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Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James' championship window with the Los Angeles Lakers has closed, and The King has no one to blame but himself.
Smith admitted that this 2021-22 season, with the roster they have, is the Lakers' best chance to win title no. 2 with LeBron leading the way. However, considering their early season struggles and the number of competitors they have both in the Western and Eastern Conferences, the veteran sports commentator doesn't see it happening
“He ain't winning a championship in LA. If you got a shot, this is the year, and as far as I'm concerned, it ain't gonna happen because at least two teams–possibly four teams–in the West are better than them. And that doesn't even take into account the Eastern Conference. Ain't happening,” Smith explained.
The Lakers are 13-13 on the season, far from preseason predictions that saw them dominating the West early with their Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
When asked who should LeBron blame if their championship window has indeed closed, Smith noted that the Lakers superstar can only put it on himself. After all, he has a major role in the team's roster decisions.
“LeBron James is LeBron James. Russell Westbrook is there because LeBron James signed off on it. Anthony Davis is there because LeBron James wanted that badly [and he] signed off on it. The players that are gone … they're not going if LeBron James said ‘What are we doing, don't get rid of those dudes.' I'm not saying he's the one that went to the front office and said ‘Do it,' but the bottom line is they would have not done it if they didn't have his blessing.”
Sure enough, it's still too early to say what will happen at the end of the season. The team is just 26 games into the campaign and there is still a lot of basketball to be played. Nonetheless, it is easy to say where Stephen A. Smith is comin from.
The Lakers are supposed to be dominating the competition, but they have largely struggled with the addition of Westbrook failing to generate positive results.
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I'm sorry….LeBron is not winning another championship WHILE HE'S STILL IN LA! pic.twitter.com/iorMfU1Qsz
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 11, 2021
For what it's worth, LeBron himself has reiterated his belief on the current Lakers lineup. He noted that they just need time and repetitions to mesh well, and after which, they should be able to produce the results everyone expected them to do.
“It’s impossible for me to say ‘OK, when do we get to a point where we need to make a change?' And I don’t think we even need to do that. I love every guy that’s in this locker room and I believe in what we’re capable of doing,” James said, via Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints.
“When we get enough game reps and enough logged minutes, we’ve had guys in and out and especially me. I can’t even say how I feel at this point because I’ve been in the lineup half of games. I love what Rob and coach and the front office did to assemble this team, and we look forward to the journey ahead of us.”
As Smith mentioned, though, the Lakers are facing tough competition in their quest to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. In the West alone, the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are rolling and look to be poised for a dominant run for the title.
Meanwhile in the East, the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are looking like legitimate threats that can very well contend for the championship, too.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers can turn things around, but they surely have a tough road waiting ahead. It's up to them now to prove Stephen A. Smith wrong or not.
