“You shouldn’t make your player the man in charge of the whole operation” - Bomani Jones says the Lakers have given LeBron James too much power as their struggles continue
ESPN’s Bomani Jones said the the LA Lakers' struggles can be blamed more on LeBron James than Russell Westbrook on Wednesday.
On “The Rich Eisen Show” on YouTube, ESPN's Bomani Jones said:
“They have such problems, because it goes so far beyond Russell Westbrook. Because the truth of the matter is you shouldn’t make your player the man in charge of the whole operation.”
The player Jones referred to is James, as he believes fans and critics of the Lakers (28-37) should be blaming him before Westbrook.
LeBron James to blame for Lakers struggles this season
Bomani Jones argued that LeBron James is more to blame than Russell Westbrook for the Lakers' lackluster season because of the level of power LeBron commands:
“I just think they’ve given LeBron too much power, and this team they have is one I don’t think can win a championship. And I don’t think you get better.”
The Lakers, ninth in the Western Conference, are fresh off of a disappointing 130-139 overtime loss to Houston on Wednesday night. What was supposed to be an easy win for the Lakers became much the opposite. Losing to Houston (17-49) definitely could not have felt good for James.
Many have blamed Westbrook for the Laker's woes. However, Westbrook has been averaging stats close to that of his career averages. He's not playing as bad as people may think. Westbrook is averaging 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for this season. He is averaging a large 4.5 turnovers per game, but that is not even his career-high, and he has always been known for that.
To blame a player for playing the game exactly as he always has seems pointless. Bomani Jones’ point is that, whatever problems arise this season, regardless of from which player, the responsibility rests in James’ hands.
James has the power he does to orchestrate trades for players he wants to play with. Accordingly, in the offseason, many big-name players and longtime friends joined him in Los Angeles. The moves made were largely LeBron’s influence, if not his complete decision. So any failure that comes from those moves lies in James’ lap.
James is averaging 29.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists this season. Even with James playing at an elite level, the Lakers have had immense troubles. Many of them are due to injuries as well as team chemistry issues from the big offseason changes.
But does one blame LeBron for making the decisions he made? Or does one blame the Lakers organization for giving him such power? LeBron is known for usually making great decisions within the game of basketball, so the team not meshing this season has come as a surprise to most.
James and the Lakers entered the season as favorites to win the NBA Finals. But now they stand on the fence of the play-in tournament.