Such a stormy week has not been remembered in Los Angeles for a long time. The Lakers have had crises in the past, but performances are so weak and so consistent, really hard to find. A new low came during the defeat to New Orleans this week, during which owner Ginny Bass simply announced she was tired. In the middle of the third quarter, Bass decided to leave the hall because what she saw from her team, was just awful. Then came a sixth straight loss in a derby, which he took out of the commentator Reggie Miller The sentence: “I really believe the Clippers fans feel sorry for the Lakers because it’s just depressing basketball.”
Facing the Pelicans, the crowd also whistled contempt and began blaming the players, so that even stars like LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Trevor Packing, could not remain indifferent and exchanged verbal blows with fans. Even Charles Barkley Decided not to use the name “Lakers” when talking about the team in purple-yellow. “This is a bunch of losers. This is not a group affiliated with this glorious organization. I refuse to call them that,” he declared, beginning to simply use the term, “the group from Southern California” during TNT broadcasts. The look on the faces of the players and the coaching staff during the loss against the Clippers, who themselves play without two injured superstars, said it all. A look of helplessness. Sad look.
So who is to blame? If you take into account the poor construction of the staff, then the answers are with General Manager Rob Plinka. According to quite a few reports last week, led by Eric Pincus from the Bleach Report and Bill Orem from the Athletic, a black cat passed between LeBron and Plinka, as they say, against the background of the non-execution of a trade that was supposed to send Westbrook to Houston In exchange for John Wall. It’s not clear how much this trade would have helped the Lakers, but it would at least have changed the atmosphere around the team and perhaps caused the shock it needed. At least that’s what they probably thought in the James camp.
“LeBron knows basketball better than you all together”
The quote above was given in 2013 by Greg Popovich, to which we will return later, and became relevant again this week. So while LeBron breaks record after record in terms of his career numbers this season (this week for example, he climbed to third place in the number of games in which he scored 30 points or more – second only to Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan), his team still does not win. The Lakers’ dependence on its main star, even at age 37 and after injury, has become particularly problematic on days when the secondary stars are injured (Anthony Davis) or in a weak period (Russell Westbrook).
James takes on perhaps more than ever this season, trying to share them all as much as possible and in addition also serves as a motivator. “I do not intend to give up. We have more games to play and as long as they have not beheaded me and buried me underground, it means I have a chance,” LeBron claimed this week in an attempt to instill faith in his teammates as well. And when talking about the King, it should be remembered that he also suffered a number of injuries and has been absent from 17 games so far, when recently it was his left knee that bothered him. “My only way to get back to 100 percent service is to rest,” he said this week. “But right now I do not have that luxury. I will have to wait for the break to rest.”
LeBron, at the age when Jordan starred in a Washington uniform for those who do not know, gives plays with 29 points per game, in a season that raised him to third place all-time in minutes (after already long ago capturing the top spot in a few minutes of the playoffs). But all the records and talk are not really impressive to anyone in a city like LA, when a constellation sparkles on paper, showing such poor basketball. “When your fans whistle at you in your home, it’s just shameful and pointless in my opinion,” Drymond Green defended him this week. “This is a club that has won the most championships, so what are they whistling about? They are spoiled and it’s okay to be pampered from time to time. But they are also cheeky.”
‘Robber in training’
But the attitude of the fans is not necessarily related to James’ ability on the floor, but more to his influence off the field. Although Plinka has built the squad, any team that plays for LeBron will not make any changes without consulting the king – so it is still unclear what James’s role in the failure is. “Since the beginning of the season, Plinka has been hiding. You can hardly see him in Crypto.com Arena,” Barkley teased. “He built an old team that might have been suitable for 2010, but the problem is that we are in 2022. I understand why he is hiding.”
The main sin in building the squad this season, is probably related to a bet on Westbrook, who came at the expense of Damar Druzen, who was willing to give up large sums of money to return to his hometown. Russ loses a lot of balls this year (4 per game), but in the past, when he had even worse seasons in that area, he at least made up for it with assists and points. This year Russ is averaging less than 20 points, for the first time since his two seasons in his league debut, when there is nothing to talk about assists at all (only 7.4 per game against four seasons of double numbers in the not-too-distant past). The triple-double machine is no more.
“He’s a great basketball player at night. And a bank robber in the morning,” Barkley joked, referring to the mask Russ wore in several games over the past month. But such a similar and Israeli term, ‘robber in training’, was perhaps more appropriate for someone who still holds one of the highest salaries in the league. Russ turned from a fast player to a hurried player. “I talked to him during one of the games and told him to slow down a bit,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “I felt that the speed and frenzy that made him a star, is also the one that became the biggest problem at this stage of his career.”
So who’s the boss here?
