The good news for the Los Angeles Lakers is the Los Angeles Lakers won on Saturday.
They were down by as much as 21 points to the New York Knicks, allowed 71 points in the first half and needed 40 minutes from LeBron James in his first game back from a knee issue to escape, but they won. And because they won, they avoided a longer journey in their inevitable journey back to .500, which has been the flow of their entire season.
Even with that win, Russell Westbrook, the team's big acquisition last summer, the player who was supposed to put the team back on top in the West and be the latest star to find success alongside James, still drew scrutiny.