Why the Los Angeles Lakers' Era Is over in the NBA

It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. They have been the class of the NBA for the last decade, winning five titles since the year 2000.

After failing to three-peat for the second time in just 11 years, and with the departure of Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, it signals that the Lakers are on the downfall.

It is time for the team to start rebuilding. Don’t get me wrong—the Lakers will still be a good basketball team—but they are no longer the championship team that fans have grown accustomed to.

The following reasons are why the Lakers' era is over.

They’re Too Old & Slow

If the Western Conference Semi-Finals was not an implication that this team is aging fast, then I don’t know what else is.

Paul Gasol did not show up for the series, and his play has a lot of people thinking that he may be on the decline. Ron Artest—now officially Metta World Peace—shot a measly 2-of-10 from three-point land, and at times looked like he forgot how to play defense.

Not to mention that Artest missed a wide-open dunk when the Lakers were trying to make a little run. Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom looked like they were more concerned about cheap-shotting the Mavericks than the outcome of the game.

Lakers fans will argue that this was just one bad series, but they did not just get embarrassed—they got manhandled.

It was the first time in 65 playoff appearances that a Phil Jackson-coached team got swept in a series. The Lakers simply are too old and slow.

They currently have eight players under contract who are over 30 years of age. The Lakers still have one of the best basketball players on the planet in Kobe Bryant, but regardless of how in-shape Kobe may be, he is also one of the oldest 33-year-olds on the planet.

Kobe has already played in over 1200 games including the playoffs. That’s almost 200 more games than Michael Jordan played in his NBA career, and Jordan played until he was 40.

Is Mike Brown the Wrong Coach?

No matter who the Lakers decided to hire this offseason, they were not going to replace arguably the greatest coach in all of sports in Phil Jackson.

As a Lakers fan myself, it is hard for me to understand why the organization hired Mike Brown instead of longtime assistant coach Brian Shaw.

Shaw spent five years learning under Phil Jackson, and most of the players—including Kobe Bryant—publicly stated that they wanted him to be the guy.

Hiring Brian Shaw made all the sense in the world. He has been with the team for over 10 years, including his time as a player. There are not many people that know the Lakers' system and how to run the triangle offense as well as he does.

Under new coach Mike Brown, the Lakers will now have a completely different style of offense, which is something that can be hard for a group of guys who have been in the same offensive system for so long to adapt to.

Brown may help shore up the team defensively, but if anyone remembers his time in Cleveland, they would know that he does not know what to do with his team offensively. 

Salary Cap Restraints

Barring that the lockout ends and we have a 2011-2012 NBA season, it will mean that a lot of salary cap restraints will be made.

For an agreement to be made, the league will have to restructure financially, and that can mean bad things for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are already well over the salary cap at around $90 million, and restructuring the league will make it very difficult for the organization to go out and sign marquee free agents.

The Lakers can explore options via trade, but you have to remember that they have a lot of aging talent with big time contracts.

Point Guard Situation

If you look around the NBA, it seems that having a solid point guard is becoming more and more important for teams to be successful.

Don’t get me wrong—teams can still be really good without one—but having a strong point guard is one of the big keys to producing a championship team.

The Lakers have no answer at point guard.

Derek Fisher may be one of the most clutch players in Lakers history, but at age 37, his production is down and his time in purple and gold is about over.

The Lakers signed Steve Blake last offseason in hope that he would contribute nicely coming off the bench. Blake was anything but that, as his three-point shooting percentage decreased, and at times it looked like he could not guard a high school player.

I don’t think he’s the guy Lakers fans want as their starting point guard. Rookie Darius Morris—out of Michigan—seems like he might be the best option, but that is not saying much.

Morris may be not be ready to transition from college to the NBA right away and step in to the spotlight as the Lakers' starting point guard.

The best option would be to go after Chris Paul or Aaron Brooks, but as I mentioned earlier, it will be very difficult for them to land a marquee free agent because of salary cap restraints.

If the Lakers are not able to find a point guard through trades or free agency, they will have to go with what they have—and unfortunately for Lakers fans, it is not much.

The NBA Is Changing

The NBA is starting to evolve into a new style of play.

In today’s game, it is becoming all about speed, energy and athleticism—something that the Los Angeles Lakers do not have.

To win an NBA championship, players need to know it’s not a sprint but a marathon. The NBA season is already long enough, but if you’re trying to win a ring, it can seem like two seasons.

To be crowned NBA champion, a team must win 16 games in the playoffs alone. That takes a lot of wear and tear on teams—especially one as old as the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers lack the hustle and energy a team needs to be a champion, and with a new season hopefully upon us, the purple and gold have quickly become the purple and old.