The combination of LeBron & Lonzo getting hurt and the Anthony Davis rumors killed the Lakers season.
If not for that, I think they make the playoffs and possibly cause a little noise.
Rondo explains how he went all downhill in this interview with Bleacher Report.
James missed 18 of the next 19 games with a groin injury. He returned to a team in disarray thanks to trade rumors that had half the young roster being shipped to New Orleans for Anthony Davis.
“Even some of the old guys were affected,” Rondo says. “I can’t say a name, but I remember me and the guy were on the bench for the Atlanta game right before the [All-Star] break. The guy was cussing and talking bad about the situation during the game. I was like: ‘Snap out of it. That shit is over with. We’ll get through it. As vets, we have to move forward and not focus on what the young guys are focusing on. Set an example.’ It was a little crazy to see a vet distraught over that.
“Guys may have felt like, ‘Oh, I need to prove myself so I won’t be traded’ or ‘They’re going to trade me anyway.’ Each game you didn’t know what the mentality was for those guys: ‘Should I give my all to this organization that is about to trade me in two days?'”
The rumors were compounded by the fact that James had dinner with Davis, gushed about how much he’d like to play with him and is represented by the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group.
“Every guy on our team, LeBron was their favorite player growing up,” Rondo says. “Everyone had the shoes, his jersey. You’re the biggest fan in the world. It’s like you’re playing with MJ, and then you get there, and it’s like your mom and dad, or the person that you looked up to and idolized, doesn’t want you. And then to have that sitting in your gut, not knowing. Guys aren’t at the age where they can have a man-to-man conversation versus texting you. Everybody wants to text you: ‘How you doing? We cool?’ People don’t understand how to have a real conversation and talk out problems.”
Team president Magic Johnson’s abrupt resignation sent another ripple through the locker room.
“We walked in, talked about it a little as a team, tried to focus on the game,” he says. “But it was such a distraction you really couldn’t focus.”
It all makes sense, I think as long as they can stay healthy next season they will be ok.
But, it will always be a circus.
Flip the page for LeBron speaking on his love for AD.