At one point, the Lakers did conclude that the bet on Ras had failed, and that it was time to reduce damage. A column written by Orem in Athletic describes the control of James and his agent-friend Rich Paul over everything that happens at the club, with almost all the staff signed at their “clutch” agency. Take for example the trade in question between Westbrook and John Wall – another Clutch client – and you might imagine what went on behind the scenes, if the publications were indeed true. “They have taken over the Lakers and are now starting to put pressure. The feeling is that war has begun,” it was written at the time. But is it a good thing that most of the staff is signed by one agent? The answer is pretty clear.
Plinka denied the allegations and said things were done with consent. LeBron? He obviously, did not remain obligated. “He’s not a Lakers fan and has never written anything positive about us. Dear fans – do not take a word from what Orem writes,” James said at one of the press conferences this week. Since then he has incidentally come to terms with Orem, but it could be that the damage has already been done – and not necessarily the direct fault of one journalist or another. The pressure to bring or at least fight for a title here and now, clashed with Plinka’s decision not to do anything significant in the trade deadline.
The trade on Wall would finally dispossess the Lakers of all its assets, as it was supposed to add the only first-round pick left (2027), only to get rid of Westbrook – something Plinka was unwilling to do, knowing there was no guarantee James would stay in Los Angeles. Les moves on to next season. Add to that the fact that over the All-Star weekend, LeBron is sending hints of a possible departure, it’s hard to blame the general manager for trying to save something from the club’s future.
Assuming you don’t finish among the top 6, the Lakers still have a chance to make some noise through the play-in, only if one of three things happens. 1. After the staff has remained as it was, any shock that will wake the players can only come through a change in the position of the coach. Frank Vogel may not be 100 percent guilty of the situation, but after winning the championship in the bubble season, he seems to have lost the locker room and not found enough creative ways to improve the team – especially defensively. 2. The awakening of Westbrook, who admitted on several occasions, that he was disappointed in himself. 3. Davis’ quick recovery and recovery. Of all the options, only the first one seems realistic at the moment.
Power rating
For the first time this season, Golden State is parting ways with the top ten after losing for the third time in a row and winning just twice in the last 9 games. Luckily, reports speak of Drymond’s imminent return. This week we also said goodbye to Cleveland, which has only beaten Washington in its last six games, and is starting to lose height in the period before and after the All-Star held at its home. Come on, let’s get started.
10. Chicago (5)
The Bulls have played since the All-Star against three strong teams, two of which are also expected to go far in the playoffs (Miami, Memphis and Atlanta). They lost all those games and left us with quite a few questions.
9. Milwaukee (re-entry)
A winning basket by Jero Holliday and a comeback that showed a lot of character in the final minutes against Miami, proved that the Bucks are not going anywhere. In addition, Milwaukee is starting to get rewards from its two new players, Serge Ivaka and Jabon Carter, who will still give rewards down the road.
8. Miami (5)
The Heat did lose to Milwaukee, but impressed against Brooklyn in Kevin Durant’s return game, retaining first place in the East. Kyle Laurie, PJ Tucker and Jimmy Butler have been absent in turn from recent games, and yet, Miami’s winery culture and Eric Spolstra’s coaching abilities are hard to crack.
7. Denver (7)
After winning 6 in a row, a disappointing loss came to Oklahoma City, but nothing will take a huge season for Nikola Jokic so far. The good news came from Michael Porter Jr., who has been approved to return to training and along with Jamal Marie (not yet due to return this season), will soon start training with Denver’s G-League team in the Grand Rapids.
6. Dallas (10)
“I was surprised by the trade on Forzingis,” he admitted Doncic This week, however, the integration of the one who came in his place, Spencer Dinwidi, is excellent so far. And again, let’s not mistaken – this is still a one-player team that does everything. Luca defeated the Warriors twice a week. A tremendous achievement in itself. Thank you.
Philadelphia (6)
The combination of Harden and Ambide begins to ignite the imagination after some beautiful collaborations in the first two games together. Harden spreads the color to Ambide, who in turn no longer has to fight so hard for every point. Emma, the two have an excessive tendency to blackmail offenses and the network is already noisy. “It’s going to be the hardest duo to watch.”
Memphis (2)
Ja is a walking highlights machine. No words.
3. Boston Celtics (4)
The Celtics look like a team, and with a win over the Grizzlies, have proven they have a lot to sell. The Greens get into shape just in time, just before the final straight and playoffs. Jaylen Brown has already been given a rest following a minor ankle injury, but even when he returns, the entire team will enter a relatively relaxed period of 5 games in 13 days. Heaven in terms of this crazy season.
2. Phoenix (1)
The Suns have lost twice this week and as we thought, life without Chris Paul (and against Portland also without Devin Booker) is not going to be easy.
Utah (4)
Despite injuries and other mishaps during the season, the Jazz continue to impress, especially after another huge W on Phoenix. Behind the leadership of Devin Mitchell and Rudy Gober, one could also see Mike Conley’s return to fitness we knew, with two huge threes in the clutch against Houston.