The only reason Luka is on this team is because of AD. Guess who brought Ad here, LeBron, Ad wanted to play with LeBron since he was a close friend. If Lebron never signs with the lakers, they never get a young superstar in Luka because ad never gets traded here. Austin could either be off the roster or not develop the same. Stop disrespecting the guy who’s saved this team from a possible 15 year drought
39 comments
You can appreciate what LeBron has done while criticizing what he’s doing
Had no reason to come here either we were ass, literally saved us and brought a chip
Bron has done great things in LA and when it’s said and done he will be remembered accordingly. This season, it’s been tough. Finding a rhythm, getting into game shape, being 41… amidst all the other injuries and team issues. But there’s a lot of basketball left. We will see how things go.
Sports media has made it that if your team doesn’t win a championship every year, then every player, coach, and staff involved are trash. People can’t enjoy having a team with a winning record anymore.
As a lifelong Lakers fan, I truly am appreciative for Bron’s contributions to this franchise. I’m not going to shit on him like so many on this sub, but I will agree that it is his time.
I am a die hard lebron fan. Followed him everywhere as an nba fan from Europe. You can still critize him. He, especially at this age has flaws. Thats oke. Lebron is not neccesarily the problem. But so far he also has not been able to be the answer. Thats oke he is 41 but he does make 50 mln. So I kinda get it. We just need to make sure it doesn’t go to far. Lebron is still good. Playoff Lebron is probably still great. He just can’t carry a team anymore.
Forreal people easily forget how LA werent even making the playoffs for 5 or 6 seasons before he arrived
We wouldn’t have Luka, we never would have had AD. Not 2020 championship. I am glad we got Bron.
LeBron joined 6 years ago. To say that one of the sports world’s top organizations wouldn’t have figured it out, is crazy
You can be appreciative of everything he’s done for us and this franchise while at the same time accept that it’s time to move on
This sub has lowest IQ ball fans in nba history
Bron’s play and his contract are just one of many issues with this team. He’s not the main reason we’re losing though. Appreciate what is most likely his last season with the team. Only delusional fans thought this current roster would be a true contender.
Maybe if he didn’t sign and win a ring, the Busses would have sold 5 years ago and we’d already have the Warner front office. The speculation is useless.
Cool. It’s almost 2026. We done with 2018!
Real lakers fans don’t give a shit about LeBron
You can criticize LeBron and still be a fan of him. Is he playing like he’s worth 50 mill a year? I’d argue he’s going to prove it after All Star break but currently no. However that contract came from a season where he was on pace for First Team All NBA at age 40 before the injury. He was 6th in MVP voting. LeBron is not the problem
no one turns on bron😂 just this petty ass sub
[removed]
First off a team with Goodwin still sucks. You legit can’t nor shouldn’t ask LeBron to take a paycut that doesn’t result in adding meaningful difference making player(s).
Like it or not he has earned that privilege.
Even bringing up the vet min or MLE disrespects him.
Secondly every team is going to have two max players. Just how it is. So when LeBron retires unless they also let everyone else walk who isn’t on a guaranteed contract they will have about $30m. AR-15 is going to take between $20 and $25 of that if not all of it.
Guess what. You then are left with little to no money to fill out the rest of the roster, AGAIN.
A team having two max players isn’t the issue. The issue is the OTHER guaranteed contracts.
Vanderbilt is the worst contract on the team because he makes $12.4m and plays limited bench minutes.
So next year you’ll have:
Luka $49.8, AR $41.5m, Vandy $12.4m, and Jake $6m.
That’s like $110m for 4 guys.
The player options next year are:
Ayton $8m, Smart $5m, Dalton $3.9m, Thiero $2.1m. And Bronny $2.2m.
Assuming they all stay that’s 22m.
That’s 9 guys taking $132m. Leaving $34m’ish for the last three guys.
Let me guess you expect AR to take a paycut right. Even if he does unless it’s basically nothing the Lakers are in the same spot they’re always in just without LeBron.
