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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to find themselves struggling.
The Lakers (27-31) are in ninth place in the Western Conference. After Los Angeles didn't make any moves at the trade deadline last week, some fans and analysts were surprised, and it appears as if James was as well.
During the LA Rams' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, Rams general manager Les Snead was seen wearing a shirt that mocked himself for his desire to trade draft picks. Snead has been aggressive in trading future draft picks to acquire roster upgrades and it paid off this season.
In response, James took to social media to comment on the shirt, saying, "LEGEND! My type of guy!"
On ESPN's "First Take" on Thursday, analyst Jay Williams said James' comment was a shot at Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
"I don't know what that is...but to me, that's a direct shot at Rob Pelinka."
LeBron James comments taking a shot at Rob Pelinka?
Many expected the LA Lakers would attempt to make some sort of move before the NBA trade deadline. However, the Lakers weren't able to come to an agreement on any trade. And it looks as if the roster will remain the same unless they are able to sign free agents.
The comments made by LeBron James will no doubt get attention. With the Lakers' lack of desirable assets on their roster, the only way for the team to improve the roster would be by trading future draft picks. It's a gamble for an organization to mortgage the future in order to try to compete immediately.
The Lakers are going to have quite the challenge for the remainder of the season if they want to get back into playoff contention.
The team continues to struggle to put together strong stretches, and superstar forward Anthony Davis suffered an ankle injury Wednesday night. If Davis is sidelined for an extended period of time, the team is going to have to continue to lean on LeBron to get them back on track.
Including Wednesday night's win over the Utah Jazz, the Lakers are 6-12 since Jan. 9. Los Angeles' season-best four-game winning streak ended Jan. 7. The team hasn't won two consecutive games since then.
The Lakers next play Feb. 25, when they host the LA Clippers.
Guess the Lakers players!
