LA Lakers Find Themselves With Five Questions To Answer This Offseason

Online, May 17, 2013 (Newswire.com) - While the top Western Conference playoff contenders are still fighting for a finals berth the Los Angeles Lakers are facing the reality of another difficult season and an offseason with some difficult decisions to make. This summer will be an intriguing one in Los Angeles. Here are five major questions that surround the Lakers as they head into the 2013-2014 season.

The Future of Dwight Howard: The Dwight Howard situation is a lot more complex than the Lakers envisioned following the blockbuster trade that sent him to LA this past summer. The foremost concern, of course, is re-signing the Lakers star center. Even coming off a subpar season, by his standards, Howard will command max offers from teams looking to acquire the most talented big man in basketball. The Lakers can give him the biggest offer and should be the prohibitive favorites. Beyond signing Howard the biggest question mark may be whether or not he's a player the Lakers can build a title contender around. Howard's performance during the final game versus San Antonio raised questions about whether he has the psyche to be the leader of a title contender. He's playing under an intense amount of pressure and media scrutiny in LA, something he was largely sheltered from in Oralando. As the Lakers move into the post Kobe-era there are real questions about whether or not Howards is a player you want to give a max contract too. The Lakers need to re-sign Howard and Howard will likely return. Now it will be up to the franchise to get the max performance out their big man.

The Future of Kobe Bryant: The early talk about using the amnesty clause on Kobe Bryant was quickly dismissed. Further analysis showed it didn't really make financial sense in the end. If you're the Los Angeles Lakers you just can't release Kobe Bryant. Bryant will rehab his injury with the same determination that made him a superstar in the first place. Unlike Derrick Rose it's hard to imagine the Lakers not having Bryant back for next year's postseason. Whether or not they can put a team together during next year's regular season that can make the playoffs is another question. Realistically Kobe's performance during next year's playoffs will determine his future as a Laker. One look at Chauncey Billups and you realize how hard it is to come back from an Achilles injury in your mid-thirties. Bryant had an amazing offensive season this year, but his defense has lagged for the last few years. The odds are he'll be reduced offensively and a liability defensively. As a result the big Kobe decision is probably after next offseason. After the 2014 season Lebron James can exercise his opt out. The Lakers will be positioned to make a run at James. Mike D'Antoni: The Lakers will likely hold on to Head Coach Mike D'Antoni . It may be a reluctant decision. With Kobe Bryant on the sidelines next season and a big question mark around the health of Steve Nash, D'Antoni is going to have to revamp his style offensively, specifically around how he leverages the Lakers post players. The other area where D'Antoni receives criticism is how his teams play defense. You can't win in the modern NBA without playing solid defense. The Lakers defense under D'Antoni was dreadful, following the typical D'Antoni team pattern. Of course the age of the Lakers roster didn't help the overall defensive effort, specifically from the perimeter. Defense is a combination of coaching, scheme, intensity and the ability to defend athletically. The Lakers clearly need to upgrade in a couple of areas, first around the coaching scheme and second around the makeup of the roster.

Should they trade Pau Gasol? The veteran Lakers big man looked like the Pau Gasol of old during the end of the regular season. He was an efficient double double machine, showing the form he displayed during the London Olympic Games. The key with Pau Gasol is using him correctly. One of the biggest criticisms of Mike D'Antoni was how his system doesn't really compliment the talents of Howard and Gasol. Gasol, like Howard, needs to be on the low block and the D'Antoni scheme consistently puts Gasol on spots of the floor that don't maximize his skill set. With his late season performance Gasol clearly has value. The Lakers may be able to re-invigorate their roster with some youth and athleticism by trading Gasol, and it may make sense to get max value for Gasol now. The decision comes down to an honest assessment on whether the Lakers feel they can win next season. If they feel they can contend it makes sense to keep Gasol and attempt to make one more title run buoyed by a late Kobe return. If they can't win next year why not get what they can for Gasol before blowing up the roster after next season?

Can Steve Nash give them anything? If the Lakers are going to contend for a playoff spot next season they're going to need more production at point guard. Steve Blake had a great run towards the end of the season but he's never been the player who can lead a playoff contender. Nash is 39-years old and coming off of an injury riddled season. The chance of Nash regaining his health and not breaking down during another extended NBA season is hard to imagine. Next season will likely be Nash's last. The Lakers would love to have a healthy Nash to fulfill their vision Nash working the pick and roll with Dwight Howard. With the types of injuries Nash suffered from last season (his back) the odds of Nash providing substantial minutes next season are iffy at best. Without solid point guard play you simply can't contend in the Western Conference. At this point in his career, even when healthy, Nash can't compete with the likes of Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Stephan Curry, Ty Lawson and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers need to find another option at point guard as soon as possible.

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