Let’s face it: the purple and gold are in an interesting spot. JJ Redick is making his case to be the right coach for the Los Angeles Lakers (the team’s troubles aren’t on him—look to the roster). Sitting at 13-11 in a crowded Western Conference, the Lakers aren’t doing terrible, but they’re not doing great either. With trade rumors swirling the skies and the team under pressure to make moves now instead of later, is it so far off to hold the belief that the Lakers will not be championship contenders until LeBron James has closed the curtains on his NBA career?
LeBron James Has to Exit For Lakers to Build Again
As Wild as it Sounds, A LeBron James Retirement Might Turn the Lakers Into Contenders
No GM or coach ever established the idea that having LeBron lead your team was akin to floating through the clouds. Quite the opposite, in fact—the pressure is cranked. Even Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue have admitted in the past that having the King on their team was an entirely different animal. Can he be blamed for that, though? His level of greatness carries higher expectations, and with higher expectations comes a different degree of standards. So, it’s not his fault.
The pressure now is on Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. It’s hard to tell if he’s handling it right. The Lakers have to do something between now and the trade deadline because as much as Redick loves to talk up Gabe Vincent‘s stellar defense or Jaxson Hayes‘s exuberant energy on the boards, this roster isn’t it. LeBron knows this, and Anthony Davis likely knows this as well. Pelinka hasn’t made a roster-defining move via trade since Davis. To be championship contenders this year, he has to do that.
Gut feeling speaking here, but this is the year that Pelinka does something significant. That being said, there should be no surprise if he does nothing. Nevertheless, no matter how the next few weeks or couple of months shake out in Los Angeles, as wild as it sounds, perhaps the Lakers best path forward to being contenders once again is not before LeBron retires but after.
Why the King’s Exit Paves the Way
One particular NBA insider who thought it best to leave his credentials at the door recently shared his thoughts on the Lakers as contenders with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com and pointed to LeBron being the solution, sort of.
“Until LeBron leaves, it’s not going to be a good job, you know? You’re going to be held to a standard that isn’t realistic. LeBron’s almost 40, man, c’mon. He can still do great things because he’s freakin’ LeBron. But in terms of getting that team to be good consistently for a period of years — a contender — it’s not going to happen with how it’s set up now. They took their shot these last couple of years, and it didn’t work. They have to be honest. Two stars weren’t enough with what they had around them. It wasn’t a coaching thing. It almost never is.”
One thing is sure: the Lakers can’t rely on LeBron to win the season for them. It’s even too much of an ask to rely on AD with LeBron—the surrounding roster doesn’t cut it. If the Lakers continue the season with no trades or roster moves, it could be because they’re waiting LeBron out. A call like that is twofold. On one hand, it’s a slap to LeBron’s face. On the other, it’s quite possibly the best business move for the team’s future. A legend—yes, but a LeBron James retirement sooner rather than later is the best thing for the Los Angeles Lakers and their next GM.
