"What else do you want him to do? He put his body through a lot this year to be there for us" - Kent Bazemore comes out in defense of former MVP-winning LA Lakers teammate
LeBron James has been blamed for putting together the LA Lakers' 2021-22 roster, which failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, teammate Kent Bazemore has come out to say that the NBA community should give James a break.
The Lakers made several changes during the 2021 offseason, bringing in proven scorers with the hope of getting production outside of James and Anthony Davis. While Carmelo Anthony was a fan favorite, the experiment with Russell Westbrook failed woefully.
Regardless of how things turned out, James was a menace on the floor, and Bazemore recognizes that. In an interview with TMZ, the shooter said:
"Dude (LeBron James) was third in the league in scoring, what else you want him to do? He put his body through a lot this year to be there for us."
"Dude has done a lot, man. He's chasing Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). He's done a lot for the game. He's given a platform to a lot of people. He's changing the world."
Coming into the season, the LA Lakers were trolled for being old. While many considered them championship favorites because of the quality in their lineup, others believed it would be a bust.
James did all he could individually, getting close to being the oldest player to win the scoring title in league history. However, his sensational performances were not enough to inspire brilliance from the rest of the team consistently.
LeBron James moves to number 2 on the NBA all-time regular season scoring list. https://t.co/4XJNlHBcfu
Nonetheless, James had an outstanding individual year, which was even more impressive, seeing as he is 37 years old. He broke several records, with the most intriguing being his move to second place on the all-time scorer's leaderboard.
The LA Lakers are looking to make major changes in the 2022 offseason
Not long after the LA Lakers' season ended, they sacked head coach Frank Vogel. While many have argued that he was not to receive all the blame, especially since he has won them a championship, their deficiencies defensively were perhaps the breaking point.
Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the Lakers, a decision that’s expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources tell ESPN. Lakers’ search expected to be lengthy and expansive with no clear initial frontrunner.
Rumors have linked Utah Jazz's Quin Snyder and Milwaukee Bucks' assistant coach Darvin Ham to the Lakers. But nothing concrete has developed on that front yet.
However, the blame game is possibly not done yet, which could result in a lot of changes to the Lakers roster. The biggest of them could be Russell Westbrook, but it will be an arduous task for the Lakers to find a trade partner willing to take on his $47 million salary.
Fans and analysts have had a field day speculating about who will leave during the offseason. Even Anthony Davis' name has been brought up, with many believing the LA Lakers need to rebuild with younger talent.
The Lakers do not exactly have tradeable assets, which might make things difficult heading into the offseason. Nonetheless, one thing is for sure; they will be looking to contend for the championship next season, especially with James on the roster.