The good, bad and story from the horrible Lakers season
By Ronald Agers
The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ season:
The Los Angeles Lakers are living on their past reputation.
Every time this franchise gets left out of the playoffs or get dominated in a game, the narrative goes to the past. Who’s the G.O.A.T.? Then start the Lakers got 17 championships conversation and start making comparisons to other franchises. Well, the Celtics have 17 championships too and they are in the playoffs. So as of the present, who cares?
This part of the equation is not on the players. This is all about the front office mission statement leading up to Jeanie Buss. The people making decisions have done a bad job. It seems that everyone throughout the franchise wants their respect (In LeBron’s voice!) when things go great, but no one takes accountability when things don’t work out. There is a level of arrogance that will continue to hurt this franchise in the future if they don’t get it together.
Sure the Lakers won in the bubble, but they have a first-round beatdown to Phoenix last year with seven other seasons of missing the playoffs altogether. They have an aging superstar in LeBron James, a superstar that can’t stay healthy in Anthony Davis and a cautionary tale for any future superstar that thinks about signing with the Lakers in the future in Russell Westbrook.
Think we are kidding? Let’s read DeMar DeRozan’s rumored thoughts via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN…
"I talked to someone from DeRozan’s camp when DeRozan was in town in L.A. and he basically stuck it to the Lakers. And the impression that I got from his camp was that DeRozan felt that the Lakers were in sort of disarray. They didn’t really have a vision. They didn’t know what they were doing."
The business model of the Los Angeles Lakers is broken. If the front office wants to choose the staff of their future coach, they won’t get the best candidates. If the front office wants to leak stories out to create a narrative that covers their sins, no star players will want to come. The leadership this year has been terrible and it starts with the people in the suits.
Street Clothes…we mean Anthony Davis has to get healthy!
Not only that but get stronger mentally and physically. It’s a safe bet that Dwight Howard will be leaving for the third time. Guess who’s the biggest player the Lakers have? Anthony Davis. The guy that does not want to play center and plays with finesse. Guess who will likely be playing center next year…
That nickname will stick for quite a while. Since the bubble, AD had missed a ton of games over the last two seasons. Period. This is a fact.
The greatest ability is availability and AD as of right now doesn’t have the ability to help the Lakers. If he doesn’t like it, maybe he can use this as motivation to get to work in the offseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers had no plan this season and there’s really no evidence that they have one now!
If anyone was paying attention in the preseason, they would have known that the Lakers were in trouble. Sure, Russell Westbrook looked like a fish out of water, but most players do without an offensive scheme other than roll the ball to LeBron James and let him figure it out.
The Lakers will get an offensive coach but will they allow him to implement his scheme? Will LeBron play off the ball? (PFFT!) Can Anthony Davis buy into playing the middle? (PFFT!) Can he get a roster of new players to figure it out enough for this franchise to be a playoff contender much less a championship contender?
Things will be magnified if LeBron does not sign the extension. That gives him his perceived power. Notice the Lakers made no moves at the trade deadline. That won’t happen next year if a deal is not signed. LeBron will act out WORSE than his passive-aggressive act at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. If he leaves, then what? No picks, no future talent and AD who gets hurt when the wind blows.