"He’s fallen into an I’m sort of too cool for this mess vibe" - Colin Cowherd believes LeBron James' April Fools’ tweet was in poor taste, thinks he is "disengaged"
Despite a lineup featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the LA Lakers’ season has been an unmitigated disaster. Instead of solidifying their postseason spot, they are now embarrassingly hoping against hope to somehow barge into the play-in tournament.
LeBron James has been putting up incredible individual numbers, but he seems mostly interested in padding his stats. He regularly tries to score garbage points, almost doesn't hustle on defense and has looked disinterested on numerous occasions in the Lakers’ unbelievable implosion.
James also tweeted on April Fools' Day that he would be out for the season, which hasn't gone down well with Colin Cowherd. In an episode of The Herd, Cowherd did not give the 37-year-old a pass for the Lakers’ horrific campaign, particularly after his April Fools’ tweet:
“The problem of the tweet is, I didn’t think it was a joke. It was sort of on-brand for 2022. There’s nothing funny in Los Angeles about this Lakers mess… He feels disengaged. Above it all, he wanted Westbrook, it’s a disaster. He steers clear of it, ‘Not my call.’... He’s fallen into an 'I’m sort of too cool for this mess' vibe.”
"This is LeBron's mess too. It would be nice if he cared and owned it. That April Fool's tweet landed exactly how it should have. Really, really poorly."
— @ColinCowherd https://t.co/mXEb3UwvOu
Despite his MVP-like numbers, the veteran sports analyst is putting the blame squarely on LeBron James’ shoulders for the Lakers’ epic failure:
“This franchise decided to give LeBron everything he wanted. They’re on a six-game losing streak, they’re 16 games under .500. Don’t joke about it… At least pretend you care, we know you don’t!”
Cowherd continued to rip apart the four-time champion:
“You won, you got AD, you blew up the roster, you got your title, you got your brand, you made all your money…But this is your mess too. It’d be nice if you occasionally cared and owned it. That April Fool's tweet landed exactly as it should have - really, really, poorly.”
LeBron James and the LA Lakers may have to run it back with the same core for next season
![The LA Lakers may have no other option but to roll out the same Big 3 next season. [Photo: NBA.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/50120-16491364069951-1920.jpg)
The Anthony Davis trade, followed by the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, has practically handcuffed the Lakers to their Big 3 until at least next season. LA’s front office would have to be out of their minds to trade LeBron James and AD in the offseason.
LA’s situation leaves them with only Russell Westbrook as their most viable trade option, granting someone would even sniff at that without an additional first-round pick. The most likely option will be for the Lakers to run back the same superstar trio to be the foundation of their squad next season.
The Lakers have certainly endured a snakebitten season.
But they are also just 11-10 — a 43-win pace over an 82-game season — with their Big 3 of LeBron, AD and Russ playing together. Their issues go beyond their inability to stay healthy.
theathletic.com/3227638/2022/0…
James, Davis and Westbrook have only played 21 games together so far. Given their credentials, they have been a huge disappointment as a three-man group. If the Lakers want to contend for the title next campaign, their Big 3 will have to figure out how to play better as a unit.