I’m a HUGE Los Angeles Lakers fan.  Actually, these days, I kinda hate admitting that.

This year was supposed to be THE year.  The most talented player on the planet (Kobe Bryant) mixes with the second best coach on the planet (Phil Jackson is a close runner up to, and I hate saying this, Mike Krzyzewski).  You add in other players who would be the best players on almost any other team (Pau Gasol anybody?), and you’ve got the makings of a team for the ages.  When the season started, they won eight in a row, and there were rumblings that this could be the best team EVER.  Ever?  Ever?  Better than the 72-win Bulls?  Better than Larry’s Celtics?  Ever? 

I have to admit, that, at first, I started to buy into the hype.  The chemistry was unbelievable.  The passes were pinpoint.  The swagger alone made you think they could walk on water.  But then, something happened.  The TEAM broke down.  You could see it in their plays.  Crisp passing morphed into on-on-one isolation plays for white guys … nuff said.  You could see it in their faces.  You could see it in the sharp looks they gave each other when mistakes were made.  In the end, one of the most talented teams EVER gets its lunch eaten by a team where the starting point guard is 39 years old … nuff said.

What went wrong?  The team broke down.  Individuals elevated their individuality over the team.  Andrew Bynum, the youngin’, thought that he should the THE man, when he’s only still a boy.  Ron Artest, the crazy, was, well, crazy.  Ron Harper, the old, was allowed to stay in a position that he stopped being qualified for 3 years ago.  Pau Gasol, the uber white guy, folded under the pressure of expectation.  And Kobe Bryant, whose body couldn’t cash the checks his mouth was writing, limped off the court after over-working himself for the past 3 years.  In the end, an incredible management team will, likely, blow up one of the greatest groups of assembled players in history.  High on potential, short on team.

Lesson learned:  PEOPLE CAN RUIN THE GREATEST TEAM EVER.

Next Blog:  The Art of People (Part 3).  Pride and an Egotist Named Andrew Bynum.