James, Davis, Westbrook and Lakers

The first season of the Los Angeles Lakers’ experiment to unite Russell Westbrook with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was an absolute failure and the team was left out of the playoffs.

Following the elimination of the Los Angeles team, rumors of a trade of Westbrook for Kyrie Irving have been sparked but, so far, it has not materialized.

Does the trident of LeBron, Davis and Westbrook deserve another chance? How do you rate LeBron’s time in LA?

Should LeBron, Davis and Westbrook be given a second chance?
Just as there is a saying that you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, we could point out not to insist on recipes that don’t work.

Beyond what can be said that both James, Davis and Russell are willing to make the experiment that last season proved catastrophic work, what reality shows is that divorce seems inevitable.

What was seen in Las Vegas, with LeBron and Westbrook in opposite corners, with management and players saluting James but not Westbrook (with the exception of Rob Pelinka) speaks louder than a thousand words.

Add to this picture the recent statement from the player’s former agent, Thad Foucher, exposing Westbrook by citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, while implying that Russell did not want to accept a new role with the Lakers, and the situation becomes even more stormy. Even more so when the point guard’s words still resonate in his end-of-season conference last season when he did not hesitate to throw former coach Frank Vogel under the bus and when the rift between LeBron and Davis with the point guard is evident.

Imagining a harmonious locker room when training camp begins in September without Westbrook agreeing to sacrifice part of his game and, instead of being the central axis on which everything revolves around him, becoming just another part of the whole, seems an impossibility. And as much as coach Darvin Ham makes a point of mentioning that he has a plan that includes Westbrook as an important part of the team, the truth is that management has been looking for alternatives to change it.

With all these signs, giving a second chance to what was supposed to be a dominant Big 3 and turned out to be a failure, is not choosing the best path, but quite the opposite.

Heading into his fifth season, what grade do you give the LeBron era in the Lakers?
I give him a B, because he accomplished the main goal of winning a title.

But that said, in franchises like the Lakers, that’s not good enough. You have to win all the time. And the team’s recent episodes, with LeBron as the leader – lest we forget – have left much to be desired.

In recent days, he made a gesture and went to play Drew League.

Two details about that… First, it shows us that he’s fully healthy heading into the 2022-23 season. That’s good news. And, second, it gave a lot of people, mostly fans of his, a chance to see him play in person without having to pay an atrocity to attend the Staples Center. That’s worth it.

James is eligible for a two-year, $97 million extension. If he doesn’t accept it, he’ll be a free agent in 2023. And we all know that, with the current roster, if Russell Westbrook stays, there’s no chance of winning the championship. So I don’t see, at the moment, in the outlook, how to upgrade the B grade to something better. In fact, what may happen is that he may lower it.

What I am sure is that James will not finish his career with the Lakers, as he has other plans. One of them, playing with his son. I don’t see the Lakers drafting Bronny.

True or false. Anthony Davis’ health is the most important factor in the Lakers’ success.

While it would be a bit disproportionate to say that all of the Lakers’ success depends on Anthony Davis being on the court healthy, I will say true to the question, both for the present good of the team and the future. Davis has been one of the most fragile players since he entered the league in 2012-13, but his immense talent always could more, culminating on the bubble with the championship. However, Davis simply hasn’t been the same since, with his overall play suffering a slump that, while not necessarily reflected in all the stats, is clear from the eye test.

Many of us expected AD to have already taken the baton from LeBron James as the team’s best player as part of the transition of eras that was his arrival in Los Angeles in 2019-20; we’re all still waiting. No doubt the Lakers have a lot to figure out and figure out under their new coach for next season, but another lost season from AD sentences them in advance.