By Matthew Barnes, Sports Editor
When three-time NBA champion LeBron James became a free agent this offseason, there were many teams on his radar. The Los Angeles Lakers had a compelling pitch, possessing loads of cap space to build around while also being home to some young developing talent. They ended up convincing King James to place his throne in LA, but things have not gone according to plan.
Although the Lakers have not sniffed the playoffs for a few years now, the addition of James made them appear a preseason contender. “LeBron never misses the playoffs,” said every sports pundit. Things have nosedived for the purple and gold as the season has progressed, and the team’s chances are looking hopeless. As of this writing, the Lakers are currently 31-36, which is 7.0 games back from the current eighth seed, the Jazz. There are only 15 games left for the year, so the Lakers need to win a large chunk of their remaining schedule just to have a fighting chance. Even then, a lot of luck would have to roll their way.
It doesn’t appear that the Lakers are hopeful for their chances. They announced that James will be on a minutes restriction for the rest of the year, which insinuates they are throwing in the towel. Also, two of their best players, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, will miss the rest of the season due to injuries.
James has not missed the playoffs since 2005, when most of us were in elementary school. It is already hard to imagine an NBA Finals without LeBron, let alone the entire postseason. The Lakers are a hot mess and have faced nothing but injuries, drama and laziness in 2019 specifically. Despite how much respect I have for LeBron’s game, he is not devoid of blame here.
Let’s start with his leadership. With a team headlined by two sophomores and a third-year player, having veterans is crucial to giving those young players confidence. I’m sure that their confidence wasn’t boosted much when LeBron spent an entire week during the trade deadline trying to sign more help. James has not been shy of scouting talent throughout his career, flirting with tampering charges on occasions.
James has also been recognized for “playing the general manager card” because of his aggressive pursuit of certain franchise decisions. He only added to that perception this season when he fervently pushed for his team to snag Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. This could have easily added to the insecurities of his teammates, making them think they were not enough to him. When the front office was unable to land Davis, it might have left a scar on the team’s psyche.
Furthermore, LeBron seems to be exerting energy only on one side of the court. His defense has been atrocious as of late. On Feb. 25, LA fell to the Grizzlies 110-105, and the King made headlines for being a statue on defense throughout multiple plays. On one play, LeBron was guarding a shooter, and for some reason, he backed up to the paint, leaving his man wide open. When the shot was made, he looked at Brandon Ingram as if that was his fault. The loss to the Grizzlies was not an outlier; LeBron has been caught sleeping throughout several losses.
Something just seems off about LeBron. In past seasons, even when his team struggled, it was clear he was playing with energy. But down the stretch this year, he appears to be lackadaisical. It doesn’t seem like he is having much fun, and that negative demeanor spreads throughout a locker room and onto the scoreboard. He left a team that made four straight championship appearances to go to LA with no assurance another star player would join him. When you take risks like that, you have to face the consequences.
In his defense, he did suffer a groin injury that kept him out for a little over a month. And it’s not like his stats are bad. Even in a “down” year, he is still putting up 27 points and 8 assists. However, he could probably drop 20 a game with one arm because of how talented he is.
Regardless, I think this hurts LeBron’s chances at winning the “Greatest of All Time” debate. This is the first time he has played in the Western Conference, which is much more competitive, and his team has not faced adversity well. There is no doubt he is the greatest player of this generation and one of the best to ever play. But now that his back is against the wall, King James might have run out of magic this season, and he shouldn’t be exempt from criticism just because he’s an icon.
