On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers got routed by the Milwaukee Bucks. More and more people are coming to the realization that the Lakers simply don’t have what it takes to be a competitive team.
With all of the team’s inconsistencies surrounding key injuries and the lack of a regular rotation, there is a growing feeling among Lakers players that something needs to be done before the trade deadline on Thursday.
“Tuesday marked the Lakers’ 27th different starting lineup in their 55th game,” wrote Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It was just the 18th time that [LeBron] James, [Anthony] Davis and [Russell] Westbrook all played together.
“While L.A. is 10-8 in those games, standing pat and hoping that winning percentage improves to finish the season strong is not seen as a viable option by players on the team, sources told ESPN.”
The scapegoat for the Lakers’ problems has been Russell Westbrook. He had another poor game on Tuesday and was benched in crunch time once again.
However, the complicated truth is that the Lakers have bigger problems than Westbrook.
The team has been inconsistent all season long on the defensive end. The Lakers are allowing 112.6 points per game this season, which is obviously a huge issue.
Many have called for Westbrook to be traded in order to improve the team, but his huge contract and declining value as a player are factors that make that seem nearly impossible to pull off.
More likely than not, given the inherent difficulties of finalizing any trade, the Lakers will have to make do with the players they currently have. It remains to be seen if L.A. will find a way to miraculously get back in the title conversation.
