A leap of faith in Los Angeles

— -- LOS ANGELES -- Before a recent game, Byron Scott said he told his players "doubt kills dreams." The Los Angeles Lakers coach was just getting warmed up.

"I told them that I have no doubt that we will win a championship in my tenure here as head coach," Scott told ESPN.com this week, "because I know this organization. But I do know it's going to take some patience. It's a process."

Wait. A championship?

"I agree," Lakers star Kobe Bryant told ESPN.com when asked about Scott's remark.

Why?

"Faith," Bryant continued. "The Lakers' track record. This organization is really good about turning around, period. We don't have many dry years."

Now in their 66th season, the Lakers have made a league-high 60 playoff appearances, have reached a league-high 31 NBA finals and have won 16 titles, the second-most behind the Boston Celtics (17) and 10 more than the third-place Chicago Bulls (6). Perhaps more than any other franchise in professional sports, success is expected, and often achieved.

Until now.

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The Lakers lost the most games in franchise history last season (55) and, at 1-7 entering Friday's home matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, are off to their worst start since the 1950s, when the team was based in Minnesota.

Steve Nash (back) and Julius Randle (leg) are out for the season. Ryan Kelly (hamstring) and Nick Young (hand) are also out. And Wayne Ellington will be out indefinitely after his father was shot and killed earlier this week.

Scott has harped on defense all season, but as of Thursday, the Lakers have the worst defensive efficiency by any team in the past 30 seasons, allowing 114.5 points per 100 possessions.

Scott and Bryant may think banner No. 17 is right around the corner, but a title has never seemed more distant for the Lakers.

"I think all that good luck has abandoned them and all the bad luck that they should have been getting during that time has come to visit them at once," Lakers Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said.

"It's going to take them a couple years to get out of that rut."