Former Los Angeles Lakers center Ivica Zubac appears to be enjoying his time with the other LA team.
The 2018-2019 campaign has left an extremely sour taste in the mouths of every Los Angeles Lakers fan. Needless to say, a large part of that reason is given that the Lakers are not going to be in the playoffs… again.
However, the other Staples Center tenants, the Los Angeles Clippers, are a playoff team this season. It is the kind of scenario no one ever could have imagined before the season kicked off.
Former Lakers center Ivica Zubac has seemed to enjoy every minute of his experience in a Clippers uniform. It is sad to put all of this on paper, but it appears to be so.
It is difficult to blame Zubac for feeling the way he is. As indicated, the Clippers have clinched a playoff spot. Conversely, the Lakers will be watching the playoffs from their sofas at home.
While it is not easy to bring this next part up, this is the sixth consecutive year the Lakers have failed to play past the regular season.
Granted the losing has been hard for Lakers fans to accept, losing Zubac was another low point for the team this year.
Back in February, the Lakers willingly gave up the Croatian and Michael Beasley for Mike Muscala. It was a trade many individuals are still attempting to comprehend.
Muscala has had little to no impact as a Laker thus far. That criticism is more than fair to say. It has actually been pretty embarrassing to watch whenever he has been given minutes.
What makes the deal even more irritating is the fact that LAC never even reached out to LAL about Zubac. Per New York Post writer Kyle Schnitzer, Clippers consultant Jerry West apparently chuckled that getting Zubac required no effort.
The original report regarding West’s reaction was composed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. And, as tough as it is to admit, West’s laughing is justifiable (especially at this juncture).
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The 7-footer is having a lot of personal (let alone team) success as a member of the Clippers. According to Ryan Long of Fadeaway World, Zubac has done quite well in his first 22 games with his new team.
During that time frame, the former Lakers center is averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He has amassed those numbers with efficiency, shooting the rock at a 53.2 percent clip.
As a result of his efforts, Zubac has helped the Clippers (as of when this was written) achieve the West’s No. 6 seed. Not too shabby for a roster that did not even have a single All-Star a couple months back.
The former Lakers big man made it known how much he is liking his experience in the other Staples Center locker room. In fact, via OC Register’s Mirjam Swanson,Zubac recently poked some fun at his old squad’s fanbase.
Provided that the Clippers have had a better year than the Lakers, Zubac went as far as to persuade Lakers fans to watch the other LA team.
"“A bunch of fans have come up to me and they say, ‘Why did we trade you? The Lakers front office did the biggest mistake,’” Zubac said Tuesday before the Clippers practiced at their training facility in Playa Vista. “Everyone’s like, ‘We miss you.’ And I always say, ‘I’m on a better team now. You don’t have to be sad for me.’ And I always make sure to tell them, ‘Check our game out if you want to see good basketball.’"
The third-year player is correct in saying the Clippers are playing quality basketball. There is no denying that. While they are not a star-studded group, they are pretty well balanced.
Of course, the more challenging aspect of what Zubac said would be having a Lakers fan root for the Clippers in the playoffs. Since Zubac used to play for the Lakers, he understands the rift between the two teams.
According to Swanson’s report, Zubac was basically obligated to hate the Clippers when he was a Laker.
"“I was taught to hate Clippers, you know, since I was with the Lakers,” he said. “So I never liked Clippers before. But since coming over here, it’s been amazing. The team, the franchise, the organization is like a family, a big family, everyone’s so close and it’s been awesome.”"
While the front office’s decision to let Zubac go for essentially zilch still makes no sense, it is hard to knock Zubac for being happy.
The Lakers did not always give him a fair shake while he was with them. Despite that, he has a more consistent role with the Clippers and is putting up a decent, respectable stat line.
Thus, No. 40 is definitely making the purple and gold pay for their strange choice. That being said, it is rather sensible that Jerry West is not the only one clowning the Lakers organization.