“He’s not interested in being your mentor” Colin Cowherd believes LeBron James has every right to not bother about draft picks
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Lebron James has the right to look out for himself, says Colin Cowherd
Why did Los Angeles Lakers need a new coach, when they have Lebron James to make all the shots! The legendary Laker’s stalwart is back to favoring his own needs, instead of looking at what the team needs, as he is pushing for a reunion with Kyrie Irving which would lead to the Lakers sacrificing draft picks to prioritize that deal. Several reports have revealed that the Lakers are the only teams seriously pursuing Irving. While many people criticize Lebron for favoring players over younger draft picks, Colin Cowherd has defended James, saying the 18-time All-Star is not looking to be a mentor.
The Lakers are getting all the limelight this postseason, as they get to work with the newly appointed, Darvin Ham as their new Head Coach for the 2022-2023 season. The Los Angeles Lakers star-studded team not making into the playoffs was and has been one of the biggest talking points in and around the world of NBA. With One of the All-Time Greats, Lebron James himself, and two future Hall of Famers in Anthony Davis and freshly traded, Russell Westbrook, the Lakers looked scary on paper, not so much on court.
“LeBron got business to do, like winning titles” – Colin Cowherd defends Lebron James amid rumors that he favors Kyrie over newer draft picks
With multiple speculations around his time at the Lakers, We’ve got to wait a few months to know whether the 4x Champ stays and gets another attempt for the Lakers’ 18th title or he gets traded. The Lakers have a proud winning history, but that desire to always be in contention may have just backfired after the 2021-22 season that saw them miss the playoffs. It’s already the second time in four years since LeBron arrived that they failed to make it to the postseason, and until they bring in some drastic changes, they aren’t gonna make it next year too.
On “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” the sports commentator has expressed his support for James. He acknowledged that the four-time NBA champ has never sought to play with future stars. “There was a story this morning that LeBron doesn’t care about the Lakers picks amid the Kyrie Irving rumor. In fairness to LeBron, he’s never been into young guys.”
Lebron James played a big role in building this team and he got exactly what he wanted, he got involved in personnel decisions last year, favoring Westbrook over DeMar DeRozan. The whole Russell Westbrook trade is still a giant head-scratcher. The Lakers had a pretty solid bench that was traded away for Westbrook. General Manager Rob Pelinka appeased Lebron James by getting Russel Westbrook and trading away Kuzma and KCP, which added to their problems even more.
Cowherd went on to point out instances where James joined teams and was not interested in the youngsters. He often traded out future talents for players who could help him win now. “In fairness to LeBron, he’s never been like, ‘I want to play with a 19-year-old and watch him develop for four years.’ LeBron got business to do, like winning titles. He’s not interested in being your mentor and how to teach you to play basketball out of Michigan State or Kansas or Kentucky.”
“So, I’ll defend LeBron on not caring about the draft pick. He never really has. The truth is it is called ‘senioritis.’ You see this all the time with performers. My entire life, seniors, everybody, they strive for greatness, they get to the pinnacle, they start winning stuff, and then they fight to stay on the top, and then they start doing things for paychecks.”
If you’re the Lakers, you want to do whatever you can to protect and preserve the future. With young guns like Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves, they have players to develop, which can help give them options going forward. With the few draft picks they still control, the Lakers also have some assets to work with that can help pull them out of the gutter if things get ugly in a few years. However, Lebron’s picks have worked out almost always, and Colin believes that Lebron has the right to care about him winning a title.
The Lakers had a drastically poor record of 33-49 , as they move on from this nightmarish season , they will have to make plenty of moves to get back on track. As LeBron gets ready for the upcoming season, the team will have to give him more reinforcements to bring back the legacy of the Lakers. Moreover, he has to solve the disparities between him and the management to ensure a smooth season where he can focus on the court more, rather than off it.
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Aditya Minocha
(216 Articles Published)