The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most controversial teams around the league heading into this season.
No one can deny that they have plenty of talent in their ranks. They have two of the greatest scorers of all time in LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, the all-time leader in triple-doubles in Russell Westbrook, and a top-5 player in Anthony Davis.
Then again, their recent history with injuries, their age, and the fit cast several doubts about their ability to coexist and thrive on the court, let alone stay healthy.
That’s why, even though Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins believe that they have a strong shot at an NBA Championship, Channing Frye doesn’t seem to agree: (41:23)
“I was listening to you. I don’t agree with you. I love Bron. I love AD. I like Melo. I like Russell Westbrook. It is 2021. There’s not enough balls to go around. … In the playoffs, it’s a big ‘what-if’. This old a– team has to make it 82 games to the playoffs,” said Frye on ‘Road Trippin’.
But besides fit, Frye believes that it would eventually go down to health. If the Lakers were to stay healthy throughout the season, then they’d win the ring. Jefferson, nonetheless, thinks that a fully healthy season would give the edge to the Brooklyn Nets:
Jefferson: “Let’s assume health for every team.”
Frye: “Oh, healthy for every team? This team wins a championship.”
Jefferson: “Well, they’re not better than Brooklyn. Yeah, we’ll argue that point. They’re not better than Brooklyn.”
At the end of the day, we’re talking about a team that’s stacked with talent and veterans. If they put their ego aside and learn how to coexist, then we wouldn’t want to put our money against them coming out of the Western Conference.
