Earlier in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers held a players-only meeting, a meeting in which some guys questioned LeBron James’ leadership.
Little has gone as expected for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the course of the 2018-2019 campaign. However, despite factors such as the injuries, there are certain areas that are more controllable.
One of those aspects is the attitude and effort brought to the hardwood. Regardless of how things are going, things of that nature are fair to expect day in and day out.
Certainly, when the Lakers signed LeBron James to a four-year pact this past summer, they put him in a position to be the leader of the squad. Thus, he was expected to set a good example for those around him.
During his storied career, James has received a lot of praise as far as the kind of teammate he is. Some of it is more than deserved given his innate passing abilities. He is more than adept at setting up teammates for high-quality looks.
While that is true, it is plausible to say James has not always been the perfect teammate. There have been various instances in his career in which he has called out guys in his own locker room.
The same has been the case during his first year in Los Angeles. Granted there are worse things in the world than calling someone out, it becomes a bigger deal when self-accountability is not present.
To be completely honest, this has been part of what has made the 2018-2019 season a challenge for LA. James is not afraid to question his teammates but basically acts like he is above his own standards. It is hypocritical.
It sheds light on why the Lakers had a players-old meeting earlier in the season, per Dan Duangdao of Lakers Nation. Things just got to a boiling point when it came to LeBron James’ negative body language and reactions.
Originally via Dave McMenamin of ESPN, several of his teammates criticized the pessimistic behavior.
"The meeting in Memphis was a retort of sorts. In what became an open forum, several players spoke up. Players focused on James’ inconsistent body language throughout the year. The four-time MVP copped to the critique, telling his teammates that, in essence, cutting out behavior like slumped shoulders and sideways glances has been something he has tried to work on his entire career."
According to the same report from McMenamin, the meeting was called to order by a fellow Lakers’ veteran. That man was point guard Rajon Rondo.
It is interesting Rondo reportedly organized the meeting because James and Rondo have seemed to be on okay terms this year. Therefore, it says a lot that Rondo perhaps got fed up with LeBron’s poor etiquette.
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It is important to note what McMenamin revealed about the timing of the Lakers’ private meeting. It came not too long after James got publicly mad at his teammates for not understanding the weight of the moment.
At that juncture, the Lakers were pushing to get to the playoffs, and, to be fair to LeBron, losing to the Pelicans was pretty sad. The Lakers should not have lost that contest.
However, to throw the team under the bus is just as sad. Moreover, what compounds the issue further is LeBron’s inability to put blame upon himself.
Grumbling does not solve anything. And, frankly, if teammates are going to be questioned, talking to them one-on-one behind the scenes is the better route to go. Doing this publicly is what made it a bad move on James’ front.
As Erik García Gundersen of LeBron Wire said, James’ presence on the court should not be totally discounted. Statistically speaking, one cannot contend LBJ’s first year in purple and gold was a complete bust.
Be that as it may, putting up big numbers only goes so far. LeBron’s moodiness really seemed to demotivate his teammates as time progressed.
Because the Lakers have multiple younger pieces, too, James’ actions only made things worse. It is going to get to their heads a little more easily. Once the mental aspect became affected, their on the court play likewise stunted.
Based on what Harrison Faigen of SB Nation indicated, the Lakers “needed as much cohesion as possible” this season. The team’s season had already been a roller coaster, so No. 23 should have been more professional.
Now, LeBron’s frustrations are not unwarranted. This season has been a disaster for the purple and gold. The team is not going to the playoffs, which was their goal before the season commenced.
Despite that, one can only hope once next season arrives, James will learn to tone down his outward antics a bit. He is all too important to this team, and positive actions on his end could breed better results for the Lakers moving forward.