Colin Cowherd: “The Lakers are a very mediocre defensive team. They’re OLD. Their bench is old, their starters are old, and even the guys who used to play defense, like LeBron, are limited now because of their age. They just get beat down the court if you spread them out like a Phoenix can do, or a Golden State. They can’t defend the three, nor do they shoot it very well. Here is something else that is really important. Some of this is on LeBron. LeBron is the smartest Laker and is one of the smartest players in league history. What that means is that you want LeBron to have the ball in crucial situations. That means he’s going to be the de facto point guard, and that means you move Russell Westbrook off-guard to a two-guard. Yeah, that’s NOT good. Russell Westbrook is great for providing production and minutes but in crisis you don’t want him with the ball making decisions, you want LeBron with the ball in crisis. The Lakers could have had Buddy Hield about the time they were going to make this move for Westbrook. We said at the time that Hield was a good ‘two’, he’s a shooter, and he would be really nice on this team. Last night was a prime example, plus/minus -- LeBron +2, Westbrook -16. Westbrook is one of the worst plus/minus guys on this team. It’s not to say he’s not a Hall of Famer, it’s not to say he’s not fun to watch, it’s not to say he doesn’t work hard, it’s not to say he’s not passionate, but I don’t want Westbrook with the ball in crucial situations if LeBron is on the same roster. You’re asking LeBron now to play like 37 minutes... Because he’s the smartest ball handler, the best guy in crisis, he’s got to be on the floor for everything to work. It’s like what I’ve said about the Seahawks – what do the Seahawks do well that’s not connected to Russell Wilson? This is the Lakers' problem. As you get into the second half of the season and the playoffs it’s all about crucial possessions. What do the Lakers do well when LeBron is not in the game and doesn’t have his hand on the ball? NOTHING. When LeBron is not running the show they are not built for situational greatness. This is not a shot at Westbrook, it’s his career reality.” (Full Video Above)
Listen to Colin Cowherd discuss the NBA’s most disappointing team, the Los Angeles Lakers, as Colin details why he believes the pre-season MVP Finals favorites have limped out to a laughable 13-13 record as the league’s biggest calamity.
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