3. Lebron James (2003-Current) – SF – 4 MVPs, 3 MVP Runner Ups, 12 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 3 time champion, 3 finals MVPs, 1 time scoring leader
I wrote about the confused state of Laker fandom at the beginning of the season in response to Lebron joining the team. As we approach the All-Star break, I am now less confused and more…I don’t know…bewildered? perplexed? exhausted? This season is going about as I had feared. Lebron is missing games, the young players are not developing, and Luke Walton is constantly being thrown under the bus. What I did not anticipate, and probably should have, was the constant sense of unease that he would bring to the organization. For some reason, I thought Lebron would be a little more patient this season and allow for the Lakers’ young talent to grow during year one before jumping into the free agent pool this coming summer. But when you look at Lebron’s history, that was a very misguided assumption on my part. He has never been happy with a coach he inherited, he has never had any interest in cultivating young talent, and he has always coveted complete control over personnel decisions.
Since he envisions himself as player, coach, and GM, what did he think was going to happen when he told the media that he would love to play with Anthony Davis? Nobody can be naïve enough to believe that this was an innocent compliment of an opposing player who happens to have the same agent/business partner as Lebron. It was calculated, just as everything is with Lebron. He can’t be surprised that, given these comments, Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma are not playing their best as opposing fans are chanting “Lebron will trade you!” at them. These are 21, 21, and 23-year-old kids on their first NBA teams, playing with one of the greatest players of all time. They should be learning what it takes to make it in this league rather than fearing that they could be shipped off to New Orleans at any moment.
And speaking of these young players, what ever happened to player development? I look over at the Eastern Conference and see the Nets, with a better record than the Lakers, being led by their first time All-Star D’Angelo Russell. I seem to remember a time when he was drafted number two overall by the Lakers but, after a few hiccups, was traded away to clear cap space for Lebron and a hypothetical second super-star. I admit he had some issues while on the Lakers and had not yet reached his potential, but he was 21 years old! These things take time and maturity comes with experience. I would hate to see the same thing happen with Ingram and Ball, both of whom also happen to have been the number two selections in their respective drafts. But maybe it would be fitting for them to end up on New Orleans where they could join up with Julius Randle, another top ten pick the Lakers recently discarded.
And now the trade deadline has come and gone, leaving in its wake dissent and organizational turmoil rather than a dynamic duo of Anthony Davis and Lebron James. Maybe with the summer will come the acquisition of a big-time free agent such as Kawhi Leonard or Kyrie Irving and this great master plan will come to fruition after all, but given their recent history, I’m not so sure the Lakers have earned that benefit of the doubt.
The Jello's Jiggling 