I have seen many Lakers fans already having soured on Lebron. And I dont mean Kobe stans. They arent very enthusiastic about how he seems to have taken control of their team. Cant wait to see what will happen if they dont make the playoffs. Lebron has never in his life faced something like this.
The reality was overlooked this summer by Lakers fans. James is 34 years old, his game has slightly slipped from last season. He has averaged 39 minutes a game for 16 seasons and has played a lot of games in the playoffs. There is wear and tear. LeBron James isn't going to be LeBron James a whole lot longer and the fit roster wise is every bit as weird as everyone outside of LA thought it would be. So you couple that with how demanding James is on an organization and there is going to be problems.
But don't the lakers like these high mileage gambles? I mean Steve Nash is a big one for me. That deal did them almost no good. The GP/Malone year, heck, even how Kobe continued to get super paid even at the end. Management is as concerned about putting butts in the seats as they are winning. Don't get me wrong, Kobe and Shaq did their fair share of winning, but I think if games sell out and they can charge the ticket prices they do (I'm about to pay $400 for nosebleed seats) they are happy. Hell, the might even like the drama because it keeps us talking about them. I mean, do you remember giving the Clippers this much discussion last season (they were in 10th in the west last year)?
It counts for something that every other owner has his own business to mind, while the Buss family only lives off of the Lakers.
It's also the LaLa land factor. You have a die hard fan base entrenched there, coupled with a base of visitors who will come to LA to see other teams play. Hence my longstanding argument for a Vegas NBA team. It's funny though, I wish some rockets fans could juxtapose Laker ownership to ours and see Les and Tilman aren't the devils we depict them to be. Look, you can do everything right as an owner and a GM and fall short. You can also do everything wrong, not cultivate your youth, hire coaches based on flare instead of substance, and still land a LeBron. Luck is fickle. I mean, this is why I appreciate our GM, because if luck does eventually bounce our way we won't be the cesspool that is Lakerland.
ur uninformed on this. the Buss family owns prime real estate holdings (pricy apartment complex, commercial real estate, etc) in prime locations in LA and SF, as well as farm land and water rights in Calif's fertile San Joaquin valley in 1979, the Buss real estate holding was valued @ $360 M; Dr. Buss paid ~ $70 million to purchase the LAL and the Kings hockey team. yip, that'd be the Lakers that would be the Clippers, the anti-thesis of the LAL fan base, where, in some instances, siblings, upon the death of parents who are LAL season ticket holders, suing each other over the season tickets
Word on the street as in Lebron has his hand up my ass again using me as a puppet for his ventriloquist act. I'm saying exactly what he wants me to tell you. Personally, can't wait till this fool leaves the NBA. It will be a celebration in my eyes.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Lakers are "privately a little concerned" about LeBron James. "Is [LeBron] fully healed from the groin strain that cost him a career-worst 18 games? Is he going to pick up his intensity and propel this team back into the playoffs, as he did last year in Cleveland?" Vardon writes. For what it's worth, LeBron said he felt "great" at the All-Star game on Sunday. And James is averaging 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 11.0 assists since returning from his groin injury.
I agree, but this is a excuse we will not allow. He's not the same player because the competition in the West is harder. He often coasted through regular seasons in the east, allowing him to rest for the playoffs. NOW he's forced to give max effort every nite & he's not used to this. Secondly, he's not that good of a leader. He's visibly pouting & constantly throwing his teammates under the bus. Also he's doing stupid like this:
