The good thing about the Lakers is that when things are going well, the attention the franchise receives is more than virtually anyone else in sports gets.
However, the other side of that coin is that when losses are piling up, the media frenzy is just as loud, perhaps even louder.
After the Lakers lost to the Suns, head coach JJ Redick discussed the negativity that comes with being the most popular basketball team on Earth.
Whether fair or not, the standard in Los Angeles is to win all the time, with no exceptions or grace allowed. So, when fans or the media can’t see the path towards a title, the blame game begins and that’s a contest no one can win.
Simply put, the Lakers, given the size of their fanbase and the amount of national TV games they play, aren’t allowed to struggle quietly. If something is going wrong in LA, it will be broadcast on every show, podcast and website imaginable.
It also doesn’t help that the Lakers are playing poorly.
When you have awful losses on the largest stage, it’s going to get people talking about your flaws ad nauseam.
As Don Draper said in the television show “Mad Men,” “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”
But yes, Redick is right. It does get loud in LA.
Hopefully, one day, the noise is about the team going on a title run, and the conversation is about how the Lakers have one of the best run franchises in the NBA.
Right now, the dialogue is much darker. And no matter how loud the noise is, the play on the court warrants the criticisms.