Prior to the All-Star game break, there may have been a sense that things could not get any worse for the Los Angeles Lakers. The star-studded team has been poor all season long, and the additions made by general manager Rob Pelinka have failed to improve matters, and their recent defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans represents a new low for Frank Vogel’s team.
The home side produced another heartless display and lost 95-123, and as a result, the Lakers were roundly booed by their own fans, who had seen it all before. Vogel’s side is now 27-33 and has lost nine of their last 12, and there is every chance they may drop out of the running for a shot at the ‘play-in’ tournament if they don’t reverse the trend soon.
So what now? The Lakers started the season as second favorites to win the NBA title, behind the Brooklyn Nets, but now if you take a look at https://www.sidelines.io/nba/odds, you’ll see they’ve dropped like a stone, all the way down to (+5000).
The booing is sure to have had an effect on the players though new addition Russell Westbrook insists that he’s beyond such issues, stating (perhaps unhelpfully) that he doesn’t take the issues home with him;
“Nah,”
“Take it home? For what? S—. Take it home? I got three beautiful kids at my house. Why would I take it home? If they boo, they can take their ass home. I ain’t worried about that. It doesn’t bother me none.”
“I can only answer if I take them home: No. But as for our team, I don’t think it’s something we got to deal with. And kind of move forward.”
Westbrook’s attitude to what’s been happening this season is in many ways part of the problem. Previously the nine-time NBA All-Star had a run-in with Magic Johnson, who wasn’t happy with the displays put in by his former team, and on that occasion, LeBron James had to step in and put the 33-year-old in his place.
The Lakers certainly appear to be sleepwalking towards disaster, and frankly, only LeBron James has been consistently performing, when available, while the performances of his teammates have flitted between average and awful.
James took the abuse more head-on and understands the frustrations of the fans, and struck a more determined note;
“We got a tough stretch with Dallas, Clippers again Thursday, then Golden State on Saturday,”
“And we still got ten road games this month, or March, so it don’t get easier for us.”
Westbrook believes opposing teams are playing harder against them, seeing the Lakers as a scalp they have to get;
“Teams are coming in, playing harder, and I believe that’s kind of their scouting report: Just play harder than them and see what happens,”
“And it’s working. Until we determine and have the determination that we’re not going to allow it, especially on our home floor, it will continue to happen to us.”
So clearly, Westbrook has an idea as to why things aren’t working out this season; maybe his next step would be to help his team do something about it?
