LeBron James and Russell Westbrook constantly stressed "don't give up and don't give up", but when the Lakers stepped on the court, they did not show the heart to win in two consecutive games. Playing the Suns and Raptors, the Lakers were 20+ points behind in the first quarter and eventually lost double digits.
Now this Lakers, playing most teams, their strength is downwind, but for them, losing their hearts is the most fatal. Judging from the performance of the Lakers, the rumor that "some Of the Lakers players only want to finish this season quickly" is not empty.
The Lakers have not completely given up, but the Lakers are not far from giving up completely. From the pre-season rhetoric and championship competition, to the current struggle in the play-off area of the fiasco, how did the Lakers get to this point? In fact, combing through the context of the Lakers' entire season can be found that the Lakers have five deadly sins, and the top level accounts for four of them, and the failure is doomed from last year's offseason.
Mistakes at the top
The Lakers' introduction of Wei Shao's deal can already be characterized as "one of the most failed deals in history", and even the Lakers themselves admit internally that the deal is too bad. Pelinka wants to reduce the burden on the 37-year-old James, the problem is that Pelinka simply doesn't realize which type of point guard is the best for the Lakers. From Dennis Schroeder to Westbrook, they are all point guards who have assault and scoreability but are not good at shooting and unable to open up space.
In this era that has been dominated by blocking attacks and three-point projections, the Lakers are clearly outdated. Because Wei Shao's projection ability was not enough, he and Zhan Mei could not form a joint force. And after the introduction of Wei Shao, the Lakers shouted to speed up, to regain the league's strongest counterattack ability, while introducing Cameron Anthony, Ariza and other players with old arms and legs, the team configuration conflicts with the team style.
The most unfortunate thing for the Lakers management is that in order to introduce Westbrook, the Lakers dismantled the super defensive system that Vogel had built for two years. This season, the Lakers' defensive efficiency has fallen from no. 1 in the league last season to no. 17 in the league, and it is even more countdown after the All-Star Game, and the consequences of the Lakers dismantling the defensive system are very obvious. Now, Vogel would rather use Stanley Johnson, who joined halfway, gabriel, a two-way contract player, than Ariza and Bazemore, which is already very telling.
Inaction at the top
In the view of the US media, the Lakers' decision-making mistakes began before the 2021 trading deadline.
At that time, the Lakers had a chance to get Kyle Lowry, but they gave up the deal because they were reluctant to give away Taren Horton Tucker. According to people familiar with the matter, Pelinka insisted that if he sent Tuck Jr. while sending Schroeder, Pope and the draft pick, the Lakers would make a loss-making deal, and he firmly believed that Tucker Jr. could soon become a key rotation player for the Lakers.
This deal that Pelinka refused to complete directly led to a series of decision-making mistakes in the future, and Tucker, who was regarded as a baby by Pelinka and got a contract extension, did not achieve the expected growth and became the key puzzle for the Lakers.
Tucker Jr.'s growth did not meet expectations, and it directly led to the Lakers' inability to operate before the trading deadline this year. The Lakers have tried to trade Tucker Jr. and Kendrick Nunn for instant power, but after a round of peddling, it was found that other teams generally regard Tucker Jr. as a negative asset. The Lakers also chased John Wall, but because the Lakers were reluctant to send a future first-round pick, the deal negotiations collapsed.
Originally, the Lakers were the most needed team to operate before the trade deadline, but in the end, Pelinka chose to stay put. In the subsequent buyout market, the Lakers only introduced Augustine, and this small operation did not help the Lakers to improve their strength.
Because of the management's inaction, the relationship between the Lakers' top brass and James has a rift. During the All-Star Game, James made a series of remarks that sparked speculation about his possible departure from the Lakers, and various rumors affected the Lakers' mentality. To get the team back on track, James and agent Rich Paul met with Lakers management and released a "no problem with the relationship" to try to quell the controversy. But now, even Davis says he doesn't know what james will have to do when his contract expires.
High-level chaos
The Lakers have been reduced to a laughingstock this season, and the management is chaotic, and the inability to distinguish between priority and priority is a major reason. The owner, Jenny Bass, shouts every day to create the warmth of the family in the Lakers, and as a result, the Lakers fall into the clichés of the traditional family business model.
