It’s been another disastrous year for the Los Angeles Lakers. First-year coach Darvin Ham wanted the team to play with intensity, but as much as they’ve tried, they’re just not good enough to compete at the highest level.
Even so, Anthony Davis’ stellar play had helped them straighten the ship and looklike a team that could reach .500 at some point in the season. Then, they lost their star indefinitely due to a stress fracture.
That’s why LeBron James doesn’t think things will get any better any time soon. He knows the front office won’t make any major moves, so it pretty much is what it is at this point for this team.
NBA News: LeBron James Gets Real On Anthony Davis’ Injury
“Reality is, without AD, we lose a lot of length, which we don’t have already,” James said. “So we have to make up in ways that, without AD, is very difficult, very challenging. So, I think at one point we had a lineup of I think [Austin Reaves, at 6-5] was the tallest guy on the court. So, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out [that Davis is sorely missed].”
Moreover, when asked about whether the Lakers are resilient enough to bounce back from this, the veteran forward didn’t seem too optimistic. If anything, he knows they have plenty of the blame:
“I think I look at it that way,” James said. “I look at it the other way, too, like, how many times are you going to try to dig yourselves out until it’s too much dirt on you?”
“At the end of the day, I love to play the game of basketball,” James concluded. “I’m still enjoying going out there and playing in front of fans, either at home or on the road. And I’m just trying to control what I can control. I show up, try to lead these guys and try to lead to victories, and obviously there’s been times when it’s been frustrating. There’s been times that I’ve been happy. There’s been times where I’ve been like, ‘OK, we can do better here,’ or whatever the case may be. But I always try to stay even keeled.”
Rob Pelinka is unlikely to make any moves, nonetheless. So, it seems like the front office is more than comfortable just wasting another year of LeBron’s contract to keep their first-round picks. Evidently, they have more faith in a high school kid.
