J.R. Smith has failed to provide the Los Angeles Lakers with anything they thought they were going to get from him.
It’s official: After several years of pathetic play, pathetic players, bad front-office leadership and enough doubt to fill the Grand Canyon, the Los Angeles Lakers are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010!
It took a team effort from top to bottom to rebuild what seemed like a joke of an organization just a few years ago.
First, controlling owner Jeanie Buss fired then-executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss and replaced him with team legend Magic Johnson in early 2017.
It was this cleaning of house, along with the accumulation of blue-chippers such as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma that attracted one LeBron James to sign as a free agent in 2018.
Then, after a disastrous first season with James that left the entire franchise looking like fools that wouldn’t contend for a title any time soon, the Lakers pulled off a blockbuster trade for superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Then, executive Rob Pelinka filled out the rest of the roster with solid complementary players last July, despite a lack of salary cap space.
All that, combined with the hiring of head coach Frank Vogel, has resulted in a 2019-20 Lakers team that played even better than some expected them to.
One of those complementary players Pelinka signed was Avery Bradley, who was a boon thanks to his on-the-ball defense and 3-point shooting.
When he decided not to report to the NBA’s bubble site in Orlando, Fla., Smith was signed in the hopes that he would help fill in the void.
Well, it hasn’t exactly happened.
For several reasons, Vogel would be best served to put industrial glue between Smith’s butt and the bench to keep him there for the duration of the championship series.