TNT NBA Crew Discusses Fixing Kobe Bryant & L.A. Lakers

Lamar Odom crashed his car and suffered a concussion. The NBA officially suspended Jerry Buss for two games as punishment for drunk driving. And Kobe Bryant- you knew we couldn’t talk Lakers without mentioning Kobe- was once again rumored to be on his way to Chicago as part of a three-team deal.

This all went down yesterday. Of course, a day earlier, Houston power forward Shane Battier pulled a Reggie Miller and nailed a late three-pointer to give the Rockets an opening night victory over the Lakers.

Yesterday reinforced the obvious- the Lakers are in a rut. On opening night the TNT crew, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Magic Johnson, talked about fixing the purple and gold. Here is what they discussed:

• First, they all agreed that the Lakers need one voice. Too many people are speaking on behalf of the team and each has their own vision for the future. Nobody knows whether to listen to Jerry Buss, Phil Jackson, or Mitch Kupchak. The team needs to pick or hire one executive to represent the team in public, especially when commenting on the Bryant saga.

• Second, Smith mentioned that the Lakers got lazy after capturing three straight NBA Titles. They expected to show up and win instead of working for results. Johnson, a Laker executive, agreed with him. Smith then cited the Shaq trade and hoped the club learned to protect their assets.