one another because they were winning championships. If that wasn't going to be the case, they just weren't going to deal with playing one another on a daily basis.

Although a different situation, this current team's window is rapidly closing too. Both Bryant's and Gasol's contract are set to expire in two seasons, and I have a hard time seeing both of them coming back for anything over one more year with the Lakers.

Bryant has made it clear that he plans to retire after another two or three seasons of playing basketball in the NBA, and I can't see the Lakers bringing back Gasol without Bryant around. It would make no sense to pay the man an eight figure salary if they are trying to build a younger team around Howard (assuming he re-signs with the team).

I would be truly shocked if Nash played any longer than his current contract states as well.

Now that I have made everyone aware of the three biggest comparisons between the two Lakers teams, there is one huge aspect that I don't think these two teams will compare in once this upcoming season comes to an end: how the season ends.

That's right, I'm predicting that this Lakers team will walk away as an NBA champion, and I have four reasons why I believe that team will be able to accomplish what the 2003-04 version of the Lakers were unable to accomplish.

Less Injury Worries (Presumably)

Injuries played a big part in the Lakers 2003-04 season. Payton was the only starter able to hold off any injuries and play the entire 82 game season. No other starter played more than 67 games.

O'Neal was forced to miss 15 games, mainly due to a strained right calf. Bryant sat out 17 games because of a shoulder injury and a lacerated finger. Malone sat out more games than he had previously missed throughout his entire career because of a sprained right knee. He ended up missing 40 games that season. Finally, Rick Fox only played in 38 games due to an injury to his left foot.

Malone also missed the last game of the NBA Finals but played the rest of the games hurt due to, yet again, a sprained right knee.

Although Howard's status this upcoming season for opening day is uncertain due to a back injury, he is expected to be back in full health, and the injury is not expected to have a lingering affect on his health.

Add that to the fact that he had only missed seven games in seven season prior to last season (during which he suffered the injury), and this should leave Lakers' fans with no worries when it comes to Howard's health.

Gasol has only missed 19 games in his four full seasons with the Lakers and has been durable and consistent throughout his entire career, never playing less than 56 games in a season. Identically, Nash has never played less than 56 games in a season (not counting the strike-shortened 1998-99 season) and has not missed more than eight games in a season in the last 11 years. It's safe to say that barring a freak injury to either one of these guys, both of them should stay healthy throughout the entire season.

That just leaves us with Bryant, who would probably play through gun shot wounds in the arm and leg. Bryant has suffered a plethora of injuries throughout his career, and none of them seem to keep him out for anything close to an extended period of time.

In fact, in the past seven seasons, he has missed less than four games a season on average.

Barring a freakish accident, this team should be fine on the injury front and not run into nearly as many problems as the 2003-04 version of the Lakers did.

No O'Neal vs. Kobe-type Feud

It was absolutely no secret that O'Neal and Bryant did not like one another during their entire tenure as teammates. They constantly criticized one another in the media, which took an ugly turn prior to the 2003-04 season.

O'Neal reiterated that the Lakers were his team, offered Bryant advice on how to play a better style of basketball but left Bryant out in the cold when he stated, "The full team is here" during training camp  even though Bryant was nowhere to be found.

Bryant fired back, questioning O'Neal's leadership, physical condition and his greed.

Yes, the two did vow to put their problems aside for the good of the team, but does anyone really believe the two players believed what they said?

No matter what they said, they hated one another, and that hate undoubtedly  lead to some animosity and jealousy throughout the season from both sides.

With that being said, Bryant and Gasol have had their problems in the past, with Bryant constantly questioning Gasol's toughness ever since Gasol arrived to Los Angeles. The two players have also ended the last two seasons on a sour note, as both have claimed that different situations and problems have led to chemistry issues during the last two playoff appearances the Lakers have made.

However, the two men have not said anything nearly as bad towards one another through the media like O'Neal and Bryant did when they were feuding.

