"This team as constructed cannot win a championship" - Paul Pierce downplays the LA Lakers' title chances after recent run of poor form
The LA Lakers have started the NBA season slowly, quickly calling into question their championship hopes. The Lakers' 8-8 start was not expected to happen, and having LeBron James miss eight games has been a problem.
Whether the Lakers roster as it is right now can even get to, let alone win, the NBA Finals has become a hot topic on sports talk shows. Analyst Paul Pierce addressed the subject on on Michelle Beadle's show, "What Did I Miss? With Michelle Beadle."
The NBA Hall-of-Famer and 2008 NBA champion responded to the subject of if the Lakers could win an NBA final with this current roster by saying,
“They look bad right now, and I don’t know if they can stay healthy. … I don’t think they have a chance. The way they're playing without LeBron and at his age. LeBron can’t play 40 minutes and get them through the regular season.”
The LA Lakers seem to be in trouble, and Pierce said the Lakers, as of right now, cannot win a championship,
"This team as constructed cannot win a championship."
It is possible the Lakers could make a move at some point to improve the team. However, they do not have a lot of draft capital, young talent or cap space, so a move might involve moving a critical piece, maybe Russell Westbrook.
The Los Angeles Lakers' issues
First off, the LA Lakers are mostly a new team from last season. While acquiring Russell Westbrook, the Lakers traded many role players. That approach necessitated the Lakers looking for free agents to replenish their roster.
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This led the Lakers to become the oldest team in the NBA, with an average age of 30 years old. The additions of Carmelo Anthony (37), Dwight Howard (who turns 36 on Dec. 8), DeAndre Jordan (33) and Avery Bradley (who turns 31 next week) have all had to come in and play roles.
The biggest issue for the Lakers has been on offense, where they have an offensive rating of 104.9, the 25th lowest in the NBA. The absence of James (who turns 37 on Dec. 30) has been a crucial factor, but also has finding a chemistry and flow with the new, albeit well-aged faces. That includes finding a place and a way to use Westbrook, either as a starter or as a reserve.
Lakers somehow went 0-11 from three in the 4th - and 0 for their last 16 from three! This team has so many shooters (other than Russ). But zero confidence. No more Laker swagger. This team plays like it expects to lose. FAKERS.
For his entire career, Westbrook has been either the main or second option. With James and Anthony Davis, he is the third option. Westbrook has yet to play many games with James, so it will be interesting to see how the combinations look with more time together on the court for the trio.
There is still the possibility the new LA Lakers roster will grow into the season, perhaps using some of that wily veteran wisdom to do so. So, maybe their maturity helps. However, a team with so much mileage could run out of energy as the season grinds on their legs and health.
The issue could be if this roster has enough time (and stays fit) to gel to play meaningful games as the season progresses, enough so that the LA Lakers can make a run at the title.