NFL
By: Christopher Jordan
The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t gotten to the start they wanted to so far this season.
The Lakers have a 2-9 record, and things look like they’re not going to get too much better for the Lakers.
Coming into the season, the Lakers already had a lot of questions about their team. Especially since they hired Darvin Ham this offseason as the Lakers’ new head coach.
Through the first 11 games of the season, the Lakers look like the same team from last season. A team that had a 33-49 record and a team that missed the play-in-tournament.
With the loss, last night against the Clippers, the Lakers have the second-worst record in the Western Conference. The only team that has a worse record is the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers are in the toughest conference in the NBA, and their season may already be in jeopardy of being over.
The Lakers don’t have enough to contend for a championship because of their roster, and the Lakers’ big three is not a good fit.
LeBron James is not the same player he once was because of his age, and he can’t carry a team like he once could. James is battling injuries more and more each season. Last night, against the Clippers James, left the game with a knee injury.
The Lakers also have a player in Anthony Davis that’s battling injuries, and he’s not the same player he once was. Davis is still a talented player, but his impact is not the same anymore.
Russell Westbrook has been coming off the bench and he’s embraced his role and brought a lot of energy off the bench for the Lakers. However, Westbrook is still not a natural fit for the Lakers because of Westbrook’s playing style and his inability to shoot the ball from the perimeter.
Another reason why the Lakers won’t contend for a championship this season is the roster. The Lakers roster has a lot of young developing players who are trying to make a name for themselves.
Playing with a player like LeBron. He needs players that are established and players who can contribute right away.
The Lakers are 28th in the NBA when it comes to points per game. They’re averaging 107.7 points per game.
The Lakers are a bad shooting team as well. They’re shooting 29.3 percent from three-point range. They have the worst shooting percentage in the NBA.
If you can’t shoot the ball from three-point range, it’s going to be hard to stay relevant and contend.
Rob Pelinka has failed the Los Angeles Lakers with this roster. The pieces don’t fit because of the lack of experience and shooting from the supporting cast.
Everybody knows when you have Lebron James on your team. You need to surround him with shooting and athletic perimeter defenders. On every LeBron-led team that’s the ingredient, he’s had when winning championships.
If I’m the Lakers, they should consider trading James and Davis and rebuilding the franchise because the team is going nowhere.
The Lakers would get something good in return if they made the trade. James has earned the right to contend for a championship in year 20 to compete for a championship rather than competing to make the play-n-tournament and possibly miss the playoffs for consecutive seasons.
Davis on the other hand should want a fresh start because his journey with the Lakers had been a failure for the past two seasons because of Davis’s inability to stay healthy.
Davis is putting up pretty good numbers, so this value is high right now. Davis is averaging 23.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and two blocks per game. Davis can be the missing piece on a championship team.
They need to make a move fast because the season is sinking like the Titanic.
The team is going nowhere no matter what they do this season, so why not tear down the team and have a clean slate?
Jeanne Buss needs to be calling some teams and swallow her pride and make the call to trade Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers franchise has been unacceptable the past two seasons, and it’s hard to see being a Lakers fan.
Jeanne Buss needs to be calling as soon as possible.
