LeBron James Discussion: Not Returning To The Lakers

I don't disagree with what you say, but then, why is he getting extended minutes? Isn't that doing precisely what you say, 'risking his body'?

Or are you saying he'll risk his body for stats, but not for the team (e.g., by playing defense).

 

have you watched him play this season? he can still play at an elite level when he wants to

the problem is that the roster is deeply flawed. of course i'd be willing to bring him back if that meant building a title contender around him like the team they blew up to bring in westbrick. but at the end of the day, he's made it quite clear that playing with his son and breaking kareem's record trump all. so that's why he's out there coasting and playing garbage minutes. why would he go 100% when he's playing with scrubs?

also, what team are you a fan of? and how did you find this forum? just curious

 

LAC. (I can't be a lakers fan, because I come from NE!--although Kareem and Worthy almost changed that). I probably watch more LAL games than LAC (much less stressful!). I'm just shocked by this year. Can't believe RW (and AD too) is as ineffective as he is. I love watching LB when he's competitive, but this season, he is (as you concede) just phoning it in. No fun to watch, and LAL fans last night seemed to agree. Would LA fans really want two or three more years of this? (Maybe so; I genuinely don't know, and can't imagine what the plan is: Jeanie last night seemed to agree, no?)

(I found this forum because I was curious; I doubt LAL fans will be content with 8th seed finishes, just to see LBJ break scoring record).

 

westbrook is just a bad fit. guy has zero bball IQ and can't rely on his athleticism anymore to beat guys like he did a few years ago. so instead he's forced into shooting the ball which he can't do.

AD is broken. he came into the season more bulked up than he's ever been and it clearly didn't suit him. he had a stretch of games where he looked like his usual self but then got injured again

lebron isn't going anywhere unless he demands a trade, so it's on the FO to surround him with actual talent. unfortunately with people like kurt rambis and lebron himself calling the shots, it probably won't happen

 

i respect bron but will NEVER be a fan of his

 

What dip***** keep saying LeBron is winning the scoring title and he isn't a scorer? The guy has a career scoring average of 27 points a game, the hell do you mean he isn't a scorer?

So many idiots come out with stupid s*** in their heads and then actually blow it out their pie holes.

 

He built this team. He has nobody to blame but himself.

 

not sure what you're watching, but while everyone's blaming AD, a big part of why we aren't a real contender is that lebron is officially no longer an mvp-level player. father time has caught up with him, and the large scoring numbers are obscuring it because nobody apparently watches the defensive end of the floor (or the fact that the offense has become largely dependent on contested threes off the dribble instead of drives).

 

It was inevitable but yeah, Lebron has declined. There was a point where having Lebron alone would pretty much be enough for you to make the playoffs and certainly beat a team like the Pelicans. Unfortunately that is behind us.

 

and that's ok. everyone said that would happen three years ago. joke's on them, not us. we got a ring.

i just disagree with the assertion that this team is dragging lebron down. he's sinking fine by himself.

 

hes still on the floor at 38yrs old, hes not playing any sort of defense anymore but hes playing give him credit for that at least

 

hard disagree. just last month or so he had a crazy stretch of games where he was playing out of his mind

he can no doubt still play at an MVP level when he wants, but why would he push himself to do so on a team that's going nowhere? he's not playing defense for the same reason

 

I tried the first year he was here, watched him bail on the young team because it was clear they were not good enough to win it all. Watched him show up at games drinking wine off in the runway instead of on the bench teaching, encouraging the young players to get better. The off season came, he brought in his guys most of which I could not stand and they won the championship in the bubble. I was happy for one reason, they got their 17th to tie the hated C Bags. I call them the lebrons now, not the Lakers and will fully be on board when he's gone, and more so if they get new ownership and a front office.

 

he hasn't defended for most of the year.

 

You know I was thinking, playing with Bronny is a huge legacy thing. For a player to enter the league, have a kid and then have the longevity to survive and be an all star all the way till their son joins their team is a feather that no one else will have in their cap.

Add in the points record and other accolades and you can see why Lebron is still playing.

 

His defensive effort is offensive

 

Sooo, what you are saying is he is the best offensive player you have ever seen!!??!!!

 

Sit him next to Westbrook at crunch time.