The Lakers Are Terrible, And Kobe Bryant Is Starting To Lose It

Here is the lede from Adrian Wojnarowski's story on last night's Lakers-Bulls game, which ended in a 95-83 victory for the Bulls:

Everyone else on these Los Angeles Lakers had showered, dressed and bundled themselves to march out into the coldest night across the past two winters here. As the clock lurched past midnight in the losing locker room, the team bus gone, Kobe Bryant still wore his purple and gold jersey inside a tiny cubicle.

Just let that image wash over you for a moment. We've always known that Bryant has certain sociopathic tendencies, but this is just weird and depressing. Imagine what it must have been like for the poor locker room attendants who had to clean up while Bryant just sat there, jammed in his locker, contemplating the brushfire that his season has become.

Later, still in the wee hours of the morning, Bryant sent out this terrifying tweet:

It's tough to blame Bryant for suddenly turning into Jack Torrance, though, because his Lakers team really is a miserable thing. Last night's game was unwatchable, a fact that had a lot more to do with the Lakers' ineptitude than it did the Bulls' grind-it-out style of play. Dwight Howard spent the night getting the ball slapped out of his hands while lurching around helplessly in the paint. Steve Nash made his usual, probing forays into the lane, only to find that there was nothing to be done once he got there. Pau Gasol, having been banished from the starting lineup, managed to shoot an air ball while engaging in his usual routine of floating around on the perimeter. Earl Clark played 35 minutes and shot a three-pointer. And of course, Bryant was left to heave ill-advised shots each time the offense stalled.

The Lakers still have 41 games left to play, and at this point that seems like bad news more than good news. If only we could go back to happier, simpler times.

[ Yahoo]