What ails the .500 Lakers, other than years of negative karmic buildup

The offense stinks, the defense isn't as good as it needs to be to make up for that and everything the team has done, from the competitive sweep to the offseason, has been overrated.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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The Wave; Gustave Courbet; 1870

The L.A. Lakers came into the season with a lot of hype after a productive set of trades in the middle of last season, an infamously competitive sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Denver Nuggets and what was billed a good offseason.

Anthony Davis has missed only two games all season. LeBron James has missed three. Davis is actually No. 11 in the entire league in total minutes played this season. LeBron, who was supposed to average less than 30 minutes per game this season to protect his health, is playing 34 per night. (He just turned 39 over the weekend.)

Some well-reviewed personnel decisions, some momentum, health and productivity for their two central stars … things should be looking great for the Lakers, right?

The Lakers are 17-17, sitting in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference. They are 2.5 games out of No. 6 (play-in avoidance) and four games out of No. 4 (home court in the first round). They did win the In-Season Tournament, of course; however, the Lakers are just 3-8 since the championship game. Momentum did not translate.

So what’s wrong with the Lakers?