Lebron James does not get to get away with this. Ten years ago, maybe. Five Years ago, maybe. Last year, maybe. This year, absolutely not. The Lakers lost again last night to drop to 1-4 in their last 5 games and 4-10 in their last 14. Sure, they had a couple tough games over those 14, but in the last 4 games alone have managed to lose to Memphis, Atlanta and an Anthony Davis-less Pelicans team. It should not matter who Lebron James has on his team, he should be able to beat those teams by himself. He did last year. Analysts and critics alike agreed that he had almost no help last year and still willed the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA Finals appearance. So what makes this year different? Why shouldn’t Lebron be allowed to vent to reporters about his teammates? The answer is simple, everything he has done this year has been self-inflicted and like his infamous sign in Cleveland used to read: We are all Witnesses.
Let’s rewind to last summer. Lebron made the decision to play in Los Angeles. He knew exactly what he was walking into with a roster of young, but talented players. Youth shows on the court and off, something Lebron had to have been inherently aware of when he signed. The move to LA was simply not about basketball, it was about his brand and how moving into the LA market would expand it. This was a step to Lebron becoming a billionaire or a global icon or owning a team, not about basketball. If it had been about basketball he could have gone to any number of other teams in the league. Sure, clearing cap for most teams would have been an issue, but there are always ways to clear it if the best player in the world wants to come to your team. Philadelphia is a 4 seed without Lebron, he could have gone there (they had the space at the time) and geared up for a long playoff run, but instead chose the glitz and the glamor over the wins and now he is danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since his rookie year.
Even after Lebron signed with the Lakers, the moves they made in free agency were highly questionable. Magic Johnson may be the GM, but thinking for a second that Magic did not run any and all free agent acquisitions by Lebron is just not a logical thought. Lebron wanted to bring in Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo despite their checkered attitude. Same goes for Michael Beasley. Filling a roster of young pups with head cases is the perfect way to cause an absolute dumpster fire and that is exactly what is going on. Add in a head coach that seems as if he has no real grasp over his team and it only adds to the fire. So much so that Luke Walton almost got beat up by players in his own locker room.
Fast forward to late January and early February where every major sports media outlet is leaking Anthony Davis trade offers that involve pretty much every young asset on the Lakers roster which causes a complete and utter disaster in the Lakers locker room. To make this clear, Lebron isn’t the one physically offering the young kids in the trade, but his agent/best friend/business partner, Rich Paul, is said to be the cause of the leak in order to put pressure on the Pelicans organization. Paul, also happens to be Anthony Davis’ manager, hence his desire to help get Davis out of New Orleans. Many people, and very possibly those inside the Lakers locker room, believed Lebron was the one pulling Rich Pauls strings. Whether or not it is actually true is irrelevant if the entire room thinks you were doing it anyway.
The overall point is that Lebron James is the only person to blame for these locker room and chemistry problems that seem to be haunting the Lakers. How in the world do you expect 19,20 and 21-year-old kids to respect you when they all think you tried to trade them and on top of it, you throw them under the bus every chance you get with the media. To make matters worse, assuming the Lakers watch film, they have to see clips like this, of Lebron not working remotely hard on defense. Believe me, this clip is not an outlier, his defensive effort has been an embarrassment for the better part of two years now. Just ask longtime LeBron defender Brian Windhorst. I used to tell the freshman basketball team I coached that it was okay to make mistakes, a shot doesn’t go in, or you commit a foul or a turnover that it was okay, as long as you were giving 100% effort at all times. Effort is something that can be controlled, if you’re tired, get a break. You can watch these defensive clips of Lebron and tell me if you think he is giving 100% effort. I can already hear people reading this thinking, well most of the NBA players don’t give 100% effort or try on every play. My response to that would be that you are absolutely right, but this is far too often and not an ordinary NBA player. This is the player that has proclaimed himself the greatest of all time. This is also a player who has publicly called out his own teammates. My advice would be, make sure you are doing your absolute best before calling out others. Look in the mirror and ask yourself what can you do better. Simple, but something that Lebron has blatantly failed to do.
So no, Lebron does not get to get away with his shenanigans this year. He does not get to publicly criticize the teammates that he chose and then chose to publicly trade. You reap what you sow and Lebron is seemingly getting a pass for it and I can’t possibly figure out why. In my opinion, G.O.A.T.S. should absolutely be held to a higher standard than others, especially self-proclaimed ones. We are all witnesses to this madness and Lebron cannot and should not escape without intense criticism from fans and media alike.
By Peter Gumas
1204 Sports 