Los Angeles Lakers: Biggest Concerns Heading into Season

If it's beginning to seem like it's something new every day with the 2012 Lakers, well, that's because there really is something new every day!

As if they didn't already have enough problems coming into the season, they were informed today of another issue they can add to their growing list of concerns.

Let's take a look at the top five concerns in Los Angeles today.

1. Kobe's Right Wrist

The Lakers were informed today that Kobe's MRI results on his right wrist revealed a torn lunotriquetral ligament—a tissue that connects bones in the wrist.

Bryant injured the wrist in the Lakers' preseason opener on Monday night when he fell to the floor after DeAndre Jordan blocked his shot attempt.

The injury isn't expected to be serious, as Bryant remained in the game and didn't appear to have any issues in the second half. He also practiced yesterday, which should have the Lakers feeling fairly optimistic that his services will be available for their Christmas Day home opener against the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers will already be without center Andrew Bynum, who is serving a five-game suspension to begin the season, and can ill afford to be without their star player if they expect to start the season 1-0.

2. Point Guard Position

The Lakers are in the worst shape from a personnel standpoint at the point guard position of any team in the NBA—and it's really not even close.

Derek Fisher and Steve Blake ranked 60th and 61st respectively last season among NBA point guards in John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Ratings.

Wait a minute—there are only 30 teams in the entire NBA. How is that even possible? Exactly.

There's some hope that Darius Morris (41st overall pick in 2011 NBA draft) may be the answer due to his size (6'5", 190 lbs) and playmaking ability, but can a team expecting to contend for a championship truly count on a rookie point guard?

I wouldn't count on it.

3. Small Forward Position

Mike Brown has already made it clear that Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) will start the season as the team's sixth man.

Matt Barnes is the current projected starter, and assuming he's fully recovered from last year's knee surgery, he should be adequate for the time being.

The real sleeper at this position is the second-year player out of West Virginia—Devin Ebanks (43rd overall pick in 2010 NBA draft).

Kobe Bryant has consistently been singing the praises of Ebanks as a younger version of former Laker Trevor Ariza. If there's any truth to that comparison, Lakers fans have a lot to look forward to from the 6'9", 22-year-old from Queens.

Please note that I'm refusing to acknowledge Metta World Peace's existence after the name change, showing up to training camp out of shape and going 0-of-8 in the Lakers' first preseason game.

4. Adjusting to Mike Brown's Philosophies

Mike Brown is not Phil Jackson. In fact, he may be the exact opposite.

It's no secret that by the end of his career, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were doing as much coaching as Jackson was—if not more.

Phil's coaching style was to let his players figure things out, believing he had taught them how to handle any adverse situation.

Brown, on the other hand, is an in-your-face kind of guy, demanding maximum effort out of his players, particularly on the defensive end.

How will a veteran group that's won back-to-back NBA titles and appeared in three straight NBA Finals react to a coach that's never won anything and is suddenly screaming orders at them?

The hope is this team was humbled last season by the Mavericks and should realize that what they were doing last year clearly wasn't working and a change in leadership was absolutely necessary.

5. Age

Let's look at the age of the Lakers' top six players:

Derek Fisher: 37

Kobe Bryant: 33

Ron Artest: 32

Pau Gasol: 31

Matt Barnes: 31

Andrew Bynum: 24

Average Age: 31.3  

Now let's take a look at the top six for Oklahoma City, the team that many feel will win the West:

Kendrick Perkins: 27

Eric Maynor: 24

Kevin Durant: 23

Russell Westbrook: 23

James Harden: 22

Serge Ibaka: 22  

Average age: 23.5

Any questions?  

I realize the Mavericks were a veteran team last season and the Lakers and Celtics before them were as well. But we're witnessing a changing of the guard in the NBA, and the young players are beginning to take over, while the Lakers are simply too old to keep up.