LeBron James and the Lakers are still going through it. Inconsistency, trade rumors, and disappointing performances have called their season into question.
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The Lakers were supposed to be the title favorites heading into this year once more as they re-tooled their roster to bring in superstar Russell Westbrook. However, the move is yet to pay dividends.
The Lakers are 22-22, 8th place in the Western Conference, currently bound for another play-in tournament appearance. That’s not what you want to hear for a team that has championship aspirations. Questions about their roster have already come up with talks of trading Russell Westbrook running rampant, and even head coach Frank Vogel has been called into question.
While Frank Vogel deserves some blame for the #Lakers struggles this season, he was set up to fail. This isn’t just a Vogel issue, it’s also on the front office
Would the Lakers benefit from firing Frank Vogel? My latest @TWSN___ piece⬇️#LakeShow #NBAhttps://t.co/Ybi8qrVRAq
— Matthew Levine (@Levine1445) January 19, 2022
It’s a dark time for LA fans right now.
Skip Bayless has some harsh criticism of LeBron James after blowout loss to Denver
The Lakers latest debacle came at the hands of the #6 Denver Nuggets. LeBron and his team were wiped off the floor, losing 133-96 on the road. LA did rebound by knocking off #4 Utah 101-95, but still, blowout losses like those against Denver are a reminder that this team simply isn’t playing at the level it should be.
On top of that, LeBron ducked away from the post-game interview, unwilling to answer questions about the loss or anything else really. Skip Bayless, a notorious LeBron hater took issue with this move by ‘The King.’
He hated the move because it made it seem like LeBron wasn’t being a leader for his team as he didn’t defend them or stand up to reporters when his team needed it.
LeBron: you are THE leader of the Los Angeles Lakers. When that loss happens, you have to speak, in part to protect your teammates. LeBron left his team to take shots at the podium that he should’ve taken first. More @Undisputed, now on FS1 https://t.co/RPOdtivtqs
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 19, 2022
While Skip’s criticism might be a little valid here, it’s also important to consider that LeBron is still a human being after all. After all the outside talk that’s been going on this year about how the Lakers are garbage and the internal turmoil that’s been stipulated because of it, sometimes a player just needs a break, especially after a 37 point loss when you know all you’re going to hear about is what Westbrook did bad or whether players need to be traded.
It’s been a tough season for the Lakers, and the hope is that they can turn it around come playoff time. Of course, by now, for any other team in the league, that hope would have been wiped away, but because LeBron James is on this team, people are still hesitant to underestimate LA.