So the team is gonna be two max guys and the rest and if AR isn’t one of the max guys I doubt he stays because I also doubt he takes enough of a discount to open up a max for someone else.
As for this Goodwin shit and the rest – would’ve could’ve.
Had the FO not been cheap after the bubble title the Lakers would still have Caruso.
Blame LeBron all you want but none of this is his fault.
The problem is and always was the Lakers never planned for the future. They never thought about post LeBron. They enjoyed the LeBron media and money. It was EVIDENT AD wasn’t a #1 guy after the bubble title and they did nothing. They let young athletic players walk. They continuously made the wrong choices in players and coaches. While LeBron could carry they let him and did everything they could to save money and coast.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY LEBRON LEFT CLEVELAND AND MIAMI IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT’S WHY HE SIGNS 1 OR 2 YEAR DEALS.
TO PREVENT TEAMS FROM ABUSING HIS PRESENCE AND SETTLING INSTEAD OF CONTENDING.
Despite that he chose LA for his family and stayed. Exactly what he thought would happen happened.
AR literally fell into the Lakers laps. He chose them.
Luka literally fell into the Lakers laps, Nico chose AD.
LeBron literally came to the Lakers of his own free will when they were actual and literal trash.
The Lakers have done shit and nothing since the Gasol trade and that only happened because Kobe demanded a trade.
They routinely sit on their hands and let good players walk over miniscule money whole handicapping themselves with shitty players on bad contracts.
Yet LeBron gets blamed for making money he has earned.
You fuckers want to bitch about what he makes and what he doesn’t do while ignoring what he does do.
He is a coach on the floor. He makes other players better and puts them in the right spots.
He is always looking to make the right basketball play and isn’t always looking for his shot and then bailing out to someone late in the clock. In fact people bail out to him.
Yes he is 41 years old but even at that age he is outperforming Luka who is fucking 27. He is outperforming AR who is also in his twenties.
If LeBron consciously went out there to shoot 30 shots and look for fouls he could average 30 a game even now.
He doesn’t do that though. He knows that isn’t winning basketball when it matters.
Instead of constantly bitching about his contract and his mistakes hold the other guys accountable.
He should be able to be the third option which would enable him to be more active on the defensive side just like the playoffs last year.
You guys should be asking why two twenty something guards can’t play defense, turn the ball over, don’t move off ball, don’t try to get their teammates in a rhythm and expect to be bailed out by a 41 year old and a bunch of guys making less than $10m.
Ask why Rob gave an unplayable player $12m.
None of these things get better when LeBron retires. They will get worse.
Even IF LeBron took a paycut this roster and whoever they would’ve signed would be trash.
So keep holding you breath for Giannis or whatever because unless he forces his way here it isn’t happening and even if it does this team will still suck because the roster is fundamentally broken because the FO sucks.
The reality is you’re going to have Luka and AR dropping 40 bombs in the regular season and then getting tossed early in the playoffs because there is no where else for this team to go.
From a p/l pt of view I would imagine lbj’s contract is one of the best investments in league history
I never liked him. Not before he signed with us and not after winning a championship.
He gave us nothing.
You know, those are two completely different things.
If you were a Lakers fan under the greatest owner in sports ever, Dr Buss would have moved away from LeBron a few years ago and this isn’t about hating on LeBron because Dr Buss always was respectful towards the former Lakers players that helped this team winning, but he would move away from a player as soon as he immediately wasn’t delivering titles.
LeBron will always be remembered as a Lakers champion, but that Davis/Bron core had to be replaced when we got rid of Russell Westbrook. Since the Solomon Hill incident LeBron was not a legit first option anymore, Davis didn’t have the mentality to be a first option either and both were often injured. That windows was close many years ago, but Jeanie was about selling jerseys and other things, not about a winning basketball culture.
Dr Buss didn’t pay Shaq and LeBron surely wouldn’t be making 55 millions alongside his kid if he was still the owner.
