It is definitely a tough time for Lakers fans right now, but don’t worry fans. It will be okay.

The Lakers have lost ten straight games, including the preseason, but there’s still plenty of basketball to be played.

There are a few things to be worried about though. No, not Dwight Howard’s free throws. He’s 80 percent in practice, so he’ll get better. What’s worrisome is their defense.

While Steve Nash is a great point guard, his defense has been a liability from day one. If Metta World Peace, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant don’t play D, then it’s going to be a long game.

Another issue is the bench. The guys on the Lakers bench are either okay or bad. They need to step their game up if they want to contribute. Steve Blake has been a surprisingly effective, but he’s still as slow as molasses.

Most of all, they just need to get some playing time together. The starters need to mesh together, and learn the different playing styles. Nash is much faster and effective with his passing than Blake, and the returning Lakers are used to Blake and Fisher. They may also need to go with a different offense, and not the Princeton offense, because it doesn’t seem to be working.

The good news is that Pau Gasol is playing well with Steve Nash, quietly scoring in the 20s. The other good thing is that they can only get better from here on out. But it’s definitely not time to panic.