Wouldn’t the Lakers Missing the Play-In Tournament Be a Delight to Watch?
The major collapse of a team that had just won an NBA championship 2 years ago
Long Suffering Kings Fan
I’ll admit, I’m a little biased here. I’m a California native. Well, you’d be thinking, wouldn’t you be a Lakers fan then? Well, no. I grew up in Sacramento. I was more of a Kings fan growing up. I remember the very real pain of being robbed of a chance at an NBA title by the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers and the controversial officiating of that dramatic Western Conference Finals.
So, sure I’m still sore at the franchise that benefitted from the bad officiating. It’s certainly personal.
Huge LeBron Fan
I’ve also been a LeBron James fan since he first entered the league back in 2003. When the announcement was made four seasons ago that he would be joining the team that has been the bane of my NBA enjoyment for the last four decades, I even turned on him. I know it’s not his fault. Despite an injury-shortened season, he’s still averaging close to a career-high in points and is very efficient this year. The team has also been marred by injuries to key players.
Lakers Playing Out of Contention
Russell Westbrook hasn’t really had time to integrate with his other superstar teammates. This team has been a train wreck and a half. The team sits at 31–45 with six games left. They are currently 11th in the Western Conference. The San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans, currently are 9th and 10th respectively. I know saying that the Lakers are going to miss the play-in tournament is premature. They are, after all, tied with the Spurs but the Spurs hold the current tiebreaker and would continue to if they end up with the same record as the Lakers.
Rising Spurs
The Spurs are a younger team but they are coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich. Their defense is certainly better than the Lakers and they have been fueled by youth in scoring. I could see this team and the New Orleans Pelicans easily staying ahead of the Lakers to finish out the season.
Where would this leave the Lakers? On the outside looking in. They wouldn’t even get to play in to get a chance to play in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Super Team, Schmuper Team
How incredibly rewarding would that be? To watch a team that tried to pull off the superteam building that seems to be so popular in today’s game and not even make the playoffs.
Again, I know that LeBron and Anthony Davis have missed quite a bit of time this season. Their third superstar, however, Russell Westbrook, has played in 75 games. He’s nowhere near his prime numbers when he was putting up triple-doubles nightly and is one of the only NBA players in history to average a triple-double over an entire season. He accomplished this three seasons in a row from 2016 to 2019 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s currently scoring the lowest point totals since his second season in the league. 18.3 points per game isn’t bad but it’s not what the Lakers have needed this season with their other stars out.
The Lakers may have overshot this superteam concept by picking up a player in Russell Westbrook thinking that they were about to make this an unstoppable force. Instead, Westbrook only adds inefficient shooting and almost 4 turnovers a game. Another past prime player that the Lakers picked up this season, Carmelo Anthony has done a little better as he comes off of the bench and is averaging 13 points in 26 minutes.
Injuries Are A Big Factor
I’m not really going to place the blame on their increasingly lost season on the players that have actually shown up. Missing LeBron and Anthony Davis for large stretches of the season has certainly hindered them. I just think I’m personally invested in watching this team crash and burn and then forcing LeBron to want to move yet again.
Future of LeBron
He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He is going to make $44 million in the final year of his contract. Is it even going to be worth it for either party to play out that final year or should he move on? His son is going to be in the draft the year he becomes a free agent. He’s already made it clear that he wants to play for one year with his son, Bronny.
Are we going to see him leave the Lakers for one year so they can rebuild their roster and see him traded to a destination of his choice just to turn around and end up playing for a team that drafts his son? Whatever LeBron decides, I know he won’t be happy having to watch the disappointing result of this current season play out, especially with such high hopes placed on this season’s team.
The Lakers Not Making It Would Not Be Bad
The fall of the Lakers will definitely be satisfying to watch. Even more so given that we could see two different teams like last year’s Suns-Bucks final again this year. We won’t have to hear about LeBron or the Lakers much in the postseason. Then I can finally follow his career again and not feel guilty for watching him play in an enemy jersey. The fall of the Lakers will be good for the whole league, including LeBron. Okay, I’ll admit it yet again. It’ll also be good for this fan right here.
