The Los Angeles Lakers are in a playoff or bust position in large part because of the addition of LeBron James.
The culmination of the last 4 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers was supposed to be the signing of free agent LeBron James. Still one of the glamor franchises in the NBA, still second in All-Time league Championships won, the Los Angeles Lakers have not faced mediocrity often. This season, the tide was supposed to turn, the schedule was on course and the ship was supposedly righted.
LeBron James had defeated most opponents that had come his way, but this season has seen Father Time beginning to knock on his door. This past Christmas Day during the NBA’s showcase against the two-time defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James went down with a strained left groin. It was an injury that would cost James, to the date, the most games in his career.
During his absence, which lasted over a month, the Lakers went 6-11 and fell out of the NBA’s Western Conference Playoff race. Currently, the Lakers are 28-29, tenth in the standings and most importantly 2.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot with only 25 games remaining.
Is it time to hit the panic button?
Is this season considered a failure should the Lakers not make the playoffs?
Stranger things have happened in the NBA, but a LeBron James led team has only missed the playoffs twice in his career; the first two years of his career in the league.
"There are two words that give me assurances that the Lakers will definitely make the playoffs: LeBron James." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/keeQVNF4uc
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 11, 2019
The injury to James surely damaged the Lakers playoff hopes, but the all in pursuit of New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis didn’t help matters as well.
To say that the Lakers went above and beyond in that pursuit is an understatement. They offered everything including the kitchen ship to try to acquire the services of Davis via trade but when you’re the NBA’s glamor team and proven winners, at times it’s hard to find a dedicated dancing partner and team president Magic Johnson recently stated as much.
Magic Johnson is asked if New Orleans had good faith negotiations with the Lakers: “No.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 10, 2019
"“We knew that basically at the end of the day, what happened, happened,” Johnson said on Sunday, via the Los Angeles Times. “And we knew that when we first started, in terms of what happened. But hey, it is what it is.”"
Despite a plea from Johnson to not treat the parties involved in the potential trade as “babies”, the team will be affected by the rumors moving forward.
With that said, young Lakers’ star Kyle Kuzma responded well in the team’s recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a 39 point performance.
The intangibles that made LeBron James one of the best players in the history of the NBA will have to be on display the last 25 games of the season to give the Lakers a shot at making the postseason. Intangibles such as his leadership and his indomitable spirit are necessary now.
It is his will that can make or break this team and now he must make sure that egos and feelings are in line with the ultimate goal, to win an NBA title but the first step in that quest is qualifying for the postseason.
The Lakers just wrapped up their six-game road trip with an embarrassing loss to the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night.
The official start to the NBA playoffs is slated for April 13th but for this Los Angeles Lakers team, it begins on February 21st. The playoffs start in their next regular season game because anything else will result in mediocrity.