“They may have to go back to old YouTube tapes and bring back Kareem Abdul-Jabbar” - NBA analyst mocks the LA Lakers and their issues, says they got into trouble by letting LeBron James play GM
LeBron James has come under criticism all season long for the construction of the Lakers roster. The franchise endured a tough season, missing the Play-In tournament. They fall short of their championship aspirations.
On ESPN's "First Take," NBA analyst Freddie Coleman said that the LA Lakers got themselves into trouble by handing the keys to the franchise to King James. It is widely speculated that James had major inputs in the construction of the Lakers roster. Coleman said:
"The Lakers put themselves in that situation by going all in with LeBron. They allowed LeBron to play General Manager from this standpoint. Nobody is talking about the Los Angeles Lakers right now because of a loaded Western Conference.
"To your point, we don't know who is going to be on the roster, they may have to go back to old YouTube tapes and bring back Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the skyhook to see if that's going to work."
LeBron desired the acquisition of Russell Westbrook last summer. The move backfired as the guard played the worst season of his career. He failed to establish chemistry with James and the rest of the roster.
Does LeBron James wield too much power with the LA Lakers?
Arguably the greatest player of all time, LeBron James has created championship-winning rosters from seemingly nothing. His return to Cleveland and his move to the Lakers both came after those teams struggled to get into the postseason. Upon James' arrival, both franchises turned into contenders.
Having someone of James' caliber will obviously improve their chances of winning. "King James" has often been credited with the ability to help teammates improve and to take over games. Another thing that comes along with LeBron James is his ability to recruit players.
Kevin Love and Anthony Davis are two players whose trades have been orchestrated by James and the front office of the organization. This is where James has invited more scrutiny. Few players have this much power. Then again, there is no one like James.
Russell Westbrook's acquisition by the Lakers was influenced by LeBron James. The Lakers were actually focused on acquiring Buddy Hield from the Sacramento Kings. This hasn't worked out the way the Lakers and James hoped it would. The lack of chemistry between the superstars has been evident.
LeBron James acting like a GM and constructing the roster comes with having a player of his caliber. And when viewing his track record of four championships with three different teams, there isn't really an argument against it.