What's Next For The Lakers?

After an embarrassing show in game six, the Lakers went from one of the best stories of the year to second place. They showed strides from last season, but failed to top it off with a championship. Let's get real here; the Celtics were the better team. What do the Lakers need to do to get to a championship quality team?

First thing is Andrew Bynum returning. The middle of the paint was exposed by the Celtics. Pau Gasol is a true power foward and Lamar Odom needs to be playing on the wing. Remember the Lakers were one of the best in the West when Bynum was healthy.

When Bynum went down Gasol was just supposed to be a replacement until Bynum returns. Unfortuently he had to miss the rest of the season. We do not know yet if he will return to the way he was playing before his injury, but if he does, the Lakers will be one dominant team. With Bynum in the middle controlling the paint, the Lakers will have too many weapons to cover.

Another thing the Lakers showed as a huge weakness was aggressiveness on the defensive end. They looked soft on defense as the Celtics got what they wanted at will most of the times. Odom played well, but they just might need a defensive minded player to come in.

Phil Jackson has always had that guy with a Deveon George or a Dennis Rodman. The only person I can think of is Ron Artest. He is a scoring force and plays physical defense. If he opts out of his contract, he would want to win a championship and could fall to the Lakers. If they look at trading for him they would have to get rid of Odom.

The Lakers had already shown they were a deep team, but they need a more solid true point guard behind the aging Fisher. Chris Duhon or Jeremy Pargo comes to my mind as a solid back up. Either of these two guys can come in and be an effective proven point guard. Nothing against Jordan Farmar, but he has really not proven much and has not been consistent.

The Lakers traded their first round pick to the Grizzlies, but still have the 58th pick in the draft. A guy who I think can slip to them and be an effective player is Maryland's James Gist. He is a freakish athletic forward who can be an effective defender off the bench.

With all the pieces the Lakers have and with some twists, the Lakers are destined to become the next dynasty in the NBA. Kobe is in his prime right now and with a more experienced lineup the Lakers will be one scary team.