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March 28, 2024
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NBA Analyst Slams Lakers Operational Plan

The Lakers look like they’re facing another season of struggle, and one analyst believes their operating structure is to blame. Besides having an eleven game road losing streak and being eliminated from playoff contention, they’ve managed to make the 2021-22 season one of the worst in the franchise’s history. It was a disappointing season indeed!

There could be a number of reasons that led the team to the failure, like being plagued with injuries or valuable players underperforming. LeBron James, 37, had an abdominal injury that sidelined him for eight games. Coach Frank Vogel benched Russell Westbrook down the stretch in their loss to the Indiana Pacers. This shows that even the best NBA players are not immune to getting hurt or having to sit out on the sideline.

James was able to play in 56 games which should have been enough to get the Lakers into the top 20 teams in the league, but they didn’t even make the playoffs and it was one of the biggest shocks ever in NBA history. Fans began mocking the Lakers after James tried to create another super team with Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony – calling them over the hill. One fan tweeted: “This Lakers team not making the playoffs is one the Biggest Disappointments in NBA HISTORY!!! It’s one thing to underachieve in the Playoffs but to not make it at all is RIDICULOUS.” As a result, Coach Frank Vogel, millions of fans, and the Buss family are completely disappointed with the Lakers’ performance this past season, which means they are among the favorites for the upcoming season – and that is putting it nicely.

The Lakers might be one of the most famous names in NBA at a global level, but the reality is there’s a season of struggle ahead. They’re well down the pecking order in the latest Coral odds for the NBA Championship, despite the plethora of stars at their disposal. One pundit believes they’re to blame for their own downfall as they didn’t groom their players to become stars. NBA Analyst Nick Wright said, “Over the last 40 years, none of their stars were homegrown guys. They are trades and free agency signings. That’s how they got James. It’s how they got Anthony Davis, it’s how they got Shaq. They traded for Kobe on draft day.”

Wright does have a point because the players he mentioned were all superstars during their time and were all “imported” players. They all came into the franchise and helped make history by strengthening a title-contending super team. Notice though how Wright called James and Davis stars, but he did not include Russell Westbrook.

This is because Wright doesn’t think Westbrook is good enough to lead the charge next season. Wright explained, “They are still shopping Russ, but they are unwilling to attach any draft picks to him to get him off the team. It is just baffling to me that the Lakers convinced themselves that either the 2027 or the 2029 first-round is this incredibly valuable thing… I just don’t like how the Lakers have been operating. I think it’s incredibly foolish.”

Right now, the Lakers have denied any trade regarding Westbrook or future picks. With Westbrook going downhill, it doesn’t seem likely that another team would trade for him without additional future picks. As a co-host on Fox Sports 1’s First Things First, Nick Wright’s insights and discernments in the NBA are heavily weighted, so when he talks, people listen.

On the bright side, the Lakers now have extra time to gather themselves and figure out how to prove the critics wrong while regaining their fans’ loyalty. As for the 33-year old Westbrook, he has a $47 million player option next season, so keep an eye out for anything regarding his trade. The Laker’s new Head Coach, Darvin Ham, is optimistic about the summer practice and believes that he can prove to Wright, and all the other critics, that the Laker’s are still among the best NBA teams around.

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