The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a dreadful start this season.

For the first time since the franchise moved to Los Angeles, the Lakers are 0-5. Their latest loss came to the Phoenix Suns, 112-106. This was already the second time this season the Lakers lost to the Suns.

The Lakers have the worst defense in the entire NBA, allowing 116.8 points per game. The Lakers are allowing 7.8 more points per game than the second-worst defense in the league, which belongs to the Boston Celtics.

Offensively, no one has been a consistent scorer except Kobe Bryant. Jeremy Lin hasn't found his rhythm yet and the loss of Pau Gasol is showing. Nick Young's thumb injury has also been damaging.

So who is to blame for the Lakers' woes?

Many people are blaming owner Jim Buss. He has failed to live up to his father Jerry Buss' expectations and has overpaid for players like Steve Nash, who is out for this season, but will still make over $9.7 million. General manager Mitch Kupchak has also taken his fair share of blame. Defense, ownership and wasteful spending have all been criticized, but Bryant has been condemned, as well.

Bryant is obviously the best player on the roster, but his unwillingness to accept a lower contract has many people believing he has been detrimental to the Lakers 2014-15 season. On Oct. 20, ESPN the Magazine wrote that Bryant was to blame for the Lakers downfall.

Although Bryant is one of the greatest players in NBA history, and he has won five championships, he has hindered the Lakers' success, according to some.

This season, Bryant is scheduled to make $23.5 million and $25 million next season. There's no doubt that Bryant has earned that with his past success in the league, but at 36 years old and entering his 19th season in the league, is Bryant still an elite quality player? Because Bryant chose to accept an extremely high contract, that did restrict other high-profile players from signing with the team.

The NBA doesn't have a hard salary cap like the NFL, but it still does have a salary a cap in place.

Other veteran future Hall of Fame players such as Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki chose to take less money so the team could benefit in the long run. This season, Tim Duncan -- who also has five championships -- will make just $10 million, the second-most on the San Antonio Spurs. With Duncan receiving less money, the Spurs are able to keep other great players such as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter, Danny Green and many others.

Nowitzki will make the fourth-highest salary on the Dallas Mavericks this season. Other players such as Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons will all make more.

There's a good chance that both the Spurs and Mavericks will finish better than the Lakers this season because of talent and financial distribution.

The veto trade of Chris Paul III certainly was a huge setback for the Lakers, but the Dwight Howard experiment was even worse. Howard, who most fans consider the best center in the NBA, decided to leave the Lakers and join the Houston Rockets instead. No disrespect to Houston, but how often does an elite player decide to leave the 16-time NBA Champion Lakers to go to the Rockets?

The answer is simple: Howard knew the Lakers were going in the wrong direction, and he bolted as soon as possible.

Outside of salary and teammate chemistry, Bryant has also been criticized for taking too many shots. Through the first five games of this season, Bryant has taken 122 shots. Jordan Hill has taken the second largest amount shots on the team, with just 53 this season so far.

Obviously Bryant isn't solely to blame for the Lakers' misfortunes, but his high salary at this stage in his career combined with his style of play may not be best for the Lakers organization.

Is Kobe Bryant to blame for the Lakers' woes this NBA season? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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