Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob takes a subtle jab at the Lakers for constructing a roster filled with veterans.
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Troubles continue to mount for the LA Lakers as they head to the off-season. Post their embarrassing outing this season, the purple and gold can’t do much to improve itself roster-wise. Rob Pelinka and co traded most of its young talent and draft picks for their current lineup.
Though first-ballot Hall of Famers, the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Russell Westbrook didn’t mesh well. Despite having a young superstar in Anthony Davis, his injury-prone nature is a huge question mark.
Nonetheless, a LeBron James was to the rescue, having one of his career-best seasons. The 37-year-old superstar averaged 30.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.1 BPG this season. James shot close to 53% from the field. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to pull the Lakers out of their misery.
During a recent interview with Tim Kawakami of The Atheltic, Warriors owner Joe Lacob took an indirect dig at the Lakers for the present construction of their roster.
Joe Lacob believes older players are bound to be injury-prone.
Managing one of the most successful franchises in the current era of the NBA, Warriors owner Joe Lacob believes organizations cannot solely depend on their veterans to win games. According to Lacob, injuries are a given as an athlete continues to age.
Though he didn’t name any organization, one would have been living under the rock to not understand Lacob’s jibe at the Lakers. The Warriors owner had the following to say.
“There are a couple teams, I’m not going to say who, there’s some other teams that went all-in on older players,” Lacob said. “And older players do get injured. That’s the thing you have to remember. Suppose we had made a trade, traded away all our youth, for I don’t know, you name the guy, and they’re injured, out for the year. Anytime you’re over 30, 32, 35, these people get injured. It’s data.”
Well, it’s hard to argue with Jacob’s take, considering the lackluster season the Lakers had. On the other hand, The Dubs are proving all their doubters wrong with their recent performances in the playoffs. The Warriors are currently 2-0 in their first round against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Head coach Steve Kerr’s ability to align young talents like Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II, and Andrew Wiggins alongside the Warriors’ Big 3 make the Dubs an unstoppable force. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green know what it takes to win the chip.
Nevertheless, the Lakers are staring at a tumultuous off-season, with plenty of layoffs expected.
