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The season is practically over for the Los Angeles Lakers. Technically, LeBron James and Co. can still sneak through the Play-In tournament but the odds of that happening have become overwhelmingly low. At this point, it's due time that the Lakers start thinking about next season — if they haven't already.
As the front office starts planning for the 2022-23 campaign, their focus should lie heavily on the mistakes they made this season. According to Lakers legend Magic Johnson, someone has to take the blame for this highly disappointing campaign.
It can't be LeBron James, though. After all, The King has had an excellent season. There's no denying that LeBron should be partly to blame for his role in constructing this roster, but you can't fault the guy for not playing his heart out amid all the problems his team went through this entire year.
“Well, I feel sorry for LeBron,” Johnson said in a recent episode of ESPN's Get Up program, “to put up this type of season and these type of numbers, and then we're probably not even in the Play-In game. This was a wasted season for him, and we can't waste seasons with LeBron James. How many great seasons does he have left? And so, we gotta put a team around him that can can compete for a championship.”
Magic Johnson is absolutely right here. At 37, LeBron is already in the twilight of his career. He may still be playing at an unbelievably elite level despite his advanced age, but it's also a fact that James' years are numbered. The Lakers superstar has said time and again that he intends to do everything he can to play with his son in the NBA. Bronny is going to be eligible for the draft by 2023, but who knows what LeBron will do beyond that season.
For Magic, though, the Hall of Fame point guard is adamant that the Lakers will need to have a scapegoat for their horrific campaign. In his mind, it's likely going to be head coach Frank Vogel:
“So, I'm hoping this teaches all of them a lesson,” he continued. “We know somebody's gotta be to blame for this. Somebody's gotta be the fall guy, and that's probably going to end up being Frank Vogel.
“But the players gotta also say, ‘Hey, we didn't play.' LeBron, you played great but the other guys didn't play as well as we thought they would.”
Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality Vogel and the Lakers are facing. Russell Westbrook has been heavily criticized as one of, if not the biggest problem the Lakers have right now, but in the end, he's still going to remain in LA next season. Trading him will be extremely difficult for the Lakers which leaves them with no other choice but to stick it out with Russ.
The same cannot be said for Frank Vogel. While the length of the 48-year-old's contract in LA remains to be a mystery, the general belief is that his last extension should keep him in Hollywood for at least until the 2022-23 season. Nevertheless, the front office could always decide to fire him in an instant. The pitchforks are out and Laker nation needs someone to blame for all this. As Magic Johnson said, that's likely going to be Frank Vogel.
