Following Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo suffering a broken thumb, Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless dismissed Rondo’s value to the team while also taking a shot at superstar LeBron James.
.@RealSkipBayless responds to Shannon's concern about Rondo’s broken thumb:
“LeBron doesn't need any excuses! Rajon Rondo has been on 6 teams in 7 years for a reason — he's not that valuable!” pic.twitter.com/pRS5ebtSjg
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 13, 2020
On the Fox Sports program, “Undisputed,” Bayless indicated that James is already the best point guard in basketball and should be fully rested when play resumes later this month.
In addition, Bayless cited the fact that Rondo’s tumultuous NBA career is the chief reason why his absence shouldn’t be a concern, and that it only offers James an excuse if the Lakers come up short in the postseason.
A longtime critic of James, Bayless compared James’ situation to that of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals. In the clinching victory in Game 6 of that series, Jordan played just under 44 minutes and scored 45 points, which included the clutch game-winner.
That’s why the jab of “phony G.O.A.T.” that Bayless directed at James should be taken with a grain of salt, considering his long-held animosity toward the superstar.
Last September, Bayless stated that James should not be ranked among the top 10 players in the NBA, pointing out mistakes that the NBA veteran had made during the 2018-19 season, his first with the Lakers.
At the time of Bayless’ remarks, James was coming off an injury-plagued campaign that had limited him to a career-low 55 games.
Those struggles disappeared during the 2019-20 season, as a healthy James is averaging 25.7 points, a league-high 10.6 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Coupled with the addition of Anthony Davis, James’ contributions helped the Lakers compile a 49-14 record prior to the March 11 suspension of play.
When play does resume, James will be focused on leading his third different team to an NBA title, though he could use Bayless’ insult as motivation along the way.
