L.A. Lakers: Is Any Laker Besides Kobe Bryant Safe This Offseason?

It would be easy to recite the long list of things the Los Angeles Lakers did wrong in their surprising four-game sweep against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, but it's much harder to determine how that embarrassing loss will affect the team's future.

The former NBA champion Lakers have a plethora of questions that need attention in the wake of their historic collapse, but I'm willing to bet that few of them revolve around star guard Kobe Bryant.

Although stranger things have happened, it's probably safe to say that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Jerry Buss both feel that Bryant will definitely play a part in the team's transition to the future, but the same cannot be said for everyone else.

In some people's opinions Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Steve Blake may have played their last games as Lakers, and once-untouchable players like Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and maybe even Andrew Bynum, look a little more expendable now.

There is certainly a sense of panic surrounding the Lakers franchise at this moment and, considering the manner in which they were dismissed from the postseason, the natural reaction would appear to be an aggressive-and-swift response.

It's acceptable for Kupchak and Buss to recognize that the team's roster may need some serious tinkering and an aggressive approach is necessary if the Lakers hope to re-emerge as title contenders.

It's the swift thing that worries me.

No one outside of Dallas expected the Lakers to actually lose to the Mavericks and there was not one soul who would have predicted the Lakers would have gotten swept—at least not with a straight face.

The way in which the two-time defending champions yelled mercy against Dallas has prompted a wave of angry fans loudly clamoring for change, but to borrow a much overused term, it has to be real change that Lakers fans can believe in.

I recently wrote an article that speculated on what the Lakers could look like and what their future would hold if Kupchak and Buss had decided to pass on Gasol in 2008 and take their chances with the rights to his little brother Marc.

But that article was only speculation and, in reality, it would be ridiculous to seek a trade for Gasol based on one, horrible postseason performance.

Gasol was not the only player who played below the level of his talent against Dallas, and one truly forgettable series does not hold weight over the two NBA championships and three Finals trips the Lakers have earned since Gasol joined the team.

Pau is still one of the best power forwards in the game and the series against Dallas could have been an anomaly, but just because the Lakers shouldn't seek to trade Gasol doesn't mean they won't.

And the same can be said for Bynum.

Orlando center Dwight Howard has long been rumored as a possible target for the Lakers in the 2012 free-agent pool and, if anything, the Lakers last four games of the 2010-11 season only gave more voice to the whispers.

If Los Angeles has any way of acquiring Howard then they will likely take it, and if it means parting with either Bynum or Gasol, or maybe even both if another team is involved in the deal, then so be it.

Odom may be the safest member on the Lakers roster besides Bryant because he provides the team with the type of versatility that no other team can match.

Odom's ability to play four positions on the court should protect him from the bloodletting that is sure to come, but beyond Bryant and Odom, all bets are off.

The Lakers obviously have to make a crucial change to return to the Finals and the first step will likely be saying goodbye to Artest, Blake and maybe even Fisher.

The greatest area of need in that instance would be point guard and there is a strong possibility that the Lakers could cast their line in the pool of NBA teams that would be vying for the services of Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

But even if that is the path Kupchak and Buss choose to walk, it will still probably mean parting with Bynum or Gasol, and if the Lakers really want to get back to the Finals in 2012, it's the biggest decision they will have to make.