The Los Angeles Lakers continue to drop the ball almost every night. They were swept by the injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers and it seems like they're not even going to make the play-in tournament.
Frank Vogel has failed to live up to the task this season. His rotations have been bad, his adjustments haven't been timely, and it seems like the roster has just given up at this point in the season.
That's why former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins urged the team to face reality and consider shutting down LeBron James until the end of the season to try and prevent his knee injury from getting worse.
NBA News: Kendrick Perkins Says The Lakers Should Rest LeBron James
“At some point the Lakers might need to consider shutting Bron down! It’s no more hope for them… no need putting more miles on the old man who’s going to be in his 20th season next year. He’s given everything and more. On top of all that he’s playing on a hurt knee! Real Talk," Perkins tweeted.
LeBron Admits The Lakers Have Been Bad Defensively
James has never been much of a fan of load management but it seems like it's just a matter of time before he considers it. For now, all he can talk about is how poorly they've performed in the defensive end:
“We’re a Frank Vogel team and that obviously starts with defending, starts with the point of attack, starts with the point guard position," James said. "Then obviously, this league is a huge pick and roll league, bigs being able to help the guards out, protect the guards, the guards getting back in front of the ball, the bigs getting back to be big on big so we can rebound the ball when shots go up."
"Obviously, it’s been challenging for us this year defensively," James added. "We’ve had a lot of breakdowns and lost a lot of games because our defense has broken. It’s also been because our offense at times, too. Your offense can help your defense. If you’re taking bad shots or you’re turning the ball over or you take a good shot and it’s a long rebound and you’re not getting back, that can affect your defense as well.”
The Lakers aren't going to get any better this year. They don't have the personnel to make big adjustments, Anthony Davis isn't healthy, and the team isn't buying the coach's idea. So, maybe, they should just wave the white flag.