I hope the new ownership is about winning so it can feel like Lakersland again.
No hating towards LeBron, his jersey will be in the rafter as soon as he retires, but he has no business here anymore.
>To the people turning on bron, you know horrible we would be rn if the dude never signed with us
I don’t understand why this is the alternative everyone jumps to when criticizing LeBron. It’s as though the only choices in their heads are we must praise him for every single thing he does and has ever done, or else it means you didn’t want him to ever come here.
There are positions in the middle.
I am very happy he came here and I appreciate what he’s done and that he brought us a trophy. However, I don’t think his presence is necessarily helping the current team be the best it can be.
Things change, people get older, eventually it comes time to move on. It’s not so black and white. Something works for a while and then sometimes it no longer works. That’s just basic shit.
I don’t think everyone has turned on Bron. Personally I’m more upset at what looks like a lack of effort. 3rd worst defensive standing and instead of getting back on D, he chooses to complain to the refs about not getting a foul call ON EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION! Has he always done this??? To some extent yes, but this year seems particularly bad, especially with age and injury taking their toll.
I’m a lifelong Lakers fan and big Lebron fan. But the harsh reality is that we are squandering a season of prime Luka and Reaves. Lebron just doesn’t fit on a team that is built around Luka. Lebron’s max contract, while he’s earned it, doesn’t make sense for the Lakers because it’s painfully clear that this team cannot compete with the top 3 or 4 teams in the west in a series.
Doesn’t mean he should play for another 5 years.
LMAO. Stop it.
Well, I ain’t mad or nothing but I thought the 50 million dollars “this year” is supposed to be for running and scoring this year. And sometimes, not all the times, but sometimes it seems like there could be more running and scoring based on what we’ve seen in the past and what others at that salary are doing. 🤷♂️ I get it though. He helps others sell traffic and clothing. And that is important. Not to me. But a lot of other people. Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for loyalty too. Like for those who don’t shop around and have been here a long time. Not a long time. Just a fair amount of time. And of course, those who’ve been loyal to us (notwithstanding the 50 million)
We had a young core, picks and cap room for two stars. Tired of the LeBron savior nonsense
This is such a strawman man argument for most of the criticism. You can be thankful for Lebron and everything he brought, but also recognize he is 41, makes 50 million, and is a terrible fit with the current roster.
To act like saying the latter somehow equates to “I hate Lebron and wish he never came.” is a childlike understanding of the situation.
“you know”, come on, WHO KNOWS!? Before ALuka got sent to the Lakers, who’d thunka that one!?:D Anything goes here, it’s like THUNDERDOME!
The idea the only one guy would want to play for the lakers is honestly ridiculous. We’ve spent an inordinate amount of time chasing what fit with LeBron and its had varying degrees of success.
OK but everything comes to an end.
He is boring now… He just needs to retire and leave the stage to younger stars. It’s not that other superstars quit when they were virtually incapable of playing basketball, they could have continued a few more years with low outputs. LeBron is at that point now.
This team was playing better until LeBron came back. He is disrupting this team’s development around Luka and Reaves.
His constant crying to refs instead of running back to do his defensive work is just hard to watch… Clever… Lame…That’s not $50m/year basketball.
LeBron is scoring so many points, but how many points is he giving with his presence?
I am a Laker fan. Bron also benefitted joining the most storied franchise in basketball. It’s also a great city to live in and we had created 3 max slots + had young assets when he came over. We bent over for him and did whatever we could to make him happy. We paid THT $40million and even traded for Westbrick. So yeah no.
Win win for both. Now it’s over and it’s becoming a problem for us.
Doomers gonna doom, alongside the shock-jock journalists all season no matter what.
Give him a 3 year 300 mil extension.
Who cares? LeBron ain’t gonna pay your bills.
17 – 65
I hate my fellow laker fans. Truly yall are the worst. Overreacting to every single thing.
Should have seen this sub during our last championship year. Yall were in shambles