The soap opera continues in Los Angeles. During the Lakers' game against the New York Knicks Sunday afternoon, Knicks legend and announcer Walt Frazier commented on LeBron James' separation from his teammates during a huddle:

Frazier was the point guard for a Knicks team that won a pair of championships in 1970 and 1973, including a 36-point, 19-assist performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals that many consider to be the greatest Game 7 performance ever.

The Lakers are all but eliminated from playoff contention, as they are currently 8.5 games back of the Clippers for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference. But Frazier reiterated that as the “face of the NBA,” James should be more connected with his teammates regardless of circumstances.

This is not the first time this same scenario has played out on the Lakers' bench during games. In the midst of the Anthony Davis trade sweepstakes — when the Lakers made Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, among others, available via trade — James and Rajon Rondo could be seen spending time at the far end of the bench.

Although James has had another tremendous season offensively, he has been criticized for his apparent lack of effort on the defensive end, an area where the Lakers have struggled tremendously since Ball went down with an ankle injury in late January. Ball has since been shut down for the remainder of the season.

LeBron James also seemed to mutter “we'll be in touch” to Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard in the team's last matchup in Toronto. Leonard will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Lakers have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season, which could ultimately lead to the firing of head coach Luke Walton in the offseason.