Lol you bring to mind an interesting point, if we actually do go on to miss the playoffs, the IST will be permanently cemented as a joke IMO
Yes, what message does that send exactly. Players that already get paid tens of millions only getting motivated for additional money? Not a good look. I'm sure the league is hoping the Lakers pull out of their spiral.
I don't get it, this is the same team that went undefeated in the IST, but it's like they forgot there was more basketball to play and mentally checked out.
We're in too deep to blow it up during the year. I think a trade is made and Ham is given the chance to turn it around. But without another WCF appearance or better, I think this is his last run as Laker's coach.
This is hopefully the Low Point of this season and it will only get better from here on out. The 44 point loss in Philly was pretty bad, but the loss to a Jimmy-less MIA at home, after the last 11 games (we were 2-9? Really?) and being at home for New Year's to recover after a road-heavy year so far: the loss to SA was bad. Losing to the damned Bags always leaves a mark, for me at least. The non-calls that maybe cost us in the T-Wolves game. I won't even go into other losses... This post-IST sudden descent nightmare looks nothing like last year's nightmare before we dumped Brick. It's as if AD's and Lebron's (and, for me: AR's) supporting cast looked up to it, but maybe they aren't equal to the task. Which is another sort of bad dream. Is Cam Reddish really over his both-sides groin strains? I watched the game. I have my doubts. Hell: I doubt everything about this team's potential, now... Max had classic NBA sharpshooter looks from 3: 2 for 9, which will not do it. I have ZERO doubts he'll be hitting at 44% at relatively high volume for someone else, next year. I don't get our 3-pt shooting woes thing. I really don't. Nothing makes sense to me. No one has provided a plausible answer, in my eyes. I mean: WTF??? Seriously. It's almost like this for me: if we don't start playing better...NOW...blow it the eff up. This was Lebron's last true hurrah, presumably. That would be a huge news story, and not a lotta fun, gotta say. I hope we're not in for some soap opera high drama about Who said what, who's to blame for the Lakers' implosion after winning the IST, etc. I hate that kind of drama. Gawd. It needs to get better NOW. I've seen this team look like a Top 5 NBA team. Why are we so lousy now? The non-crisp passes picked off in the first half felt really DARK to me. Maybe I'm reading too much into it...
lebron's play has quietly cratered, we lost both pgs on the roster, and ham's proven to be fully inept. and a lot of the game is mental, and nobody out there thinks we're going to win. 4-30 from three against a team daring you to take good looks--from anyone, not just our bad shooters! that's insane. i want to know how many teams have shot that poorly in a game this year, and how many of them were us. i would like to reiterate that malik beasley is shooting 47% from three this year. so is lonnie walker.
Historically, I wonder when else there's been two top 10-12 players on the same team and the team is only better than the opposition by one bucket. That's truly remarkable.
That's the one thing JHS can show the team how to do. Here's why we can't shoot, the closest thing to a shooting coach several of the guys have used over the years is a joke.
yeah, it can definitely get worse. lebron looks like he's moving into "pout until trade" mode just in time for some winnable games. we've now lost to dallas (without kyrie), ny, chicago, and miami (without butler) at home since the IST. there's not a game i expect us to win right now.
Lebron needs a week or two off at some point during the season. Maybe a month. Was hoping for a little padding in the standings before that happened.
