When James exploded 30+ in 6 consecutive games, and the team only achieved 1 win and 6 losses, this situation was something that no one had expected. James represents a guarantee of winning, and this season's Lakers may be the only team in James' career that can't move, and it is most appropriate to describe this team as a paper tiger. You know, the Lakers' paper strength is second only to the Big Three Nets, and the probability of winning the championship is as high as 17.9%. However, in the latest NBA official strength list, the strength of the Lakers fell to 20th, the most terrible thing is that if no adjustments are made, the Lakers will face this situation for up to 2 seasons.
So on the last day of 2021, the Lakers began to save themselves. According to NBA reporters, the Lakers are close to reaching a deal with the Cavaliers, the Lakers sent Lajan Rondo in exchange for team places and reduced luxury taxes, once Rondo lifted the security agreement, the Lakers will formally reach an agreement with the Cavaliers. In addition, the Lakers plan to part ways with Jordan Jr. to make room for the outstanding firefighter Stanley Johnson. These two operations are insignificant for the Lakers, and the only good news is that the Lakers have given up the cancer of Jordan Jr., and there is no other place worth optimistic about. The Lakers suddenly made these two deals, more because of Davis's dissatisfaction, and this is just a big appetizer for the Lakers.
According to the Lakers reporter, after a losing streak, the Lakers' locker room had problems, Davis expressed his dissatisfaction with Westbrook to the Lakers management, believing that his joining destroyed the team's chemistry and his playing style was not suitable for the Lakers' tactical system. Sure enough, any team will have a locker room problem when it has experienced a losing streak and there is no hope, not to mention the Lakers, a giant team that has been deeply divided by public opinion for many years, and it is not a new thing to panic after losing. The Lakers' problems are indeed caused by Westbrook's joining, and his style of play is indeed incompatible with the Lakers, this problem has been talked about for half a season, but the Lakers have not made substantive adjustments, Davis, as the biggest victim, the first to express dissatisfaction is also natural.
After Westbrook joined, Davis left his comfort zone and was forced to gain weight to take on the fifth position, and even after his injury, James also had to play the starting center. After Davis gained weight, it caused a series of chain reactions - a decrease in agility, a much less defensive impact than before, a change in muscle memory, and a loss of shooting feel. Even if Davis made a huge sacrifice, the situation of the Lakers still did not improve, but after the loss, the wind of public opinion pointed directly at Davis, believing that his decline led to the current situation of the Lakers. Westbrook's style of play is always based on speed, losing speed, Westbrook's individual offense and the ability to tandem teams can not be exerted, but last season's Lakers were the slowest offensive team in the league, and now with a group of elderly veterans, the Lakers really can't push the speed. Once Westbrook fell into a trench battle, his passing ability plummeted, and Davis took too much effort to pick up the ball he passed, and he had to take the risk of mistakes himself. It can only be said that Davis can tolerate it so far, and it is already very tolerant.
James has a very good personal relationship with Westbrook, so James will certainly not put pressure on the Lakers management. At first, James and Davis agreed to bring in DeRozan, and the Lakers took advantage of the introduction of Westbrook, relying on James's personal relationship, Davis did not express dissatisfaction. Now that Davis' career is on the decline, no change is made, and his reputation and historical status will only drop again and again.
There is no doubt that for the Lakers, Davis is even more important than James. So the Lakers used Rondo's trade to test the trading market, and at the same time got rid of the visible tumor little Jordan, which is just the Lakers' appetizer. With half a month to go until the trade deadline, which will be the peak of trading, the Lakers may seize this important window to make the biggest adjustment of the season.