L.A. Lakers: A 70-Game Season Is Good for the Lakers, and Great for the NBA

According to NBA commissioner David Stern, there will be no more negotiations on the terms of the owners' latest proposal to players concerning salary structure and revenue split, and if an agreement is not reached in the coming days the next proposal from the owners will be even less favorable for players.

The NBA lockout and the tedious negotiations that have come with it may have taken on a new sense of urgency with Stern's latest announcement, and his idea to begin a 72-game season on Dec. 15th is one that certainly resonates with most basketball-deprived fans.

There are benefits and pit-falls to a shortened regular season, and factors like health, age, chemistry and experience will weigh heavily on determining the last team standing in June.

The Los Angeles Lakers must answer their own questions when it comes to health, age and chemistry if the NBA work stoppage is finally resolved, but fortunately their collective experience may be the most important factor of all in a 70 game season.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has had plenty of time to recover from offseason knee surgery, but there will be no true way to gauge how successful the procedure was without the benefit of real game action.

Bryant definitely understands the importance of physical preparation, and the extended layoff has given him extra time to strengthen and condition his knee.

Age may have eroded some of Kobe's quickness and leaping ability, but it was also clear that Bryant was not healthy at the end of last season.

Even if Bryant has fully recovered from his injury, it doesn't change the fact that the average age of the Lakers top six players is 31, and that number is deceptive since it includes center Andrew Bynum who is only 24.

The Lakers will be one of the NBA's oldest teams next season, but that could be an advantage over the course of 70 games since fatigue and complacency should be less of an issue.

Prior to last season's playoffs the Lakers went through an impressive stretch where they won 17 out of 18 games, and threatened the San Antonio Spurs for the number one seed in the west.

But the Lakers also peaked during that streak, and by the time they hit the postseason it looked like they were running on fumes.

It certainly didn't help that the Lakers seemed to approach the 2011 playoffs with the idea that merely showing up would lead them to a third consecutive championship, but it's hard to keep any team motivated for 82 games.

The way the 2011 season ended should provide the Lakers with plenty of motivation and focus entering their next campaign, and the smaller slate of games should increase their sense of urgency as well.

Remember, it's not like the Lakers are starting from scratch, and the same talent that led them to three consecutive NBA championships are the same players who form the nucleus of the team.

That nucleus of Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom makes the Lakers a postseason lock next year, but whether or not they return to the Finals will hinge on how quickly they adapt to new coach Mike Brown's offense, and if they can find someone to direct it.

The Lakers are a seasoned, veteran bunch and their experience should make the transition to Brown's simple motion offense an easy one, but experience cannot mask the need for a competent point guard.

Steve Blake and Derek Fisher are not the answer and rookie draft picks Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock show promise, but they're not short-term solutions.

Lakers fans would love for the team to make a push for soon-to-be free agents star point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams, but in reality a player like Atlanta Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich would serve the purpose.

The Lakers do not need a great point guard to contend for next season's title, but they do need one who plays decent defense, and is able to create scoring opportunities off the dribble, and Hinrich certainly fits the bill.

Hinrich is also a member of the vaunted free agency class of 2012, and he would probably be a little easier for the Lakers acquire than either Paul or Williams.

If the Lakers can answer the questions surrounding their back court, and if some of the younger players like Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter can prove they deserve playing time, there is no reason the Lakers shouldn't contend for the 2012 NBA title.

The Lakers may be one of the NBA's oldest teams, but the league's other contenders will have to answer their own questions against the back-drop of a 70 game season.

How the Lakers and their counterparts solve their issues should make for an exciting albeit, abbreviated regular season, and it should be a lot easier to keep interest peaked with a condensed slate of games.