The Lakers have been an embarrassment so far this season. They are 23-26, but they have the best starting five in the league. They were expected to only lose about 20 games over the course of the entire season, but clearly that isn’t happening.

There isn’t even a sensible explanation. They have the best center in the league. They also have a five time N.B.A champion Kobe Bryant, who also leads the N.B.A in scoring. Pau Gasol is also there, one of the best big men in the league who can shoot, pass and still be a good defender. The Lakers have already fired Mike Woodson, their head coach, for being inconsistent. They hired Mike D’ Antoni after he was fired last year as coach of the Knicks. They should have the all the tools to be successful.

The problem is that the Lakers haven’t been playing championship defense, they have been getting out rebounded offensively and defensively this year. Dwight Howard hasn’t been playing well either. He misses free throws and doesn’t hustle at all. All that money the Lakers are giving Howard is coming to a waste. He has done nothing so far to justify his ridiculous paycheck. If he wants to stay a Laker he better produce before he gets traded. The Lakers could easily win the championship if they all come together and play as a winning team.