As the team's general manager and president, Pelinka should have had extremely high decision-making power, and Jenny only needed to make the final decision, which is the operating model of most teams. But Jenny has built a huge think tank around her, in addition to her girlfriend Linda Lambis and Linda's husband, Cott Lambis, Jenny will also turn to lakers celebrity magician Johnson.
Previously, "The Athletic" broke the news that throughout the season, Jenny frequently contacted "Zen Master" Phil Jackson to communicate about the situation of the team and listen to Jackson's opinions. Playing the Warriors, Jackson also came to the scene to watch the game.
The Rambis' influence on Jenny has been interpreted many times before and needs no further elaboration. The key is the identity of the magician and the Zen master, they do not have specific positions in the Lakers, but they have become Jenny's shadow advisors. When the magician resigned, he tore his face with Pelinka, and Jenny asked the magician for help, what would Pelinka think? Zen master and James have exchanged blows each other many times, and when he was in the Knicks, he still broke up with Anthony, and James was angry with Zen master for his good brother. Now that the Zen master is meddling in the lakers' affairs, what will James think?
Vogel with the pot on his back
In the Season of the Lakers' performance struggles, is Vogel at fault? Definitely. At the beginning of the season, Vogel's "head iron" insisted on starting with DeAndre Jordan, which was questioned countless times. Including some of Vogel's rotation methods, the lack of tactical arrangements and adjustments on the offensive end, Vogel has to take responsibility.
But was Vogel's situation so bad for the Lakers? No, he's not the root cause.
Although Vogel led the team to the championship and was promoted to "championship manager", in the eyes of the Lakers management, he was never a "little sweetie". When Vogel took office, the Lakers management installed a Kidd as an assistant coach around him, and he was regarded as an insurance for the Lakers, and once the team's performance was not good, Kidd could replace Vogel at any time. Last year, when the Lakers renewed his contract with Vogel and only gave him a one-year contract, it can also be seen that the Lakers are not at ease with Vogel, and the Players who the Lakers management has repeatedly forced Vogel not to use can also be seen.
The Lakers' record has not been satisfactory this season, and Vogel almost left class in January. Obviously, the lakers' bad situation is not caused by Vogel, but Vogel wants to become the person who carries the pot. According to reports, unless the Lakers make the playoffs this year and go far in the playoffs, Vogel will be out of class this offseason, and those who are upset about Vogel will not change the Decision of Lakers management.
When management can't define the position of the manager in the future blueprint, how can Vogel talk about controlling the team's dressing room? Judging from the Lakers' repeated opening defense explosions, Vogel has basically lost control of the locker room.
All kinds of infighting
At the beginning of this season, Davis had clashed with Dwight Howard on the sidelines, and although both sides said afterwards that they had spoken out and it was no big deal to say a few words on the court, in fact, the hidden dangers had been buried at that time.
After that, infighting also broke out between Lakers players and fans, and between Vogel and Westbrook.
ESPN reported that at a video analysis meeting, There were some tense moments in the relationship between Westbrook and Vogel, and some people inside the Lakers hoped that Vogel could arrange for Wei Shao to play on the bench, but Vogel did not listen to suggestions. "The Athletic" also said in an insider report that Westbrook has a poor relationship with the Lakers coaching staff. Before the trade deadline, the Lakers coaching staff had pushed the Lakers to send away Wei Shao, but because the Lakers needed to post the first round of the pick, and the Lakers were not sure how Wall had not played for a season, the transaction was not completed.
Because of the Lakers' poor performance, the Lakers fans sent boos before they defected, and James and other players have fought with Lakers fans. Wei Shao scolded fans at a press conference, responding to death threats from Lakers fans.
epilogue
Davis's long absence from injuries twice is certainly a big reason why the Lakers are so miserable, you can also question James's recent obvious slack on the defensive end, you can even question why Vogel was forced into a desperate situation and did not give up Westbrook. But no matter what questions you raise about this Lakers, you will find that the source is actually from the offseason.
Who is Davis hitting the center for? Who was James forced to top the fifth position during Davis' injury? Who is the reason for Vogel's dilemma?
It all started with a marriage that was doomed to fail.