The Road Back To The Top Starts Now( Editorial)

It's been 1,258 days since David Stern vetoed the trade that would bring Chris Paul to the Lakers to be paired with Kobe Bryant. It was 2011 and the Lakers were one year removed from the NBA Championship, but only months after an embarrassing and thorough beating for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Playoffs. On December 8th, 2011 for one hour the Lakers looked like they were on their way to having the best back-court in the league (and rumor had it Dwight Howard wasn't far behind). Before the shock of trading Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, champions of Los Angeles, for Chris Paul wore off, the trade was vetoed and the future of the Lakers changed forever. One team official told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times the trade might have set the team back five years.

It's been 823 days since Dr. Buss passed away and left the Lakers to his children Jeanie and Jim Buss. The transition was far from easy not only for fans, but for the team and city losing an icon who had helped shape Los Angeles for over 30 years as the owner of the Lakers. He revolutionized basketball in the NBA. He helped bring glamour and showmanship to a sport that had been bleeding profits and had quite an image problem. In 1979 when Dr. Buss bought the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke, Showtime was born. Throughout the years as an owner Buss continued to win over the hearts of LA's fans. His passing was a dark day not just in the Lakers' organization but all over the sporting world. Players, coaches, executives, and associates came from across the world to pay their respects to Dr. Buss.

It's been 684 days since Dwight Howard decided to sign with the Houston Rockets amid massive controversy. It was a dark day for the Lakers' franchise. This was the first time a star player in their prime had ever turned their back on the illustrious city of LA. The response from Laker fans was angry, confused, and hurt. It was a shot at the deep pride that Laker fans have rightly developed following their team. It's debatable now whether or not the move was overall beneficial to fans. They can say as loudly as they'd like that he doesn't have what it takes to win a championship or that he's not fit to carry the great mantle of the franchise. The fact still remains though that Dwight Howard finds himself in the Conference Finals while the Lakers are in the lottery. Howard's move south coupled with the poor coaching fit of Mike D'Antoni also helped eventually push Pau Gasol out the door despite the Lakers' best efforts to keep him.

Still though the darkest moment in franchise history must have been 204 days ago. In the space of three years the Lakers lost their leader Dr. Buss, their potential future Dwight Howard, and their star studded past in Pau Gasol. The only glimmer of light left was the #7 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft: Julius Randle. A dynamic young forward with a great post game and an electrifying ability to put the ball on the floor in transition with speed and power that belied his 6'9", 250 pound frame. He showed strength, speed, agility, and intelligence uncommon to a 19 year old rookie. He caught the attention of Laker fans and gave them a silver lining to what looked like a rough upcoming season. However, with seven minutes left in his NBA debut he broke his leg. It was a sobering moment for Laker fans across the world. We were given only one sign of hope to look for and it was taken from us on the first night of an 82 game season. This was rock bottom. The Lakers would go on to have the worst season in Los Angeles Laker history.

That's what made yesterday so special.

The Lakers were awarded (maybe the proper word is "rewarded") the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. Yet the pick itself wasn't the reason for celebration. The reason for celebration was that luck seemed to finally come our way. We've suffered through literally death, abandonment, injuries, and betrayal for four seasons and now finally our luck changed. The Lakers had been so uncharacteristically unlucky for nearly four years and yet now when they might have lost their draft selection, instead they moved up.

The Lakers didn't "win" the lottery in the sense of being awarded the number one pick in the draft. The Lakers won the lottery in the sense that when the wrong thing could so easily have happened, it didn't. For the first time in years the Lakers were given something instead of having to scrounge and work and search for it. The Lakers have done well drafting, but were not given anything by luck. The Lakers suffered to get the 7th pick. The scouting department worked to find value in the 46th pick (and the team literally paid for the pick with cash). This lottery though... This was the kind of luck that Dr. Buss was known for. This was the kind of luck Laker fans had enjoyed for over 30 years. Maybe the franchise and the fans needed to suffer the last few years to appreciate this moment for what it was, but they've earned it. The city has earned it.

That's not to say there weren't already reasons to look forward to next season. Julius Randle by all accounts is improving daily and will make a strong debut next season alongside Jordan Clarkson. Jordan of course created his own shine for the franchise by playing well beyond his second round draft selection. His place on the All-Rookie First Team is something special and hasn't been accomplished since Eddie Jones ten years ago. Even without the draft pick entirely the Lakers had two young budding prospects and enough cap space to offer a max contract to a top tier free agent.

But being awarded the draft selection just felt different. Not only because the Lakers will end up with another top level prospect, but because it feels like the clouds are finally gone from out in front of us. It feels like the path the Lakers took down into the deepest pit in franchise history is finally sloping upwards.

This new draft pick means having at least three top-notch, young prospects that the Lakers can build around. The two most likely candidates, Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor, seem like two Centers that the team can build around for the future alongside a dynamic forward and guard. Not to mention decent young players like Tarik Back, Jabari Brown, and Ryan Kelly. This new draft pick causes intrigue for prospective free agents that might now consider Los Angeles an up-and-coming franchise again. The mountain top is no longer hidden from us, but it's there somewhere in the distance.

Bad luck will strike again. We could (and probably will) suffer more injuries next season to our roster. That can't take away this feeling though. A feeling that Laker fans have grown used to and have waited far too long for. We have hope again. The climb back up the mountain is long and arduous and Laker fans are all too familiar with that feeling. The Championship won't come overnight and none of us are expecting it to, but now... Now we can see that a Championship IS off in the distance. It's there for the taking once more. It might not be next season or the season after that, but the path ahead of us is bright for the first time in a long time. Whether it's the young trio we're set to have that drives us forward or the free agent we're bound to sign soon, the future is taking shape. For every mistake along the way that lead us away from contention, we find ourselves back where we need to be.

Lace up your hiking boots Laker fans. The climb back to the top starts now.

 

Me like the way you putting the words together.

 

Thanks for the support ya'll! I was tempted not to write it, but I couldn't help it. I'm much too optimistic not to get all this down on paper! I'm ready for the next phase in the Laker franchise!

 

It will take time to build the chemistry for all parties involved on the squad. The roster still has to be fleshed out. Who goes and who stays. And let's not forget that we still have two picks to mull over. Health is a premium [fingers crossed]. Hopefully this good turn of the card crosses over there too. We still have to get our house in order [i.e. Jim Buss] and let Kupchak do his maneuvering. The last part is the huge factor in letting potential free agents that there is that "direction" they have been criticized for...unfair or not.

 

I wish I had more positive things to say about that piece @therealdeal, WOW simply amazing writing and your ability to put words down that stretch to the very corner of all our minds is impressive. Couldn't have said it any better.