As the NBA season inches closer to take off, many questions still remain unanswered about the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the past couple seasons the upper management has been able to evade the condemning speculations about who's the next franchise player. There were hopes that Kevin Love could fill the shoes, or possibly Carmelo Anthony. But both Anthony and Love are now off the table, which leaves the Lakers with a shot in the dark to score Kevin Durant next year. Los Angeles is no longer the number one destination for the top tier of NBA talent.  

That being said, the Los Angles Lakers are not fully out of it yet. What they must do is develop and rebuild, in an attempt to stay away from the franchise player head hunting tactics of years past. The Lakers could model themselves after a Spurs-like team; veteran leadership with young talent. It will take awhile, but fans have no other choice but to be patient.

Los Angeles is a dangerous city to throw out a boring basketball team on the court. Fans want to see competitive drive and a return to the winning mentality. It's not so much about being an NBA Finals contender; it's more about the heart and soul of the team, which is Kobe Bryant.

Bryant now finds himself surrounded by a couple different faces than he is used to playing with. Jeremy Lin is the biggest addition to the team, and Los Angeles fans are eager to see if he can rekindle the magic of New York. Lin is a playmaker, and he should be able to boost the efficiency of his teammates while on the court.   

The jury is still out on Steve Nash. It's hardly a possibility that Nash will get the start in coach Byron Scott's new offense. Lin should be the one to take over, with Boozer, Bryant, Hill and a mixture of Xavier Henry or Wesley Johnson.

Nick Young is definitely a lock as the sixth man of the squad. Although Young has the talent to be a starter, his offensive prowess is actually more valuable if he is mixed in with the first and second team.

The Lakers have a great deal of work to do if they wish to return to their former glory. All is not lost however, this is just the first step of many on the road to franchise recovery.