As Lakers falter, the joke is on LeBron
LOS ANGELES – LeBron James came out of the NBA All-Star break saying his playoff mode had been “activated,” which purportedly meant more intensity, productivity and doing whatever it takes to win games.
The reality? All that has been activated is his mouth.
After Saturday’s loss to New Orleans, he questioned the lack of “urgency” among the Lakers.
After Monday’s loss to Memphis, he had strong comments in response to a query about off-court distractions potentially affecting the team’s playoff push.
“At this point, if you are still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of,” he told reporters. “And you should just come and be like, ‘I can’t do this.’ ”
Both remarks show a lack of awareness and accountability and a particularly one-eyed view to the situation.
James is clearly frustrated. He shows it with his slumping shoulders and lethargic defense. He shows it with his facial expressions and hand gestures.
However, his most recent sound bites give a clear indication that he is believing his own hype, perhaps aided by some members of the media, for whom it appears he can do no wrong.
Scoffing at the notion that distractions should have any kind of an impact on a team is kind of ridiculous. James chose to come to Los Angeles ahead of Philadelphia or any number of places with the full knowledge this was a team with a large collection of emerging young players early in their careers. Precisely the kind of players who might be legitimately affected by everything that has gone on around them recently. Of all people, you would think James would understand and appreciate the importance of team chemistry and a happy locker room.
None of the Lakers’ core parts, whether it is Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Josh Hart, had experienced anything like the kind of whirlwind that came along with James’ arrival. Kevin Durant described the media fawning over James as “toxic” and said many of them are “fanboys.” That might be a touch harsh, but rarely is James asked a question that extends beyond some implied version of “exactly how wonderful are you?” And when the team loses, blame is usually apportioned elsewhere.
The young Lakers were actually doing pretty well in the early going, improving and handling things in stride. Then James flirted with the boundaries of the NBA’s anti-tampering rules by talking about how much he would love to play with Anthony Davis. Then Davis’ agent, James’ best friend Rich Paul, tried to make a trade for Davis a reality. Then the Lakers, presumably with James’ approval, offered to send virtually all of that youthful collection of talent to New Orleans in exchange. Then James laughed about it all at the AllStar break like it was one big joke. Now, the joke is on him.
He can talk all he wants about urgency, but if he doesn’t employ such a strategy himself, it looks like empty chatter. Highlight packages following the Grizzlies defeat showed James standing around on defense in a manner that seemed he was switched off in the moment.
Which takes us back to his decision last summer. If he didn’t want to be in a place where people were affected by distractions, he could have chosen anywhere but the Lakers, because he is transcendent enough to be able to pick his franchise — any one of them out of 30. The others on the Lakers don’t get that luxury. They don’t get to pick whether they are on the right franchise or not. He chose them. Now it appears he doesn’t like what he sees.
Los Angeles is a beautiful place to get a lot of attention. The Lakers, now 11th in the Western Conference at 29-31, are by far the most talked-about team in the league.
It is a terrific spot to be if you want to star in movies, like “Space Jam 2.” But a team with a recent history of failure and filled with inexperienced players is not ideally suited if you want to start stirring things up off the court.
Perhaps he should have selected somewhere where there is less inherent attention, with more seasoned players less likely to take it personally when told their primary value was as trade bait.
The Lakers are in serious danger of missing the postseason. James deciding to talk big but often not backing it up isn’t helping any. The focus will always be on him, but he plays into it as well. You won’t often hear him stand up and say “this is my fault.” In fact, in the middle of this troubled campaign, he used one of his media projects as a platform for describing himself as the greatest player in history.
If he wants to be a media mogul, he is in the right town. If he wants to be at the center of the news cycle, he is on the right team. If he wants to win, it is at least worth considering that he might have picked the wrong franchise.