"The front office deserves the blame for this season" - Shannon Sharpe refuses to hold LeBron James responsible for LA Lakers' downfall
Despite a strong campaign from LeBron James, the LA Lakers find themselves on the outside looking in at the postseason. Following their recent loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
LA entered the year as a potential finals contender, but things did not pan out that way. Between dealing with injuries and an array of questionable roster decisions, the Lakers struggled to build any sort of momentum throughout the year.
After it became official that the Lakers are out of the postseason, LeBron James has received his fair share of criticism.
Shannon Sharpe went on FS1's Undisputed yesterday and opened up on who he feels deserves the brunt of the blame for the Lakers' woes this season:
"The front office needs to take a lot of the blame."
Sharpe felt that the Lakers' front office was more detrimental to the Lakers' cause than LeBron.
Though blame must also be attached to him, the supporting cast around him did him no favors. The Lakers went out and signed a plethora of veterans last summer, and it blew up in their face. Outside of Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard for a few stretches, the group of veterans were unable to provide much of a lift.
Shannon said:
"I'm not going to hold a man that's averaging 30-8-6 responsible for a season that's awful."
.@ShannonSharpe on the Lakers missing the playoffs:
"You could see early on that the pieces didn't fit. I give LeBron 5-8% of the blame, I can't hold a guy that's averaging 30-8-6 responsible for a season that's awful. The front office deserves the blame for this season." https://t.co/BowOuIF8In
LeBron James is far from Lakers' top concerns
Thanks to some of their recent decisions, it is going to be an uphill battle for the Lakers as they look to get back into contention. While they have a long list of concerns to address, LeBron James is not one of them.
In his 19th season at age 37, LeBron James did just about everything he could to salvage this dumpster fire of a year for the Lakers. He is posting averages of 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, and has a chance to win his first scoring title in nearly 15 years.
LeBron James over his last 5 games:
37.8 PPG
9.2 RPG
6.8 APG
56% FG
38% 3PT https://t.co/znuytYnPLv
The Lakers' primary issues are with the players around James. Anthony Davis continues to struggle to stay on the floor as he missed half the season, and trading for Russell Westbrook proved to be a mistake. Between his struggles on the court and the size of his contract, it's unlikely any team will be willing to give up anything of value in a possible trade.
Since winning the championship in the bubble, it has been a downward spiral for the league's most prestigious franchise. They will certainly have their work cut out this offseason as they attempt to get things back on track.