"In the off-season, he shouldn't dunk a basketball" - Terrell Owens on Russell Westbrook's poor shooting, and the collective failure of LeBron James, Rob Pelinka, and Frank Vogel this season so far
Former NFL star Terrell Owens launched a scathing attack on LeBron James' LA Lakers for their roster construction not working out as expected in the 2021-22 NBA season so far. The Lakers are three games under the .500 mark, seeded ninth in the Western Conference with a 24-27 record.
LA signed Russell Westbrook via trade from the Washington Wizards ahead of the start of the campaign to return to contender status following their dismal 2020-21 NBA campaign. But that move hasn't worked out well for the Lakers. They do not have the resources to make any further changes to their roster right now as the trade deadline approaches.
LeBron James and Rob Pelinka have been heavily criticized for the LA Lakers acquiring Russell Westbrook last offseason. Terrell Owens is the latest to call them out for their attempt to "manufacture a championship" via this trade. Here's what he said on the latest episode of "Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. and Hatch":
"LeBron and Vogel and Pelinka have tried to manufacture a championship and it has not turned out, this is like the only blemish with LeBron doing this. This is not working out as everybody expected, prior to the season you guys were paper champions."
Many considered the LA Lakers the favorites to win the Western Conference when news first broke about their acquisition of Russell Westbrook. That narrative has certainly changed about them, following Westbrook and the Lakers' poor showing so far. The 33-year-old is averaging 18.9 points, the lowest since his sophomore year in the league, on 44/30/67 shooting splits.
Owens was critical of Westbrook's shooting woes, saying he shouldn't have been working on his dunking as everyone's well aware of his ability to attack the rim.
"In the off-season, he shouldn't dunk a basketball," said Terrell Owens.
Russell Westbrook and the LA Lakers now have only 30 games to turn their season around and prove their doubters wrong.
Health key to LeBron James and the LA Lakers' path to success
Injuries have played a significant role in the LA Lakers not living up to their hype thus far. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed plenty of games due to injuries for the second season in a row. The Lakers have been close to getting their act together several times during the season, but injuries have stopped them from scaling their potential.
LAL started this road trip 2-1, but, without LeBron James for the final 3, finished 0-3, and will fall to three games under .500.
Being unable to get both AD and LeBron on the court at the same time continues to be the story of the last year and a half for the Lakers.
Anthony Davis returned from a month-and-a-half-long injury layoff on the Lakers' recent six-game road trip, but only got to play one game with LeBron James in the lineup. James sustained a knee injury before the match against the Sixers on January 27th and has missed three games in a row.
The big three of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook haven't played well enough together due to this issue. It was always going to be difficult for Davis and James to find their chemistry with Westbrook, who hasn't played alongside multiple superstar-level players before.
The LA Lakers desperately need the three to spend more time on the floor together as that will prove to be decisive in their hopes of matching their expectations.