Furthermore, Bryant has matured a lot since he last feuded with a teammate nine years ago, and Gasol rarely allows off-court issues to affect his game. He is a constant professional who shows up to play under almost all circumstances.

The fact that the two man embraced in a long hug following the USA-Spain gold medal game during the Olympics was a sign that they are more than willing to put their differences aside and are willing to work together to bring the championship trophy back to Los Angeles.

When it comes to Nash, no one should expect any chemistry issues to arise between any of his teammates and him; he is arguably the most unselfish player in the game today.

Howard has thrown his teammates under the bus in the past, and although I'm not condoning his behavior, lets face it, his teammates in the past do not compare one bit to the teammates he will be playing alongside in Los Angeles.

No Bryant Sexual Assault Case (Hopefully)

Bryant's life was in complete disarray throughout the entire 2003-04 season due to a 19-year-old hotel employee accusing him of raping her while he was staying in a hotel in Eagle County, Colorado.

Bryant was accused of the charges on July 1, 2003, and the charges weren't dismissed until September 1, 2004. The entire case and the fear of spending a long time in prison undoubtedly had to take a mental toll on Bryant's ability to perform on the court, as much as it didn't show.

It also isolated him from his teammates, and he felt that some of them, mainly O'Neal, were unsympathetic as they did not reach out and offer support.

These type of accusations and the fear of prison would affect just about everyone's ability to perform their duties, and I doubt someone as sensitive as Bryant was at the time was an exception.

Sure, one may point that Howard's impending free agency could possibly cause problems in the locker room and interfere with the team's chemistry; however, I don't think the issue will arise until the end of the season.

The Lakers' management is very confident that they will convince Howard to re-sign with the team at the end of the season, and Howard seems very self conscious about the way he is portrayed in the media.

Following the very long "Dwightmare" that just took place over the last year, I think he will do anything to avoid that from taking place again.

My prediction is that he will try to rebuild his image in Los Angeles and will avoid any questions, comments or concerns that are thrown his way about him becoming a free agent following this upcoming season.

Better Role Players

The 2003-04 version of the Lakers did have themselves a decent supporting cast who performed up to standards in the absence of the injured stars.

Rick Fox would have definitely been a nice fit with the four superstars in the starting line-up, as he did not demand the ball much and was willing to do the dirty stuff that is necessary to win a game; however, he was injured throughout more than half of the season and only appeared in 38 games.

Metta World Peace is a similar type of player who won't demand the ball too much as well. In the event he doesn't get suspended for an extended period of time, he shouldn't have any problem staying healthy.

In addition, he is a better and more physical defender than Fox ever was, and he has also had a few very good offensive seasons. Although his offensive skills have declined a considerable amount over the past couple years, he could score the ball if absolutely necessary.  

Devean George did a fine job replacing Fox in the starting lineup; however, in the case that World Peace gets hurt or suspended, his potential replacement, Antawn Jamison, is a much better option than George was, as he has been a very good offensive player throughout his entire career and also knows how to rebound the ball very well.

The rest of the supporting cast for the 2003-04 Lakers featured Stanislav Medvedenko, Derek Fisher, Kareem Rush, Horace Grant, Bryon Russell, Luke Walton and Brian Cook.

Although they didn't do a bad job, most of those players were either in the twilight of their careers or just beginning their careers, meaning that they were nowhere near their prime.

The current Lakers team will feature two veteran point guards, Steve Blake and Chris Duhon; both are very capable of backing up Nash when he needs a rest. 

Bryant's backup, the 24-year-old Jodie Meeks, has been a solid role player for four years in the league and is a very good outside shooter, which is exactly what the Lakers need off their bench.

Power forward/center Jordan Hill really played well for the Lakers last year during the playoffs, providing good energy and a lot of rebounds. He expects to be the first player off the bench behind Gasol and Howard.

Third and fourth year players Devin Ebanks and Earl Clark will also be available off the bench in case one of the other reserves is hurt, suspended or doesn't perform well.

If every one of these players performs up to their standards and expectation, they will definitely contribute more to the team then the 2003-04 role players did.