LA Lakers: Why Greatest Threat to Lakers Dynasty Comes from Within Front Office

The LA Lakers are the most winning franchise in the history of the NBA.  

Los Angeles has continued to put together dynasty after dynasty over the years, but their latest is in jeopardy, and it isn't under attack by a lack of talent, old age or overwhelming competition.

No, the termination of the Lakers' latest run will be an inside job. 

Los Angeles’ recent dynasty featuring Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol included the Lakers going to the NBA Finals three out of the last four years and bring home back-to-back Larry O’Brien trophies. 

After their collapse against the Dallas Mavericks this season, if a Laker fall were to occur, there are many foreseeable reasons why.

Pau Gasol’s lack of passion in the playoffs was a sickening reminder of how soft the Spaniard truly is. 

Lamar Odom had one of the best regular seasons of his career, but in the playoffs, he was a totally different player, making fans wonder if Khloe & Lamar was becoming a distraction. 

Ron Artest’s offseason antics from changing his name to Metta World Peace to rapping to television show appearances have ignited the questioning of his priorities.

Derek Fisher is one of, if not the, worst starting point guard in the NBA and was consistently exposed throughout the season. 

Steve Blake and Matt Barnes failed to live up expectations as members of the Lakers Killer B's off the bench. 

The promising Shannon Brown disappointed with a lack of progression and looks like he’s played his last game as a Laker.

Not one by itself, but all of these factors combined could be seen as foreshadowing to the end of the current Laker dynasty.  They aren’t though, and neither is the Miami Heat’s Big Three or the Big Three the New York Knicks are cooking up. 

The greatest threat to the Lakers dynasty comes from within their very own front office.

Kobe Bryant hasn’t dropped off just yet, but he turns 33 years old in August.  He will eventually have to hand over the reins as the face of the franchise to another star. 

Rumors have linked the Lakers to Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, all strong options to become Kobe’s successor.

If a member of the Lakers front office has his way, not one of that trio will become the new Hollywood superstar.  If a member of the Lakers front office has his way, the team already has its new face of the franchise. 

The member, Jim Buss. The face, Andrew Bynum.

Buss boasts responsibility for selecting Bynum in the 2005 NBA draft.  The man who now pretty much runs the Lakers has a man-crush on the player he selected which could prove detrimental to the franchise. 

Bynum is a solid player and he’s shown flashes of dominance, but true superstars don’t show single flashes of dominance. 

According to HoopsHype.com, a Lakers insider gave insight on the team’s latest moves saying, “It’s obvious that that is what’s going on.  Jim Buss is setting up Drew.”

Having that level of faith in a player that hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a full season since he’s been handed the starting job is downright foolish. 

Bynum has talent, but he’s a third or maybe even second option. He’s shown nothing to make any sane person believe that he can carry a team.  Yeah, he’s only 23, but he’s been in the league six years.

Dwight Howard has been in the league just seven and he’s on another planet right now.  Howard put up better numbers in his rookie season than Bynum did this past year.  When a center of Howard’s caliber is available, you trade the farm.

As ESPN’s Bill Simmons would say: always trade three quarters for a dollar.  Dwight Howard is superior to Andrew Bynum. 

If LA would have to include Lamar Odom, it’s not as big of a deal as many would tend to believe.  Lamar Odom’s can be found on the open market fairly easily; Dwight Howard’s are far more rare.

If Jim Buss continues to be Bynum’s biggest fan and build the Lakers around him, LA’s dynasty may already be over. 

Bynum has proved to be an extremely valuable role player, but a leader? Hardly. 

Expect the LA to continue to win consistently, but as long as Jerry’s son is in charge, another banner may not hang from the Staples Center rafters for quite some time.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow  him on Twitter.