2024-02-02 10:17:07
Throughout his long career, LeBron James has released quite a few mysterious and controversial tweets and messages. This week he broke the net with a single icon – of an hourglass. The message seems clear on the face of it. James understands that at age 39 he doesn’t have much time left to play in order to try and get his sixth championship. This season he registers 25 points per game and over 7 assists and 7 rebounds, as he continues to break records, whether personal (the 20 rebounds against Golden State were a career high for him), or just ones we thought were impossible (20 All-Star appearances, all in the top five) . But he also understands that it will not be enough. For him, the management must do something by February 8, in order for the Lakers to remain relevant in the championship fight. The hourglass is just running out.
Until mid-December, the Lakers still looked reasonable with a 10:15 record that was enough for a respectable fifth place in the West loaded with talent. The attack was mediocre and ranked at the bottom of the ranking in terms of offensive metrics (28 in 3-pointers for example), but the defense did the job for significant periods. However, since then there has been a decline in fitness along with reports that the players are not happy with coach Darwin Hamm. The defense allowed 130 points or more in six of seven games during the month of January. “The Lakers just aren’t good enough,” explained the veteran ESPN commentator, Mike Wilbon. “Time is running out. Also for LeBron and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.”
“Last year they made some moves and got far, but now we see that it’s not good enough. They say that the young teams like Oklahoma City and Minnesota will have a hard time in the playoffs, but after what we saw against Houston and Atlanta, I have no faith that they can get past one of the young teams in the West.” Wilbon concluded. So yes, last season, with a number of moves that proved to be successful, GM Rob Palinka landed Roy Chimura, DeAngelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley before the trade deadline. The Lakers improved at the right time and reached the Western Conference finals, when it was estimated that continuity with several minor upgrades would bring similar results – with the hope of another leap forward.
How do you get stronger without giving up assets?
But it didn’t really happen. This week, after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the mini-nemesis – Dillon Brooks, as mentioned, an equally embarrassing loss came to Atlanta, which is looking for candlelight victories and has not yet decided whether it wants playoffs or tanking. To add insult to injury, Hawks fans sent a message to their management by chanting ‘you are not wanted’ at Russell as he stood on the penalty line. Why Russell? Because on the same day a report appeared that Russell was included in a big deal offered by Flinka to the Hawks, in exchange for Dejontae Murray. Atlanta meanwhile, refuses the offer that came from California.
So yes, in the locker room, the Lakers are working on several options for reinforcement, with the names of Alex Caruso, Bruce Brown, Zach Lavin and others already being raised. But unlike the corresponding period last year, they don’t have much to offer. The only stock that is worth anything is that of Reaves, while that of Russell and other players is on the decline. In terms of draft choices, the club has only one left, in 2029. A choice that the club planned to keep in order to preserve the future in the post-LeBron period. Will Plinka give up Reaves or the only first round pick he has left, in order to land several players that will suit a team that dreams of a championship?
Toronto has already made it clear that it will not give up a first-round pick for Brown and it can probably be assumed that the price for Caruso and especially Lavigne will be even higher. And there are other names that have been brought up, with the initial goal being to land a guard who knows how to defend as well, and only then another scorer alongside James and Anthony Davis. Meanwhile, perhaps because he doesn’t have too many choices, Palinka lowers expectations and still believes that the current squad can still improve, when even LeBron sent a message designed to wake up his teammates, when he said that “each of us has to do our job.” And in the meantime there is a situation where it helps.
LeBron James (Reuters)
“The Lakers need to change their approach”
In the most difficult away game, against the best team in the league at the moment – Boston – we saw an improvement. The Lakers took to the floor without James and AD, but managed to scrape together a big win. “We played with a lot of soul,” he admitted Rhubarb who came out on top with 32 points. “We played the right way and fought defensively. LeBron told us to ‘do the job’, and when the message comes from the best player ever in my opinion, then it’s a strong message. This time we also proved that we listened to those things. We proved that we can beat any opponent, but we just have to limit the mistakes Ours. We are ready for the continuation of the struggle.”
But maybe the hourglass actually marks the way out for the king? Does he plan to move to another contender in the offseason? Will he join whoever picks his son Brony in the draft? Does he even plan to retire? Vincent Goodwill From ‘Yahoo’, considered close to the superstar, but he too refused to commit to a firm interpretation regarding James’ future. “At least by the numbers, LeBron is having a great season not just for a 39-year-old player, but for any player. Still, it’s not enough for a winning season. The offense is anemic and at the bottom of the league. I remember there were days when you could put four guys next to him “S, and his team was still one of the best in the league, with a top 10 offense and success in the playoffs. This is not the case today.”
According to Goodwill, “The Lakers need to change their approach, because the way the team was built around him, cannot be enough in today’s NBA. Not in its current version. You have to remember that he is also finishing a contract and can leave in the summer. Now the ball is in the court of the Lakers and the owner, the Bass family. They have to ask themselves: Do they continue to ride LeBron’s bandwagon? And if the answer is yes, then it’s clear that the team can’t look like that.” Join Yahoo! Michael Holleyalready had time to state: “There is no move the Lakers can make that can improve them. It is better for them to keep the draft pick and try to build something anew next season.”
Jayson Tatum vs. Austin Reeves (Reuters)
“As long as LeBron plays, the league suffers”
It should be remembered that the Bass family does not really know how to start lengthy construction processes. Since the 1980s, the Lakers have only had 6 seasons without a superstar on the team. Four years from Magic Johnson’s retirement passed until Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were injured. Only two years passed since Bryant’s retirement, until LA decided to go for LeBron. And that’s it. Will they be willing to mortgage the professional future of the club for a player who is at the end of his career? If we trust the family history – the answer is positive, so the next two weeks will be critical for the entire club.
We all remember how Dillon Brooks got his team in trouble when he called LeBron ‘old man’ and said he wasn’t afraid to wake up the bear. It ended with a tremendous performance by James and a dismissal by Memphis, which decided not to extend its excellent Canadian’s contract in the summer, claiming that he was causing too many distractions. So that’s it, this week we heard a former star who called the king to retire. You heard right. Former Detroit Bad Boys John Sully has always had a big mouth, but this week he managed to surprise quite a few people around the NBA. “The league only suffers as long as he plays,” he said Sally. “In order to continue to sell and be relevant to the younger generation, they must move on to the next generation.”
Sully cited the case of Tiger Woods, who remained golf’s biggest star for two decades and left behind an entire industry that was and may remain dependent on him. Woods’ long career has obscured the breakout of young stars trying to become the face of the industry – and perhaps made the PGA more popular with a younger crowd. Is the World Golf Association paying for it these days, with Saudi money threatening to wipe it out? could very well be. “At ‘Nike’ they had to cut the contract with Tiger and completely give up their golf division. Tiger was great for them, but what kid wants to wear his shoes today? The young people will go for the new rising star who for them is a bigger role model. In the business world, sure When it comes to sports, you get in and out quickly. If you’ve lasted ten years, you’re blessed.”
#LeBrons #hourglass #running