No doubt, the 2019-20 NBA season may be the worst there’s ever been. From the China controversy back in October to the deaths of Kobe Bryant and David Stern in the winter to the postponement of the season in March due to Coronavirus, this season has seen a number of challenges.
Of course, this recent hiatus has called into question the level of difficulty winning a Championship will be. As Dan Patrick pointed out on his show, it could have some unfortunate consequences for whoever wins it this year, especially LeBron James.
“Regardless of what they come up with, at the end of the season, there will be a debate about the validity of the Championship. Now, I know this is going a little bit deeper because we haven’t even gotten these teams together, to get them on the floor, I can guarantee you — if there the Lakers happen to win the Championship, people would attach an asterisk because of LeBron James. If you do a 1-16 (playoff format) there’s going to be even more of an asterisk by this if the Lakers win the Championship.
I guarantee you there will be people, people in my business, talk show hosts, there will be journalists who attach an asterisk because it’s LeBron James. If the Clippers win, there will be an asterisk.”
It is true that the media seems to be especially harsh on LeBron James than any other NBA star today or in the past. His critics are in no short number and include players, fans, team executives, and media members.
But is it fair to attach an asterisk if he wins the title this year? Certainly, this hiatus is giving him some much-needed rest for his 35-year-old body and it’s allowing the Lakers to sort of “regroup” in preparation for the postseason.
But every team in the league has those same opportunities and considering how distracting all of this has been, one could make the case that winning the title this season, in spite of everything, would actually be harder than had things just went on like normal.
Either way, we can expect some controversy for the simple fact that LeBron James is involved. And you can bet he’d rather win a title with an asterisk than not win one at all.
