This wasn't supposed to happen. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to be a match-made-in-heaven; there's no way it would fail. But since saying their vows in July, the marriage has become a public disaster, and now more than ever the future of the two parties is an enigma.
When James agreed to a four-year, $153 million deal with the Lakers in July, the expectation was that they'd make the playoffs in year-one. They had intriguing young players such as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart. The Lakers also agreed to one-year deals with veterans such as Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley.
The Lakers looked like a team who could make the playoffs and give a team a run for its money in the first round, but not much more. Well, it looks like they won't even have the chance to do that. Currently 31-40 they're the 11th seed in the Western Conference and 10.5 games out of a playoff seed; their playoff aspirations are all but over.
Were there some unfortunate developments throughout the season? Of course. Most notably, James suffered a groin injury in a Christmas Day matchup against the Golden State Warriors, sidelining him for a little over a month. At the same time, every team in the NBA deals with injuries; the Lakers weren't the victims of a unique occurrence.
The Houston Rockets were without Chris Paul for an extended period of time this season, and now they're back in the race to win the West. The Indiana Pacers have made zero excuses for the absence of Victor Oladipo and look poised to make noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Did, or do you see anyone feeling sorry for the Rockets and Pacers?
Did James' absence become the beginning of the end for a once highly anticipated Lakers' season? Yes, but it also exposed the flaws in the team's young core, whether it be Ball and Ingram failing to step up on the offensive end, or the team's overall anemic defensive product.
Missing the playoffs is an unacceptable outcome for the Lakers based on a James-led team not missing the playoffs since 2005 and the fact that their roster was hyped up to be the next big force in the West. You can't be a force, or remotely close to it, on the outside looking in at the playoffs, now can you?
Nevertheless, James' Lakers tenure will be defined by one thing: whether he helps deliver an NBA championship. It was highly unlikely that he and the Lakers would be able to do so this season given their youth was yet to breakout and their competition in the West was stiff. But now there's reason to believe that over the next three years, next season in particular, the Lakers will fail to meet the ultimate expectation, that being going on a deep playoff run and eventually winning the NBA Finals.
Once the NBA Finals end in June, everyone's attention will shift to the offseason, and the Lakers will be at the forefront of that discussion. They were in on a potential Anthony Davis deal at the NBA trade deadline and have the money to sign a max-level free agent this summer (they will have roughly $43 million in cap space). But how are they guaranteed to make even one of those two transactions?
President Magic Johnson supposedly offered Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, Rondo, Stephenson, Beasley, and two first-round draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans for Davis and forward Solomon Hill; the Pelicans rejected the deal, and general manager Dell Demps was later fired. Davis is one of the best players in the NBA and has no weakness in his game. If they acquired him, a star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis would, in time, allow the Lakers to compete with any team in the NBA.
The Lakers made a competent trade offer for Davis. They offered their entire young core, future picks, and cap space to the Pelicans. But given the events that unfolded from that moment on, the Lakers could be in trouble when it comes to revisiting such a trade.
Ball and Ingram have been shut down for the season due to ankle and arm injuries. Beforehand, Ball dealt with recurring injuries and saw his production decrease in James' presence — when the opposite was expected to take place. Meanwhile, there have been never-ending doubts about Ingram's skill set given his inconsistent offense and underwhelming defensive play.
The Pelicans don't have leverage in any Davis trade talks they hold given his reduced role in their rotation, but Davis is still an elite player who would significantly change the Lakers' fortunes. With that said, the doubts concerning players on the Lakers' end offset that liability, even with their first-round draft pick this season having more value given their ongoing losses.
When it comes to the Lakers signing a star, it comes down to whether anyone wants to move across the country to play with LeBron James. Whether it be Kyrie Irving requesting a trade to get away from him in their time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James supposedly having severe input on decisions management makes with both the Cavs and Lakers, or James talking about his teammates to the media, there are legitimate reasons to not want to play alongside James. Will he go to management and demand you be traded if things go south? Blame you for the team's struggles? Fire the “head coach?”
Is Luke Walton a Hall of Fame head coach, or one of the best coaches in the NBA? No, but he has been completely scapegoated for the Lakers struggles, and it didn't start with James' arrival. Last season the Lakers had to deal with the fiasco that was the Ball family, specifically Lavar, talking about how Walton was a bad coach. Johnson and the Lakers opted to sit down with Lavar and take the easy way out. Then they brought in James, and there have been rumors of him wanting Walton out from the get-go.
So what happens when Walton inevitably gets fired? The Lakers bring in someone James approves, or can boss around? Does this sound attractive to Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, or any other premier free agent? The moment things go wrong the situation escalates and becomes everyone's fault except for one person.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history and is, hands down, the greatest player of his generation. But he has created an awful image of himself to the basketball world, and it has made everyone in the Lakers organization look bad, whether that be the Buss family, Johnson, Walton, or the Lakers youth.
It's fair to expect the Lakers to make a significant signing this summer, but to say that such a transaction makes them a powerhouse in the West is outlandish. You can't be this bad with the best player in the sport and other talented players and be just one player away from contending.
The Lakers haven't made the playoffs since the 2012-13 season. Want some perspective? That's also the last time the New York Knicks, a team that has been continually laughed at this century, made the playoffs. The only difference between the two franchises is that the Lakers have more significant players and situations at hand.
Eight months ago the Lakers looked poised to come out of hibernation and make an already competitive West relentless. Right now they're just another team on the outside looking in at the playoffs that failed to play up to expectations, but are infested with drama.
It started out promising, but not all promises are kept; James and the Lakers may never live up to the hype.
Follow Us
Subscribe