Shannon Sharpe blames LeBron James and Rob Pelinka for LA Lakers' humiliating 0-4 start this season: “I put that one on LeBron…Lakers are trash”
LeBron James and the LA Lakers fell to their fourth straight defeat and remain winless in the 2022-23 NBA season. Laker Nation, who were expecting a bounce-back year from the team, are at a loss on who to blame for this season’s nightmarish start.
Shannon Sharpe, on “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” emphatically named the people responsible for Wednesday night’s loss and the season’s horrific performance:
“This game last night, I put that one on LeBron. But the way this team is constructed? This is on Rob Pelinka. You’re not winning anything, it’s gonna be a struggle. Right now, unfortunately, the Lakers are the worst team. … Lakers are trash, ain’t no way around it.”
.@ShannonSharpe reacts to LeBron and the Lakers falling to 0-4:
“Lakers are trash, ain’t no way around it, they’re awful with or without Russ. That was a winnable game vs. the Nuggets, I put that one on LeBron.” https://t.co/tZlkf6lwfY
LeBron James went scoreless in the first quarter and attempted his first shot with barely a second remaining in the quarter. He had a good second quarter and finished the half with seven points, three rebounds, seven assists and four turnovers.
In the third quarter, when the Denver Nuggets made a telling 29-11 run, “King James” had four points, one assist and three turnovers.
Here’s what the three-time Super Bowl winner had to say about LeBron James’ performance:
“He’s like, ‘I was trying to get guys going.’ Who? Lonnie Walker, Austin Reaves, Pat Bev? You're trying to get guys involved that’s never been involved in an offense. LeBron, it’s you!
“Eight turnovers? That was a very winnable game last night but Bron wasn’t aggressive.”
LeBron James finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and eight turnovers. He lamented in the postgame interview that the lack of aggression as he tried to get everyone going caused him to make unforced errors.
Shannon Sharpe also elaborated on why the roster construction, which is Rob Pelinka’s domain, will be an issue that will not go away this season:
“Lonnie Walker last night was our third-best player. If Lonnie Walker is your third-best player, you’re not winning very many ball games. How many teams have a third-best player that’s worse than Lonnie Walker? It’s bad and it’s even getting worse.”
Newly acquired LA Lakers players are non-performing assets
LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka constructed the oldest roster in the league last season. It showed in their often lethargic performances and lack of hustle, particularly on the defensive end.
Pelinka tried to remedy that by adding youth to the roster. Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, Max Christie, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider were signed by the LA Lakers.
The Lakers also acquired veterans Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder to balance the lineup. Schroder hasn’t even played a single game, while Beverley has only been playable on defense. The former LA Clippers guard is shooting a horrific 21.1% from the field, including 18.8% from beyond the arc.
The youngsters Pelinka prioritized in the offseason have largely been irrelevant. Lonnie Walker has provided decent scoring, but is also a terrible outside shooter whose defense is suspect.
LeBron James has assisted on more 3s than Stephen Curry has made.
The Lakers built a team around him with no shooting.
espn.com/nba/insider/in… https://t.co/sBMsF5fLbB
Juan Toscano-Anderson and Troy Brown Jr. have had chances to make an impact with their hustle and defense. They’ve also been unreliable for long stretches of the game.
As presently constructed, the LA Lakers may not even make the play-in tournament even with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis.