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LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has been criticized for not leading the Lakers to more wins despite averaging nearly 30 points this season.
Sports media personality Skip Bayless compared Michael Jordan's time with the Washington Wizards to King James' current season. On Fox Sports' "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," he placed the blame on the James' inability to finish the job. Bayless said:
"Michael Jordan at age 39 and 40 was having more impact on wins and losses than LeBron is having at age 37."
The two years that MJ spent with the team from the nation's capital are often forgotten. But they have been brought up to emphasize the poor season the Lakers (29-40) are having by Bayless.
James and the Lakers have struggled all season long with their lack of chemistry and poor defense being two major factors. They came into the season with championship aspirations but are struggling to make the play-in tournament.
Can LeBron James and the Lakers salvage this season?
While it is March, which means the season is weeks from being over, the Lakers have yet to justify their preseason championship aspirations. This is a poorly constructed roster that has been struggling all season and may not make the postseason.
If the season ended today, the Lakers (29-40) and the 10th-place New Orleans Pelicans (28-41) would hold the final two play-in tournament spots. The San Antonio Spurs (27-43) and Portland Trail Blazers (26-42) are 2.5 games behind the Lakers.
Los Angeles is 2-9 since the All-Star break and 8-21 since Jan. 9 and haven't won consecutive games since Jan. 7. The Lakers last won a road game on Jan. 25 and play their next three games – and six of their next seven overall – on the road.
What's helping the Lakers stay ninth is that San Antonio (3-7 in its last 10 games) and Portland (2-8) aren't providing much chase. New Orleans is 5-5 in its last 10.
One of the primary reasons why the Lakers have been struggling is because of Russell Westbrook's performances. His acquisition was supposed to ease the workload on LeBron James but has ended up compounding it.
The former OKC Thunder superstar has been leaking turnovers, and the pace with which he plays has been detrimental to the NBA's oldest roster. He is averaging 3.8 turnovers per game this season. This, coupled with Anthony Davis' injury struggles, has caused serious problems this season.
While James isn't completely devoid of criticism because of his defense, he is still putting up MVP-caliber numbers. Yet the Lakers have very little to show for it. The oldest roster in the NBA has struggled to cope with the younger legs they're up against and has struggled to guard the perimeter.
The only way forward for the Lakers seemingly is to put Westbrook with the second unit and give the ball to James the entire time he plays.
Either way, he Lakers need to figure things out quickly. They have 13 games remaining. Or perhaps they should consider shutting down LeBron. He has been constantly struggling with abdomen, groin and knee issues all season.
Guess the Lakers players!
