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The Lakers very ably combine overweening arrogance with being deeply pathetic.
https://sports.yahoo.com/the-lakers-...170502429.html
The Lakers think the NBA is out to get them, and we can't imagine why
Ben Rohrbach
Yahoo Sports Mar 7, 2019, 11:05 AM
This is the definition of Lakers exceptionalism, and it is hilariously hypocritical.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has followed up her performance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where she had the misfortune of calling the very real and accurate reports of her team’s trade offers for Anthony Davis “fake news” this past weekend, by accusing rivals of planting those stories in an attempt to disrupt the chemistry in L.A., according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania:
Buss believes her words and the message that was delivered to her, feeling rival teams placed stories to go public in order to hurt the Lakers’ chemistry, sources told The Athletic.
“Those stories leak out, and it hurt our young players. It wasn’t fair,” Buss said.
It wasn’t fair! Never mind the fact that the Pelicans, per Charania, are pretty sure it was the Lakers who leaked the stories, considering media reports repeatedly surfaced outlining their trade offers “a minute” after the two sides got off the phone.
Let me see if I have this timeline right:
[*] LeBron James openly pined for Davis, who will not be a free agent until 2020, leading opposing general managers to express their frustration with how the Lakers superstar’s comments can negatively impact opposing locker rooms.
[*] LeBron dismisses the notion, declaring he would also like to play with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and a host of other impending free agents.
[*] LeBron’s agent and friend, Rich Paul, orchestrates Davis’ trade request from the New Orleans Pelicans in a transparent attempt to get him on the Lakers.
[*] The Pelicans opted not to accept any of those offers, choosing instead to wait until the summer, when several better options could be on the table, and Lakers president Magic Johnson accused New Orleans of acting in bad faith.
[*] The Lakers are frustrated that this has impacted their locker room chemistry.
The Lakers are being treated unfairly? That’s rich (Rich?), especially considering LeBron and the Lakers undoubtedly had their hands all over Paul’s attempted Davis-to-L.A. coup. You cannot cry foul about the chemistry fallout when you brought this on yourself and you practically invented the art of disrupting chemistry.
This is the Lakers M.O. Look no further than the Paul George timeline:
[*] George requests a trade from the Indiana Pacers, preferably to the Lakers.
[*] The NBA warns Johnson against tampering after he made it plainly obvious on national television that the Lakers very much want George in L.A.
[*] The Lakers lowball the Pacers in their offer for George, believing they can land him in free agency regardless, and Indiana instead trades him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a significantly better trade package.
[*] The Lakers actually tamper with George, earning a $500,000 fine.
[*] The Lakers got “pissed” at George when, instead of meeting with them in free agency, he decided he liked OKC and chose to re-sign there.
Or the Kawhi Leonard timeline:
[*] Kawhi requests a trade from the San Antonio Spurs, preferably to the Lakers.
[*] The Lakers lowball the Spurs, believing they can land Kawhi in free agency, and San Antonio trades him to the Toronto Raptors for a much better offer.
[*] The Lakers think the Spurs didn’t act in good faith.
Did the Lakers ever stop to think their chemistry is off because they publicly thirsted after Davis, reportedly offering nine different players for him? Did they consider that the chemistry is off because they signed a cast of characters to one-year deals in an attempt to maintain cap space for better players? Of course not.
Instead: How dare opposing teams mess with the Lakers’ chemistry when they have been messing with opposing teams’ chemistry ever since Buss revamped the power structure and put Johnson at the helm of an operation designed to lure multiple All-Star talents away from other teams! They should accept this quietly!
Like Buss, Johnson also believes the Lakers are being treated unfairly, suggesting that the NBA fines them — and only them — for tampering. Again: How dare the Lakers continue to be scrutinized for tampering when they have tampered so much!
Surely the rest of the NBA is shedding a tear for the poor Lakers.
The Lakers very ably combine overweening arrogance with being deeply pathetic.
Not sure Dr. Buss was so *smart* or it's just a case that their usual en led scams with no repercussions have been cut off.
Adam Silver did an interview with Bill Simmons at that same MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference,
and although he was very diplomatic about it, it seemed pretty evident that he was not happy with Rich Paul's behavior.
And yet the little Stern Jr. had and has no problems with the Gay Area Warriors having become the old Lakers in all aspects.
Wonder what really came down to have had Stern Jr. switch lovers from Laker to Warrior.
So glad to see this happened to the Lakers.. where are all you gots that were in here as happy as could be when LeBron was signed??
LeThanos, was it? Haha you ing schmucks
We didn't get Anthony Davis
Man Kawhi ed a lot of brothers out of a big payday with his antics.
At very least, Dr. Buss was smarter than his children. He hired Jerry West as GM. Jeanie told West that the Lakers didn't need him, they wanted Mgic instead. Need I say more?
Lakers getting bukkaked on the court, in the media, and by the Pels has been the best thing to watch this season imo. Lol at all those bandwagoners proclaiming lakers were going to run train on the league. lol at when they said spurs should just pony up kawhi because they would get him anyway. lol at getting scorned for methlahoma
LAvengers
Kawhi is stupid enough to go to that dumpster fireLakers getting bukkaked on the court, in the media, and by the Pels has been the best thing to watch this season imo. Lol at all those bandwagoners proclaiming lakers were going to run train on the league. lol at when they said spurs should just pony up kawhi because they would get him anyway. lol at getting scorned for methlahoma
LAvengers
Suddenly his chances of going to the Lakers have actually increased, tbh. He would be seen as saving Lebron's ass from the humiliation of missing the playoffs.
The spectacle of begging by the Lakers and a humbled Lebron will be cringe-worthy this summer. They will be on their knees for KD (unlikely), Klay, Butler, Kawhi, Kyrien; and if they don't end up with anyone from that list, i think it is safe to say that franchise prestige/mystic is gone forever..
Kawhi don't give a about winning. He just wants to be pampered and make money while playing only about 35 games a year.
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