“You Gotta Look At The Clippers, Suns, Warriors, Mavericks” Stephen A Smith slaps Lakers having ‘FALSE’ Championship ambitions with no powerful moves
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Stephen A Smith is mad at AD's attitude
Stephen A Smith is not one to sugarcoat the truth, as he believes that the Los Angeles Lakers hopes for an NBA Championship, are bleak. The LA Lakers are getting all the limelight this postseason as they welcome newly appointed Darvin Ham as their new Head Coach for the 2022-2023 season, with Smith appreciating the move. 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.
Lakers had won the NBA Championship just 2 years ago in 2020, under the supervision of the head coach, Frank Vogel, which seemed to be the dawn of a new era in LA. However, Lakers parted ways with Frank Vogel at the end of the 2022 season, right after the end of their regular season games.
Now after a month-long search and series of interviews, they have selected Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham as their head coach. Ham was a member of the Bucks Championship winning coaching staff last season. After many interviews and candidates, the Lakers front office put their trust in Ham, who signed 4 years deal with the franchise, as they look up to him to bring back the long lost glory of the Lakers
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“None, no championships” Stephen A Smith quashes LA Lakers Championships hope
The 2021-22 NBA season did not go as planned for the Basketball giants In Los Angeles. Boasting a star-studded lineup, they never really found their groove. They started the season poorly and didn’t seem to take games seriously until after the All-Star break. There seemed to be a lack of urgency among the players in general, with all the injuries, they never developed any rhythm.
Lebron is not the athletic beast that he was, Westbrook kept shooting brick and Anthony Davis was constantly injured. All this has led Stephen A Smith to believe that even after acquiring Darvin Ham, they won’t be going all the way in NBA, anytime soon.
When inquired about their title prospects for next season on NBA Countdown, Stephen A Smith said –
“None, no championships but postseason participation yes. But when we talk about championships, you gotta look at the Clippers, The Suns, The Warriors, The Mavericks, The Timberwolves, Zion Williamson now with New Orleans. These are all teams that you think about before you even get to the Lakers and also the Nuggets with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr coming back.“
“Darvin Ham I didn’t know whether this is the right situation but I am so happy for him he deserves this opportunity and there is no question about it, he is going to elevate their level of toughness, you gotta take that into consideration. You look at Russell Westbrook its the wildcard because I don’t think Russell Westbrook is finished, I believe he has still something in him.“
“Here is the issue Russell Westbrook has to look at basketball film and stop thinking that every time somebody critiques his game they are character assassinating him.. You don’t have a jump shot and you struggle with your free throw shooting too and turning over the basketball. Let’s fix that and then you might have a chance to make some noise if you are the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.“
Stephen A Smith is known for some wild takes on TV, however his premise cannot be entirely disregarded. Lebron James played a big role in building this team and he got exactly what he wanted, he got involved in personnel decisions, 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, who lived up to his infamous reputation of slow starts to the season.
A dysfunctional team, poor decision making, lack of rhythm, and good players to fill in roles, all these factors led to the Lakers having a record of 33-49 in 2021-22 and crashing out of the playoff. They should, however, at least make the playoffs if Anthony Davis stays healthy.
They probably would have made it in this season too if AD was healthy but they weren’t going anywhere after he got injured. It is a shame that this roster is as flawed as it is, as it’s robbing us of watching LeBron James compete for a title in the final years of his career. Hopefully Lakers will turn it around with Darvin Ham and restore the legacy of the Lakers.
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Aditya Minocha
(216 Articles Published)