LeBron James and his relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers has been a widely discussed topic ever since the veteran fired shots at the franchise last month.
The Lakers and James aren’t where they want to be right now. The team wouldn’t have made the playoffs if it were today, and James, despite putting up consistent numbers by the game, hasn’t really had the results he hoped for.
After missing the playoffs last year, the Lakers came into this season as one of the prime candidates to make the postseason, and to Darvin Ham’s credit, he’s done enough adjustments to bring the side to where they are, squeezing as much as he can out of them. But the average roster has been a letdown.
It doesn’t help that LA has missed the services of Anthony Davis, who last played against the Denver Nuggets on December 16 before sustaining a stress fracture that’s rendered him inactive.
To further add, the Lakers’ two superstars have also been the ones shouldering the bulk of the load. James and Davis have averaged 28.9 points and 27.4 points, respectively. The third-best scorer is Lonnie Walker IV with 14.7 points, which is a far 12.7-point difference from that of Davis.
Expert Opinion Says The Lakers Did Fail LeBron James, But He Has Some Blame Coming His Way As Well
NBA analyst Ben Rohrbach had his say in his Yahoo! Sports column. He opined that the Lakers have failed LeBron James, who has defied father time and has been their singular driving force, while also adding that the latter had a fair share of his own mistakes.
He added that James’ shots at the front office after their dismal 112-98 loss to the Miami Heat was actually a plea. Earlier, GM Rob Pelinka had said the think-tank would do all they can to help the 38-year-old, but the cavalry is yet to arrive.
This was a cry for help — from his teammates, the front office and the entire NBA. Nothing new to the James experience, but this one felt weightier, because there is only so much winning basketball left in him.
On one hand, it is hard to feel too bad for James, since his station in Los Angeles is his own doing. He encouraged the Lakers to make their disastrous trade for Russell Westbrook. He signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension over the summer that prevents him from changing teams this season, knowing full well the roster is no better than the one that failed to qualify for the play-in tournament last season. He chose this.
On the other hand, James was facing his basketball mortality for the first time in his career when he signed the extension. His groin, his ankles, his core and his left knee are feeling his 64,218 career minutes. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the first player to cross that threshold in 1988, he was making $2 million as the fourth option on a loaded Lakers team that was in the process of winning a second straight title. You try turning down a $100 million golden parachute when you have no idea how much longer you can work.
And yet, the Lakers have made minimal moves on the trade front. Reports of the team getting DeMarcus Cousins to work out with the team emerged earlier this week. The question is, will they sacrifice their picks to give James a feasible shot at getting them their second title in four years?
For now, the Lakers have been heavily linked to some big names. But given their toe-dip approach, it’s unlikely they’ll pull the trigger for a blockbuster trade.
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