Oh, the drama
With management looking ahead Lakers players frustrated
Things aren’t going well in Lakers land.
A run of injuries, particularly to flashy rookie point guard Lonzo Ball and young swingman Brandon Ingram, hasn’t helped, but it’s more the unsteady state of the franchise that is causing some current issues.
Los Angeles is 3-12 over its last 15 games and the always outspoken Andrew Bogut admitted that the players are frustrated after a home loss to Portland on Saturday night.
And why wouldn’t they be? It’s no secret that ownership has set its sights on bringing the show back to Staples Center by adding a superstar or two next summer.
If the Lakers let Julius Randle, Brook Lopez and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk, find a taker for either Jordan Clarkson or, unrealistically, Luol Deng, the team can open up enough cap space for two massive contracts. LeBron James is the top target.
In the meantime though, quality young players are left to wonder about how expendable they are.
“Everyone knows what is going on with the salary-cap situation next season and all that. That is just distractions that we can’t let affect us,” Bogut said, via ESPN.
“That is part of the league, the business decisions that front offices and coaches make. So if that is distracting guys, that is going to be like that your whole career. That is just the nature of this league.”
Maybe, but it isn’t usually this transparent. Most teams are happy to have quality youth and most don’t have legitimate shots at landing James, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins or other perennial all-stars.