The story for the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Lakers was supposed to be one of redemption and success. The team brought in arguably the most talented center in the league in Dwight Howard, and also added a future Hall of Fame point guard in Steve Nash, who is still chasing that illustrious first NBA title. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill… It was all supposed to come together for a title in Tinseltown. However, as of February 3rd, the Lakers are just 21-26. They’re five games below .500 and are four games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bet Revolution has posted some great Los Angeles Lakers odds, including what their fate is going to be for the rest of the 2012-2013 season. Check it out!

Obviously, these NBA odds are showing just how bad of shape that the men in purple and gold really are. They went from a team that was once upon a time nearly the odds on favorite to win the Western Conference to a team that is -220 to miss the playoffs! Even if they do get in, the insinuation is there that -600 or so says that LA doesn’t get past the first round of the postseason. Getting in as one of the bottom seeds likely sets up a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, or Los Angeles Clippers, all of which have played significantly better ball than the Lakers have this year.

So what’s the problem for the Lakers? Kobe is doing his scoring for sure. He is putting up 27.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game, and he is knocking down a healthy 46.6 percent of his shots from the field. Over the course of the last several games, Bryant has proven that he can put the ball in his hands and get the job done as a distributor as well, something that Nash just hasn’t done this season. Granted, the numbers for Nash do look reasonable at 11.7 points and 7.7 assists per game, but the numbers just don’t tell the whole story of how he is really playing on the court, especially on the defensive end where he is truly a liability at this point in his career.

The numbers too, don’t suggest terrible things about D-12. It’s not like we didn’t know that he couldn’t shoot free throws before, though his 49.6 shooting percent from the charity stripe is just pathetic. However, what more could the Lakers ask for? Howard is averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. The numbers just don’t show what he has really done on the court though, as he hasn’t come up with the big baskets when need be, and he clearly has gotten into it over and over again with Bryant, the undisputed leader of the team.

F Pau Gasol has basically been benched at this point by D’Antoni. He just doesn’t fit the high octane system, and F Earl Clark has replaced Gasol in the fold. Of course, with Howard out of the lineup injured, Gasol is playing the center position, where he is probably better served to play in D’Antoni’s system, just as F Amare Stoudemire did for years in Phoenix. The proof is in the pudding though, and the trade rumors have gotten to Gasol. He needs to be moved and moved for some younger pieces to the puzzle. The problem is that the market just isn’t entirely there for him, and trading Gasol will come at a discounted price for sure.

Now add into there that F Antawn Jamison has been spot, Hill is out for the year injured, and the rest of the bench features stiffs like Darius Morris, Steve Blake, and Chris Duhon, all of which are just terrible, and the equation just isn’t good for the Lakers.

We do ultimately think that they are going to get into the playoffs, as some of the teams that are holding onto spots right now just aren’t all that great. However, there is a clear divide between the Lake Show and the great teams in the Western Conference, and there is no doubt whatsoever that this team probably isn’t getting out of the first round of the playoffs, if it gets there at all.

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The 2008-09 Orlando Magic were about as close as you can get to winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history. In the offseason, the team cut ties with F Hedo Turkoglu, a man that was largely considered the heart and soul of a squad that is headlined by C Dwight Howard.

In order to replace the Turkish superstar, GM Otis Smith went out and traded G Courtney Lee and a few other minor pieces for G Vince Carter, who was largely thought to be washed up, and a host of role players, including F Matt Barnes, G Jason Williams, and C Brandon Bass.

So just like most Magic fans, I immediately thought to myself, “Fantastic. We just replaced a superstar for a has-been, two stiffs, and a nut case.”

All that has-been has done this year is average 16.3 points per game and rejuvenate his career.

All the nut case does is annoy the heck out of the opposition, score 8.7 points per game, and does a little bit of everything. Oh yeah, and he got down and dirty and got into the face of G Kobe Bryant when the Lakers came to town last weekend.

Believe it or not, this version of the Orlando Magic may really be better than ever. And there’s never been a better time to strike and capture the city’s first major championship ever than right now.

Just take one look at the Eastern Conference. Even though things aren’t as disgraceful this year as they were a year ago when everyone outside of Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland were all god awful, they’re still pretty bad.

Does anyone really believe that the Magic (or Cavs for that matter) are going to even get remotely challenge by Miami, Charlotte, or anyone else in the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the first round?

Setting up a date with the Celtics in the second round seems like a very realistic possibility, and it also feels like a lot easier task than the Magic faced last season when they had to win Game 7 at Boston Garden to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

So let’s just fast forward to the inevitable Orlando/Cleveland matchup, shall we?

Last season, there really wasn’t a warm body that could hang with F LeBron James defensively. Now, that nut case Barnes is the man that can get the job done. F Rashard Lewis and Cleveland’s F Antawn Jamison are largely the exact same player and will cancel each other out.

Who’s stopping Superman again? Shaq? I think not.

Cleveland may be the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but after six games, Orlando will once again be the team playing in the NBA Finals.

However, that’s not good enough in the home of Mickey Mouse this year. It’s championship or bust, and the entire franchise and the city of Orlando both know it.

Unlike last year’s team that lived and died by the three-pointer and Howard in the post, this team has more slashing ability to the paint. Carter isn’t afraid to get his jersey a little messy, and G JJ Redick has developed a lot more of an inside game that he has had in years past when he was nothing but a three-point shooter. The bench is utilized a lot more as well, as any combination of 11 guys can play 15+ minutes any given night. It’s also a team that can play at the sluggish knockdown , drag out pace that both Cleveland and Boston like to play at.

No team in the NBA is holding teams to a worse shooting percentage than Orlando is at 43.6%. Its 95.3 points per game allowed in the sixth best mark in the league.

The one thing that you can’t measure based on statistics is heart, and it’s that heart, along with tenacity, and toughness that has led the Magic to a six-game winning streak that will probably be stretched out to at least 11 before playing at Atlanta on March 24th.

Mickey Mouse has an angry scowl on his face this season, and if he doesn’t walk away from this season with an NBA Championship, he may never get one.

The NBA All-Star Game tips off on Sunday night at the brand new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in “Big D.” Basketball’s brightest stars all come together in this fantastic spectacle between the best in the Eastern Conference and the best in the Western Conference. Bankroll Sports takes a moment to look at the odds for and predict the All-Star Game MVP, which is a job that has become a lot harder since last year’s winner and three-time All-Star Game MVP, G Kobe Bryant won’t be playing in the game. Last season’s co-MVP C Shaquille O’Neal didn’t make the Eastern Conference roster.