The Los Angeles Lakers have disappointed all season and any hopes of a turnaround after the All-Star Break went up in smoke after the Lakers lost game after game against every level of opposition. And with the play-in tournament also looking like a difficult prospect to achieve at this point, questions have been asked about what the problems have been for the franchise this season and how they can be addressed over the summer.
Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis have all been targeted at various points during the campaign. Their positions have been questioned and the only person that has been exempt from criticism has been LeBron James, thanks to the fact that it is his incredible performances that have helped the Lakers win the few games they’ve managed to win this season.
But one of the major things that LeBron has been blamed for is the acquisition of Russell Westbrook and the loss of role players like Alex Caruso and the like to make it happen, with Magic Johnson recently calling LBJ out for it on ESPN.
“When I think about it, the blame that he has to take is the fact that DeRozan ended up in Chicago and not with the Lakers. Because DeRozan wanted to play for the Lakers… I got the call from his agent, saying, ‘Hey, he wants to come home’. And DeRozan could have been a Laker instead of a Bull. But when Russell and LeBron and them started talking, that’s when they nixed that deal and went with Westbrook.
“And the thing with DeRozan is, you had the chance to keep the role players. Caruso, KCP, all those guys who are our best defenders, they left. And that’s why we were a bad defensive team. But if you sign DeRozan, you only trade Kuzma for Buddy Hield, we would be playing in the Western Conference Finals.”
DeMar DeRozan has been truly spectacular for the Chicago Bulls this season and if he was playing alongside LeBron James, with Caruso and KCP still on the team, the Lakers would likely have enjoyed a better season.
As things stand, Westbrook could possibly be moved in the offseason, which means the Lakers will have another chance to retool around LeBron James. And while the criticism might seem harsh, James is paying for it by losing out on his streak of carrying teams to the playoffs when he’s fully healthy.
