The clock continues to tick and the Los Angeles Lakers are showing no signs of life. LeBron James keeps getting his numbers, yet Frank Vogel's team can't seem to execute for a full 48 minutes.
To make things even worst, it seems like this Lakers team has let everybody now and not just the fans. Franchise legends like James Worthy and Magic Johnson have shown their disappointment with their lack of effort as well.
Now, four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal is also showing his concern about the team. Per Shaq, it's one thing that they're losing, but it also seems like they've given up already, and Dwyane Wade seems to agree with him.
Shaq Calls Out The Lakers' Lack Of Effort, Wade Agrees
“You gotta at least put more effort into it. I don’t mind losing, but when you don’t have a lot of effort, it shows that–and I hate to use this word–it looks like they’re quitting,” Shaq said on NBA on TNT. “I hate to use the word."
“There’s no sense of urgency with this team," Wade added. "Like Shaq said, it’s not about winning a championship at this point. This is about pride. There’s no pride out there with this team. They pull apart from each other."
LeBron James Warns The League Not To Count Him, Lakers Out
Nevertheless, LeBron James claims that as long as they still have a chance to make the playoffs, you can't count him or the Lakers out. Even if all the evidence points out that they won't make it:
"Until you bury me 12-feet under, I got a chance," James said after the loss to the Mavericks. "That’s my confidence. As long as we got more games to play, we still have a chance. I hate losing. I feel like poop right now. But tomorrow’s a new day, and I’m going to be prepared for the Clippers on Thursday.”
Ironically, James' body language hasn't done much to help his team, either. He's getting big numbers—most of them in garbage time— yet he's quit multiple times on defense and has looked disgruntled more often than not. They still have a chance but the turnaround needs to be perfect.
