LeBron James gets no sympathy about Lakers situation from Bill Simmons: “‘If [Davis] gets hurt, I’m f**ked this year’”
With Anthony Davis out for at least two more weeks, LeBron James is desperately trying to keep the LA Lakers afloat. The Lakers have won back-to-back games but are only 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Amid LA’s struggles, James recently told the media that he’s at this level not just to play but to win the championship. He added that he still knows what he can bring to the table when the right pieces are around him.
Bill Simmons offered no sympathy for LeBron James’ plight. Here's what he said on the "Bill Simmons podcast:"
“Why did LeBron sign an extension? What was he thinking? What was the point of that? Why not keep your options open? We already know that LeBron is like a billionaire.
“I don’t understand why he, who is a basketball genius, one of the smartest NBA players we had, didn’t look at this from a big picture standpoint and go, wow, ‘Davis gets hurt a lot. If he gets hurt, I’m f**cked this year. There’s no way I should sign an extension.’
“No! He signed it. It’s hard for me to work up a ton of sympathy for him because I think he should have kept his options open.”
Breaking: LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension – including a player option for the 2024-2025 season, Rich Paul tells @wojespn.
James had been entering final year of deal worth $44.5M. https://t.co/GoWSO7euNJ
LeBron James signed a two-year $97.1 million deal that made him the highest-paid player in NBA history. His career earnings in the NBA are now at a mind-boggling $532 million. The extension also means he’s ineligible for a trade this season as the second year of the contract bumps his pay by more than 5%.
If the 18x All-Star’s goal this season was to dethrone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring king, he could still do so as a Laker. He could then push for a trade to a team that will give him the best chance of winning his fifth NBA title.
Earlier in the season, he had bemoaned the lack of “lasers” on the LA Lakers. Recently, and short of calling out Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, James reiterated his goal of playing for a championship. He might have cut his options way short this season and the next one after he signed the extension.
LA Lakers desperately need both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to stay healthy
When either Anthony Davis or LeBron James are out, the LA Lakers’ roster deficiencies have been consistently exposed. They lack size and defensive identity if Davis sits out. Without AD over the last few weeks, the Lakers’ defense has fallen off the cliff.
James’ playmaking, shotmaking and presence have also been sorely missed every time he’s in street clothes. It seems like the Lakers’ playoff aspirations are over when one of them is out for whatever reason.
Without AD, James has been playing at an MVP level. The Lakers have also been running him into the ground just to win games. When AD eventually returns, LA will be hoping LeBron James’ wheels haven't fallen off.
Rob Pelinka on building a contender around LeBron James. https://t.co/WMQW3yNQBK
The Lakers play their best basketball when both players are healthy. They’ve beaten a few elite teams when James, Davis and Russell Westbrook are clicking. LA’s Big 3 better stay healthy to give themselves a chance of at least a play-in spot.
Here's the full Bill Simmons podcast