"To stat-pad with easy garbage-time buckets as he chases Kareem's all-time scoring record" - Skip Bayless takes a dig at LeBron James for playing 36 minutes in a redundant game
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record inches ever closer after his 32-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans.
However, Fox Sports' premier sports media personality Skip Bayless was far from impressed with James' outing against the New Orleans Pelicans as his team was blown out by the Pelicans. Bayless took to Twitter and said:
"LeBron James, in Year 19, has already played 36 minutes tonight but is still in the game, trailing by 22 with 5:08 left, to stat-pad with easy garbage-time buckets as he chases Kareem's all-time scoring record."
LeBron James, in Year 19, has already played 36 minutes tonight but is still in the game, trailing by 22 with 5:08 left, to stat-pad with easy garbage-time buckets as he chases Kareem's all-time scoring record.
"King James," on the night, had 32 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks while shooting the ball better than 56% from the field and sinking all five of his free throws.
The Lakers superstar is chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring list, which stands at 38,387 points. With the former Miami Heat superstar currently at 36,612 points. Skip Bayless has been accused of stat-padding, but as we know now, he isn't exactly James' biggest fan.
Will LeBron James figure things out for the LA Lakers?
With All-Star Weekend behind us, more than half the season is over and the Lakers have yet to justify their championship aspirations. It looks increasingly unlikely that they will after their performances against the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
This is a poorly constructed roster that has been struggling all season and will not, in all likelihood, even make the postseason if they don't improve. James has been blamed tremendously for the roster that has been put together this season.
While some of the blame is rightfully attributed to him, Rob Pelinka, the general manager of the Lakers, also has to be held responsible.
If LeBron James continues at a pace of 25.0 PPG, playing roughly 75 games per season, he would be NBA's all-time leading scorer in 2022-23.
One of the primary reasons for the Lakers' struggles has been the disappointing performance of Russell Westbrook. The former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has been leaking turnovers, and the pace with which he plays has been detrimental to the NBA's oldest roster.
Westbrook is averaging 4.0 turnovers this season. His acquisition was supposed to ease the workload on James but has ended up compounding it. This, coupled with the number of games that Anthony Davis has missed this season, has ended up contributing to more problems for Los Angeles than seasons prior.
Imagine Russell Westbrook tonight, lacing 'em up in the Lakers' locker room, knowing LeBron James wanted him GONE at the trade deadline.
One way to proceed could be for the team to put Westbrook with the second unit. That way, he can utilize his pace and energy to punish the opponent's rotation while being surrounded by shooters and spacing the floor better. This will allow the Lakers to do the same with LeBron James as they can surround him with shooters while creating a pathway to the rim for James to attack.
While this sounds good in theory, it is easier said than done and the Lakers have learned that this campaign. Perhaps the only way forward is to shut down James for the season and figure things out in the summer.