NBA analyst on if LeBron James can win another championship in LA: “You left the Cavs, you left the Heat, you go to the Lakers”
On ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday, the analysts discussed whether LeBron James can win another championship with the LA Lakers.
Los Angeles is 14-21 after Wednesday night’s 112-98 loss to the Miami Heat and has only won one game in its last six contests. With the extended absence of Anthony Davis due to injury, the team’s prospects for this year don’t look good.
“You left the Cavs, you left the Heat, you go to the Lakers,” Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said.
Russo said that if James wins once again, he has to do it in LA. He doesn’t feel like the championship would be respected if James went somewhere else and teamed up with another superstar.
A James departure is highly unlikely even if he wants to go. He signed a two-year extension in the offseason that prevented him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He won't have a player option until the 2024-24 season.
LeBron James used to be the player who raised the floor of a team’s performance. As impressive as he has been statistically this season, it hasn’t translated into winning for the Lakers. James is averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. But he is also shooting 29.7% from 3-point range.
James, who is in his 20th season and turns 38 on Friday, needs help, but the Lakers are not in a position to acquire much help for him this season.
Maybe coach Darvin Ham can come up with something that could turn the season around. The team will have to find ways to play LeBron James and Russell Westbrook together effectively. They are the team’s two best players available and the only healthy stars. If they can put together some wins before Davis gets back, they could have an outside chance at the playoffs.
Does LeBron James retire after this season?
LeBron James is an all-time great player and a lock for the Hall of Fame. His resume stacks up against any NBA player ever. After 20 seasons, could James call it quits?
This season, he will likely break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points and will more than likely finish in the top four all-time in assists. As good as he has played, there is no guarantee that James will play like this next season.
The Lakers are not good this year and probably won’t be much better next season. Although they can clear some cap space, how much are they willing to spend on the free-agent market? Is the Buss family willing to go into another luxury tax situation for one more run with LeBron James? How does James want all of this to finish?