15-year NBA veteran Kenyon Martin isn’t happy with the way the Lakers have wasted the last few seasons of LeBron James‘ career. Speaking up on the Gilbert Arenas show, the 1x All-Star laid into the organization for their mismanagement after the 2020 title.
“Management… All of y’all are at fault,” said Martin. “For not making moves, for not getting [LeBron James] another scorer, for not getting another guy that can take some of that load off. Go get you an offensively aggressive wing that you ain’t gotta worry about night in and night out if he gonna get his 17 shots up. They need somebody like that but they didn’t do that so LeBron is stuck with this load that he has to carry at 39 years old.”
Following a 10-point loss to the Kings last night, the Lakers fell to 10th in the Western Conference standings and are just 34-30 on the season. Sadly, this campaign marks the latest in a long stretch of inconsistent play for the organization.
Since winning the championship in 2020 (LeBron’s second season with the team), the Lakers have struggled to build a contender and have been mired by fluctuating play on the court. The worst of it came with Russell Westbrook, whose presence was compared to that of a vampire “sucking the life” out of the Lakers locker room.
After admitting defeat on that front, the Lakers continue to struggle to maintain consistency and have cycled from one coach to the next in search of the perfect fit. It has all come to a head this season, where the Lakers are trying (and failing) to find success under 39-year-old LeBron.
The Last Stand For LeBron James And The Lakers
No matter what happens with this campaign, LeBron James doesn’t have much longer before his career is over for good. At 39 years old and with over 20+ years of experience, James is in the final stage of his career now and he was hoping to end it on good terms.
For most of his Lakes tenure, the team just hasn’t been very competitive and they’ve struggled to find the pieces who can consistently show up when needed. This season, with the explosion of D’Angelo Russell, they caught a glimpse of what life could be like with a more reliable scoring backcourt but they only face more questions than answers as they’re built right now.
Regardless of how the playoffs pan out, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will be hard at work recruiting talent this summer to keep the team’s championship hopes alive for as long as possible. With targets that include Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, and Kyrie Irving, the team has some big ambitions for how they want to spend James’ final two years.
But if anyone is to blame for how things have gone so far, it has to be the front office, which has been unable to find, and keep, the proper supporting cast for its stars. Had the Lakers just traded for Kyrie Irving when they had the chance, who knows what the situation might look like?
Now, the Lakers have no choice but to hope for a savior this summer so that they can maximize what’s left of LeBron’s All-Star years.
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