Shannon Sharpe expounds on LeBron James' take on breaking scoring record: “No goliath, no mythological team, there’s none of them”
LeBron James' comments about the LA Lakers' predicament in the 2022-23 NBA season sparked another conversation about whether LeBron will be with the franchise in the seasons ahead.
LeBron James signed a two-year extension that kicks in next season, so the situation becomes even more interesting with LeBron airing his discontent publicly. In the interview with ESPN, James stated:
“I want to win. [The losing is] not sitting well with me,” James said. “I don’t like having accomplishments, and it don’t feel right, when it comes in a losing effort."
"LeBron wants to compete for a title. ... Skip, when Kareem broke the record they lost the NBA Finals to the Celtics, so he was playing for something."
LeBron says it’s not sitting well with him to chase the scoring title while Lakers lose:
“To go for a scoring title but we’re out of the playoffs, what the hell is that? LeBron wants to win and play meaningful basketball.” — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/qM6F5Q4sbg
"Not only did he break the record, he went to the finals. ... If AD gets healthy, with the West, with no Goliath, no myhtological team, there's no 2017-18 Golden State, no old Lakers teams with Shaq and Kobe, no Duncan Spurs, they're none of them there.
"Nobody fears the Warriors after what they've been going through this year. Nobody fears nobody."
LeBron James and the LA Lakers have a chance to make the playoffs, only if they make moves before the trade deadline
The trade deadline is less than a month away. LeBron James is nearing the age of 40 and is still a top-10 player in the NBA, with Anthony Davis close to making a return.
Given how poorly the defending champions are playing, how marred by injury and load management the LA Clippers still are, and how inexperienced the teams towards the top of the Western Conference (Nuggets, Grizzlies, Pelicans, etc.) are, the West is wide-open, as wide as it can be.
With just three games separating the sixth seed and the 13th seed in the West, none of the team except the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pelicans can really be termed good.
The Dallas Mavericks are the poster-child for top-heavy teams, the Phoenix Suns' only hope seems to be Devin Booker, who single-handedly won games for them before getting injured, the Trail Blazers have slipped to the 11th seed after a hot start and we've already mentioned GSW and LAC's problems.
The Kings and Wolves aren't exactly contenders, and are certainly no threat in the playoffs.
Amongst all this, the LA Lakers should see an opening. The Lakers front office needs to pounce on this opportunity. LA isn't too far down. GSW is one game below .500, the Lakers are two.
Putting pieces around LeBron and AD is going to be the task that makes or breaks LAL's 2022-23 NBA season.