The Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James to get back to the top of the NBA world. But as it usually happens with the teams that bring him in, they knew they had to make several concessions to keep him happy.
James has been known for his passive-aggressive approach against GMs and coaches throughout his entire career. It's also not a secret that he does plenty of recruiting and personnel-related decisions.
And, while that approach has proven to be successful more often than not, it's also backfired a couple of times. It happened in his second stint in Cleveland, and it's happening right now with Russell Westbrook and the team he told the Lakers to put together.
NBA Rumors: LeBron James And The Lakers Are In The 'Early Days Of A War'
Now, it seems like James is once again holding grudges against the front office. Ironically, Rob Pelinka caved into every single one of his demands and now he's getting all the blame for the team's struggles:
(Transcript via The Athletic)
"Because James and agent Rich Paul long grabbed hold of the Lakers organization and are now beginning to really squeeze. The situation is tense enough that one source close to the Lakers likened it to the early days of a war.
So far, the Lakers haven’t shown a particular willingness to engage in battle with their superstar, with sources saying that Pelinka has insisted internally that there are no hard feelings between the two sides. But even if it is, for now, a one-sided war, by digging their heels in and not giving James everything that he wants has the potential to be received as a form of aggression — a battle tactic in its own right."
This has been LeBron's M.O. throughout his entire career. But hey, it's not like it hasn't worked out for him. Now, we'll have to wait and see how his discontent will pan out, especially with an impending extension looming around.
