Lakers News: With 10 Consecutive Losses and Two Defeats Into 2012-13 Season, Time for the L.A. Lakers to Panic?

It was supposed to be a magical season. Rather, a dominant one.

Coming off a second-round, five game exit to eventual Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs last season, the team had one of its biggest off-seasons ever, signing for two-time league MVP Steve Nash and trading for superstar center Dwight Howard.

Thus was the birth of the Lakers' "Fantastic Four" starting lineup of Nash, Howard, future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and four-time All-Star Pau Gasol. Surely, opponents would be overwhelmed matching up against that cast this regular season.

Most analysts and fans were penciling in the Lakers to take on the defending world champion Miami Heat in next June's NBA Finals match-up. Kobe vs. LeBron. Bosh vs. Howard. Wade vs. Gasol. A basketball fan's dream come true. And the Lakers hadn't even played a preseason game yet.

One winless eight-game preseason and two regular season losses later, this star-studded Lakers squad look more like a lottery team than a team destined for an NBA title.

The Lakers have been struggling since the tip-off of the preseason, dropping every single one of their preseason games. And this week, they fell on Tuesday to the Dallas Mavericks 99-91 in a game the Mavs played without its star player, Dirk Nowitzki, in the season opener. Following that, they lost to a solid, but nowhere near as talented Portland Trail Blazers squad 116-100 on Halloween Night.

Now, they set to face cross-town rivals Los Angeles Clippers and their dynamic duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin tonight at 10 p.m on ESPN. As ESPN reports, a loss tonight would mark the Lakers' worst start in 34 years.

While the question seems a little premature with 80 regular season games still to play, it is one that must be asked: Is it time for the Lakers to start panicking?

If you ask Gregg Doyel, national columnist with CBS Sports, the answer is no.

"On offense the Lakers are still learning their Princeton-type system that doesn't depend on Nash, Bryant or anybody else to dominate the ball," Doyel writes in his latest column on CBS Sports.com. "The Lakers either will get better at it, or they'll revert to the pick-and-roll game played by almost everyone else in the league. Either way, it will take time to get rolling -- more than two games, two weeks, maybe even two months."

"But make no mistake, the Lakers will get rolling," Doyel continues. "They're not winning the NBA title -- that would be the Heat -- but this 0-2 start is a hoax. It's an oasis in the desert for people who want the Lakers to be lousy. They're going to be great, so don't laugh too much now. You'll end up with a mouthful of sand."

Doyel has a point. As any smart sports fan knows by now, championships aren't built in a day, or even a few games. It takes time, it takes chemistry, and it takes practice.

Ask the Miami Heat.

Even when Miami formed their "Big Three" in 2010 to much hype and hoopla, the team struggled at times in 2010-11 to find their niches and learn their roles. Sure, they reached the Finals, but lost in six games to a Dallas Mavericks team that simply was more comfortable with each other than the Heat was.

Fast forward a year later, and the Heat had their act together perfectly, or at least, perfectly enough to have taken down a young Pacers squad, the veteran Celtics and the quicker, younger Thunder to stand alone on the mountaintop as NBA Champions.

Meshing four superstar talents-guys who could be "The Man" on many other teams-into this Princeton-style offense that relies on constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, picks on and off the ball, and disciplined teamwork will take time. Remember, it took the Lakers time to learn Phil Jackson's "triangle offense" when he headed West in 1999 to coach Bryant and all-time great Shaquille O'Neal. One season later, the Lakers won the first of three straight NBA crowns.

With only two games past in the regular season, maybe it might be best for Lakers fans to just settle down and let the Lakers work it out. Bryant seems to think so.

"I've won so I can (tell people to shut up)," Bryant said this week to ESPN. "For Mike it might be a little tough to say that so I'll say it for him: 'Everybody shut up. Let us work. At the end of the day, you'll be happy with the result as you normally are.'"

With enough time to work through the growing pains, who knows? Bryant might be right. But if he wants to settle down a Lakers fan base rapidly growing restless with losses, he and his team have to start doing the one thing that quiets all doubters-winning.