Being one of the most successful franchises in all of sports is a double-edged sword. As a fan, you can always fall back on all of the championships, Hall-of-Famers, and good times. The law of diminishing returns applies though, and after a while you just can’t get the same high from greatness as you used to.
The Los Angeles Lakers have this problem, as no matter what they do, it’s impossible to ever live up to the ghosts of the past. Consider that LeBron James, one of the two greatest basketball players to ever live, has been with the Lakers for six years and has delivered the franchise its 17th NBA championship, and yet if he retired tomorrow he wouldn’t even sniff the all-time franchise Mt. Rushmore.
The number of great players to don the purple and gold, plus the number of transcendent Lakers teams, are enough to make any organization not named the (already green) Boston Celtics green with envy. The Lakers are not only one of the winningest organizations in NBA history, they’re also without a doubt the coolest…