"I don't think this team is gonna work in LA" - Charles Barkley on whether LeBron James and the LA Lakers will have a successful season
LeBron James and the LA Lakers look like they are finally going to turn things around after a dramatic win against the Dallas Mavericks last Wednesday. However, NBA analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley does not think the Lakers are going to get better unless Anthony Davis asserts himself and plays much better.
In his very first appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Barkley was asked about his thoughts on the Lakers after their overtime win over the Mavericks. The 58-year-old legend said that the Lakers are not coming together because of their age.
"I don't think this team is gonna work in LA. I don't think you can put all those geezers together and think it's just gonna come together," Barkley said.
Are the Lakers gonna turn this thing ARAHND??
"I said the first night of the season that Anthony Davis had to be one of the 5 best players in the NBA.. it has not happened" ~Charles Barkley
#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE https://t.co/JwTHRcz9bL
Charles Barkley added that the NBA is now a young man's game and LeBron James at his age cannot carry the Lakers by himself. Barkley noted that Anthony Davis has to become a dominant force for that team if they want to have any type of success this season.
The 1993 NBA MVP also pointed out that Davis is in his prime and should be one of the top five players in the world today. If AD can play to his potential, then LeBron James can just lay back and coast through the regular season. James has been dealing with injuries since coming to the Lakers, possibly because of his age and just the wear and tear of playing professionally since 2003.
COVID-19 outbreak could disrupt any momentum LeBron James and the LA Lakers have
The LA Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks last Wednesday 107-104 after undrafted rookie Austin Reaves hit the game-winning three-point shot with 0.9 seconds left. LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers mobbed Reaves after the buzzer, celebrating their win in the locker room.
It was the Lakers' 16th win of the season and their third straight victory. They have also won seven of their last ten games. LeBron James and the Lakers finally have momentum, but it could be derailed by a possible COVID-19 outbreak within the team.
🎥 Poetry in motion… Austin Reaves wins it for the @Lakers in OT! #PhantomCam #NBARooks https://t.co/IsPSg5b93W
According to James Herbert of CBS Sports, the Lakers have four players under the league's health and safety protocols. They canceled their practices after Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Avery Bradley tested positive for the coronavirus on December 16th.
Westbrook, Monk and Bradley joined Talen Horton-Tucker and Dwight Howard as players under the protocols. Monk was cleared right away after testing negative twice in a span of 24-hours, just like LeBron James when he tested positive earlier this month.
The current outbreak of coronavirus cases is a problem for the NBA. There will be pressure coming from fans, owners or players to postpone some games until the number of cases decreases. Currently, there are six teams with four players or more in the health and safety protocols.
Lakers guard Malik Monk has tested out of Covid protocols, sources tell @mcten and me. Prior testing led him into protocols on Wednesday. The Lakers play Minnesota on Friday night. Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker remain in protocols.
That includes the Lakers with four players and potentially more as testing gets stricter and more frequent in the coming days. It's not a good thing for LeBron James and the Lakers to lose players as it will halt any momentum following their dramatic win in Dallas. It could also force James to play heavy minutes early in the season trying to keep the Lakers afloat.
Also Read: Who is LeBron James Jr? All you need to know?