What was supposed to be a season of rejuvenation and high expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers turned into one of its most disappointing. After LeBron James, through Klutch Sports’ Twitter account, announced his intent to sign with the NBA glamour franchise, fans, media people, and even NBA players proclaimed that “the Lake Show is back!”
Indeed, after a tremendous showing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 playoffs (despite a Finals sweep to the Golden State Warriors), LeBron was hailed as the next great player to continue the tradition of great players in leading the Purple-and-Gold into the top of the NBA food chain once again. It was a match made in heaven. At least on paper.
In reality, the Lakers are struggling (lol understatement much) with 19 games left to play in the regular season. With a 30-34 record, Los Angeles is currently 10th in the Western Conference, 3.5 games behind the 8th seed San Antonio Spurs.
Statistically, the Lakers can still make the playoffs but those chances are slim as they need other factors (other teams undergoing catastrophic meltdowns and losing a lot) that are out of their control to work in their favor.
The Lakers are quite in a conundrum right now. They’re not good enough to make the playoffs, but they’re also not bad enough to have a higher chance of winning the draft lottery (#TankForZion). The team is 13th worst in league, record-wise, giving them a 1% chance at landing the first overall pick. This is the NBA’s equivalent of purgatory — nobody wants to be in this position.
So what exactly should the team do? Whatever their course of action is, there is plenty at stake, both for the team as a whole and various individuals within the organization.
How will this dumpster fire situation affect LeBron’s legacy? The last time James wasn’t playing in the playoffs was in 2005. For context, his teammates Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram were both still 8 years old then. His haters would have plenty of ammo if LeBron were to go on early vacation this year.
Many detractors claim that James’ move to Los Angeles was less of a basketball decision and more of a Hollywood thing. He’s set to film Space Jam 2 in the summer, and wooooh boy, I can already see the jokes flying.
On the front office side of things, how will free agents see General Manager Rob Pelinka and President Magic Johnson’s inability to construct a cohesive, championship-caliber team? Will this tire-fire season scare off stars from signing with the Lakers?
How will the young core of Ball, Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart react to either missing the playoffs again (while their peers are vying for a chance at winning the championship), or tanking? The kids have played their heart out even during the losses, one would think it would be a huge blow to their pride if the Lakers were to try and lose on purpose.
So again, I ask you. What should the Lakers do?
If I called the shots, I would tell the team to keep winning games and chase that final playoff spot. Tanking, besides being terrible practice to begin with, wouldn’t benefit the team anyway, as the worst five records are pretty much locked up at this point. That means losing more wouldn’t exactly skyrocket the Lakers’ chances at winning the lottery.
All that losing only to end up with a so-so draft pick in an already shallow Draft Class? No thanks.
The Lakers should at least try to salvage some pride by winning most of the last 19 games and pray the lower half of the West playoff picture go on losing streaks. This is just the optimist in me speaking, but who knows? Maybe the Clippers and Spurs suffer monumental meltdowns in the next six weeks!
However, I would like to see some changes in the rotation. Since it’s more likely that the Lakers do not make the playoffs, the coaching staff should just play their young players like Isaac Bonga and Moe Wagner in order for them to get much needed reps.
Sit the non-LeBron veterans (Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Tyson Chandler, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) for the remainder of the season. They’re not going to like it, but they had a hand in the Lakers sucking thanks to their frequent lackadaisical, uninspired play. Boo hoo. Los Angeles should prioritize the kids anyway.
It’s tough being a Lakers fan right now. This is comparable to the 2012-13 season when a “superteam” composed of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard failed to live up to expectations. Kobe literally sacrificed his right Achilles tendon for the Lakers’ playoff chances, but they made playoffs.
Dark years followed that season, and this season was supposed to be the one where we can relive our glory days. But alas, ’tis not meant to be. Not yet, anyway.
patrickkennan.com 