LA Lakers News Roundup: NBA analyst says LeBron James is the Lakers’ only tradable commodity, Skip Bayless on LeBron James’ Hall of Fame presenter and more | May 6th, 2022
The LA Lakers are among the most high-profile teams in the NBA, having won 17 championships so far. With star players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook on their roster, the LA Lakers are never really away from the public eye, even after a disastrous season that kept them out of the playoffs.
The LA Lakers mean business and have reportedly started the hunt to fill their head coach position, among many other tasks they have lined up this off-season. Missing the playoffs is one thing, but the Lakers left without even earning a shot through the Play-In tournament. The franchise now needs to make decisions in order to prevent the same from happening again.
LeBron James is the only commodity the LA Lakers have, says NBA Analyst
Stephen A. Smith of “First Take” suggested on his show that the LA Lakers should consider trading LeBron James this off-season, and received quite a bit of backlash for his comments. The main reason for such a response was what James was able to do for his team this season, despite age catching up to him.
LeBron James played in 56 regular-season games, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists – being the sole offensive creator on many occasions. Anthony Davis sat out injured for most of the season, and Russell Westbrook – although effective at times – failed to find his footing with the LA Lakers.
@stephenasmith“[LeBron] is the ONLY commodity the Lakers have!”
👀 @stephenasmith https://t.co/gbsbjy8T7b
Stephen A. Smith wanted to clarify his reasons for the suggestion and said:
“I’m in no way throwing any kind of shade on him [LeBron], I’m paying tribute to his greatness. He is 37, he just finished his 19th season in the NBA – averaging 30. And he is the only commodity the Los Angeles Lakers have.”
There is some truth to what Stephen A. Smith said, as the other two superstars were nowhere close to contributing as much as the 37-year-old. Anthony Davis’ injury trouble is a big question mark in any trade considerations and the way Russell Westbrook went about his season – franchises are likely to look for better options to strengthen their roster.
Dan Partick says LeBron James will not win another ring with the LA Lakers
LeBron James may have put up astounding numbers throughout the 2021-22 NBA season, but the LA Lakers still ended up in the 11th position in the Western Conference. In fact, he sat out through the last set of games to manage an ankle injury.
Although James is very professional when it comes to taking care of his body, the wear and tear of an NBA season could see him miss crucial stretches. And with teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns performing at such a high level, the chances for a roster led by James are bleak – according to Dan Patrick.
“I don’t care if you bring back Red Auerbach from the dead, you’re not winning, you’re not gonna win a championship. You’re not even close...Dallas is already better than the Lakers. Look at the number of teams better than the Lakers. You know the Pelicans? Zion comes back, they’re better than the Lakers.”
The LA Lakers giving up on multiple rebuilding efforts through the years has put them in this situation. They do not have a young player that has proven his potential over time, and their reliance on LeBron James to get things done has been appalling.
Skip Bayless recommends Dwayne Wade as the right person to present LeBron James to the Hall of Fame
Skip Bayless got an interesting question about his nemesis – LeBron James – as he answered fan questions on “The Skip Bayless Show”. A fan from Ohio asked Bayless who would be the ideal person to present LeBron James into the Hall of Fame – when it comes to that – also asking if Bayless would be up to the task.
Skip Bayless is well-known in the media, for being a LeBron James critic – often throwing shade on his achievements, comparing them to Michael Jordan’s success in the league. Hence, it is highly unlikely or almost impossible for James to be presented into the Hall of Fame by the NBA analyst.
Bayless is aware of the same, as he said:
“There are about eight billion people on this planet right now, living on this planet right now – and of those eight billion, I would be the very last that LeBron would ask to present him into the Hall of Fame.”
Considering LeBron James never really had a long-standing coach by his side, having switched multiple teams – Skip Bayless suggested that his former teammate Dwyane Wade would be the ideal candidate. James and Wade have a strong relationship, having won two championships together with the Miami Heat. And according to Skip Bayless, Wade taught James how to win championships:
“I think Dwyane would present him, because LeBron knows that D-Wade taught him how to win championships.”