"Useless, that’s exactly what's applicable here" - Stephen A. Smith speaks on LeBron James' season as the LA Lakers continue to struggle
LeBron James is having an amazing season in year 19, but the LA Lakers can't seem to find the consistency that can improve their chances of making the postseason. James, at 37, can only do so much to carry the Lakers alone and it seems like his great season is being wasted.
In the most recent episode of NBA Countdown on ESPN, the crew of Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Jalen Rose and Mike Greenberg discussed James' current season and what's the best word to describe it. Greenberg asked the question, with Wilbon calling it unfulfilled, while Rose used the word incomplete.
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith went unfiltered and called LeBron's season useless. Smith noted that even though "The King" has been amazing at an individual level and has had an MVP-type of season, the leadership has also not been there. He also called out James for missing the game in Philadelphia due to a minor knee injury.
"The operative word is useless. That's exactly what's applicable here. Over the last 18 games when LeBron James went on that tear, they were a game above .500. You're now a game under .500. I'm sorry, what does it accomplish?" Smith said.
"Evidently, the level of leadership that was capable of galvanizing folks in the past that led him to 10 trips to the NBA Finals, four chips overall, that is completely and utterly non-existent here. And then last night, no disrespect to LeBron James, he actually contributed to it, because I don't know about anybody else but I'm getting sick and damn tired of these players missing these damn games," Smith added.
Smith pointed out that James does not miss many games, but he could have timed his load management at home and not on the road. The long-time ESPN analyst also felt sorry for the away fans, who will only see "The King" once a year and he was not playing. Michael Wilbon and Jalen Rose seemed to agree on that sentiment, favoring missing games at home and not on the road.
LeBron James missed two games in a row due to a knee injury
With the LA Lakers in the second half of a six-game road trip, LeBron James has now missed two straight games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. The Lakers are being cautious with James, who is considered day-to-day due to left knee soreness.
According to Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, LeBron has some swelling in his left knee that trainers are trying to manage. It's also worth mentioning that Anthony Davis missed the game against the Hornets due to a wrist injury. Davis has only played two games since missing five weeks, but now he's managing a new injury.
Frank Vogel adds some detail:
- As suggested by the injury report, James has some swelling in his knee that the staff is trying to stay on top of.
- The Lakers already had the mindset that Davis would be a wait-and-see case tonight as he builds conditioning. Wrist tipped it. twitter.com/kylegoon/statu…
The Lakers are 2-3 in their current road trip and have one more away game on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks. After that game, they head back home to Hollywood to face the Portland Trail Blazers, LA Clippers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers have a record of 24-26 and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.