LeBron James’ tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers has been a bit of a roller-coaster.
They missed the playoffs, won an NBA championship, were a first-round exit, and then didn’t even reach the postseason.
But James shouldn’t get the blame for most of that.
The Lakers have been a trainwreck since Jerry Buss passed away.
From Magic Johnson suddenly stepping down to Jeanie Buss asking Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis for advice and hiring Kobe Bryant’s former agent as their GM, it’s been mostly bad.
That’s why NBA analyst Colin Cowherd recently urged them to just cut the cord and sell the team, going as far as to say that they’ve wasted LeBron’s time in Hollywood:
“This is the eighth season since the great Dr. Buss — Jerry Buss passed away,” Cowherd started. “The Lakers have gone from Showtime to Timeshares. It’s not good. So, yesterday, the Phoenix Suns were sold for $4 billion. What are the Lakers worth? Minimum 8, maybe 10. The Clippers sold for half of what the Phoenix Suns did, and they were the biggest joke in the league. (…) I don’t think this family, now that the great Jerry Buss has passed, is equipped to run this franchise.”
"The Lakers have gone from showtime to timeshares… I think it's time to consider selling the franchise."
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/6vKnVpkbCn
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 21, 2022
Jeanie Buss has repeatedly stated that the franchise isn’t — nor will it ever be — for sale, as she knows just how much it meant to her father.
Nonetheless, the Lakers have gone from perennial contenders to a borderline playoff team since Dr. Jerry isn’t around, so maybe, this isn’t the best way to preserve his legacy.
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