NBA News: Jeremy Lin Benched, Los Angeles Lakers Wavering Hope On “Linsanity” Repeat

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers have finally made some moves and benched starting guard Jeremy Lin and starting forward Carlos Boozer during Sunday's 104-87 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers are currently sporting a 5-16 good for second-worst record in the competitive Western Conference. In their place, Ronnie Price and Ed Davis grabbed the starting spot and it is unclear if the change will stay beyond the Pelican's game.

If the latest game is any indication, Lin just made his case worse as he again continued his struggles by just posting 3 points, 4 assists and a turnover in just 20 minutes of game time. The man who started Linsanity continued to struggle with his shot just going 1-for-5 from the field, further hampering his season percentage of 45 percent from the field and close to three turnovers per game. Lakers coach Byron Scott addressed the modifications before the game and said he is just trying anything to get the team into a rhythm and pull them out of the hole.

"I'm just trying to inject some more energy into our team but also to let them know that if you think your minutes are guaranteed, it's not," said Scott per Business Community. "It really isn't. To be honest with you, from a coaching standpoint, I got nothing to lose. I really don't. We're 5-15 right now."

Some of the analysts following the Lakers said that the change is a long time coming, especially for Boozer. Both Lin and Boozer have been long hounded of their sub-par individual and team defence, just some of the glaring needs of the team. The team is registering 122 points per 100 possessions and is currently the worst in the league and it has limited options in trade or signing players via waivers. Scott has relayed that the biggest thing he has demanded from Lin and Boozer is some sort of semblance of defensive effort yet, right now, the team is lacking in that regard. The former New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers mentor says that the team has nothing to lose with the line-up change given their record.

Apart from the struggles in stopping opponents, the storied franchise is also struggling to incorporate the new Princeton offence of Scott as well as the injuries to key rotation players 2014 first round draft pick Julius Randle and former Memphis Grizzlies shooter Wayne Ellington. Lin has been saying the right things to the media in terms of harmonizing his style with five-time champion Kobe Bryant but the struggles on the court say otherwise.