data-mm-id=”_gp3f26apd”>The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling and there is no end in sight. They are sitting at 17-18, good for 10th in the Western Conference, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing nearly every game. Give the two stars' recent injury history that's not likely to last, which means things are probably going to get worse before they get better. And they are already quite bad, given last night's loss to the Miami Heat sparked a sourced piece from The Athletic about how Darvin Ham is losing the locker room as he desperately changes lineups and rotations to find something that works. Was it all predictable? To an extent. In a league centered around offensive excellence driven by three-point shooting, the Lakers did not do much over the offseason to become a better shooting team and remain one of the worst in the league, both in terms of three-point volume and accuracy. The ol' "we have LeBron and AD" strategy hasn't worked since the bubble, yet LA seemed convinced it would work again this season. They've had some unfortunate injury luck to guys like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, to be sure, but it didn't require Nostradamus-like foresight to see that a defense-first team with no spacing would be hovering around .500 in early January. Still, the fact of the matter remains that the Lakers appear to be hurtling towards another lost season with LeBron and this is something many people will not stand. Stephen A. Smith is one of those people and said the Lakers are "abusing" LeBron and AD by failing them this badly. Stephen A. Smith: "[LeBron & Anthony Davis] are not going to be in any kind of situation where they can do anything as the season wanes if those imposters wearing the Lakers uniform with them doesn't step up… they are abusing LeBron James & Anthony Davis… they stink!" pic.twitter.com/kt6eSoSGjH— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 4, 2024Yeah. A little dramatic, as is Stephen A.'s wont. Their teammates are letting them down, to be sure, as is the coaching staff and front office. But abusing? Well, that's strong. Ultimately the biggest insult that can be paid to the Lakers is that they are wasting LeBron and AD. This is an incredibly rare season for both in that they have been healthy and at the peak of their current capabilities for multiple months. That has never happened with both outside of the bubble and look how that turned out. The Lakers could have done more to surround them with better complementary players, but they did not. They've failed to maximize a championship pairing, an especially painful realization given how the superteam era collapsed after the end of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. If Smith is already busting out words like "abuse" then we're in for a fun ride when things get worse. Because they will. Perhaps quite soon.
Related Posts
Internacional forward Diego Forlan has expressed his delight with life in Brazil, confident his move away from Europe was the right one.
The 33-year-old had his contract terminated by Inter Milan in July allowing him to sign a three-year deal with the Campeonato Brasileiro outfit a choice he believes has since been vindicated.
It was not a difficult decision, the former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker told BBC Sport.
I try not to have any regrets. Brazil is a very nice country, they play very good football and pay good money it s not so different from Europe.
It s a really happy time for me. Not only because of the football but I m in a relationship with my girlfriend. I m close to Uruguay so it s easy for her and for me. Of course, I m …
Lille keen on Remy Cabella
French daily that Lille are weighing up a summer move for Montpellier hotshot Remy Cabella.
Les Dogues look set to stay without star midfielder Dimitry Payet in the summer, with the Frenchman on the radar of several top European clubs.
They are, therefore, looking to sign a replacement, and Montpellier star Remy Cabella appears to be at the top of their hit-list.
Cabella, 23, has exploded onto the biggest stage this season, scoring 7 goals and producing 6 assists in 27 Ligue 1 appearances.
Lille, however, face a real battle to lure the talented footballer to Grand Stade Lille Metropole, with Montpellier not willing to listen to offers for Cabella.
“Cabella remains! We cannot afford to lose both Cabella and Be…
Neymar believes Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has the quality to play for Barcelona.
Reports in Spain on Monday suggested Barca were eyeing a potential move for Coutinho, who has become one of Liverpool s most prized assets since joining from Inter in January 2013.
The 23-year-old has been one of his team s more impressive performers in a disappointing start to the Premier League season, and Barca man Neymar feels his fellow Brazilian has all the attributes to follow Luis Suarez in swapping Anfield for Camp Nou.
There s a lot of Brazilian players that could be playing for Barcelona, explained Neymar.
One of them is Philippe Coutinho. He s a great player and he has Barcelona s style.
Neymar has formed part of a lethal attacking line along…
Olivier Giroud has taken his game to another level since arriving at Arsenal, according to Arsene Wenger.
Arsene Wenger believes Olivier Giroud has made big improvements since arriving at Arsenal after the striker s double knocked Middlesbrough out of the FA Cup on Sunday.
The France international initially struggled to make an impact after joining the club from Montpellier in June 2012, but Wenger kept faith with the 28-year-old.
Giroud suffered a setback when he broke his left tibia against Everton in August, but he has hit the goal trail since returning and took his tally for the season to 10 by scoring twice in as many minutes in a 2-0 fifth-round win over Boro.
The frontman rounded off a lovely move to open the scoring and some quick thinking th…
Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford s penalty debate during the game against Wolves was like a tombola , according to former Manchester United captain Gary Neville.
Pogba and Rashford had a lengthy discussion over who should take a spot-kick – won by the France midfielder following a foul by Conor Coady – at Molineux on Monday.
Rashford scored from the spot in United s win over Chelsea on the opening weekend but on this occasion the England striker threw the ball to Pogba.
Rui Patricio duly saved Pogba s effort and the World Cup winner has now missed four Premier League penalties since the start of the 2018-19 season.
Neville, in an appearance as a pundit on Sky Sports, was furious about the impromptu consultation between Pogba, Rashford, Daniel Jame…
With Kylian Mbappe staying put, Real Madrid are looking elsewhere in France.
Los Blancos have their sights set on an even younger talent.
Teenage midfielder Eduardo Camavinga could be on the move from Rennes.
TOP STORY – CAVAMINGA TO REAL MADRID
In the final hours before the transfer window closes, Eduardo Camavinga appears poised for a long-rumoured departure from Rennes.
The 18-year-old France international will join Real Madrid in a €31million deal, Fabrizio Romano reports, with Goal saying he will get a five-year deal.
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United also were interested in the midfielder.
Eduardo Camavinga to Real Madrid: HERE WE GO! The offer has been accepted tonight by Rennes. €31m plus a…
Ethiopia will look to book their spot in the FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs when they face South Africa at home on Sunday.
The unbeaten side will win the Group A in the CAF qualifying section if they beat their opponents in Addis Ababa but, with South Africa poised just two points behind them, victory will not come easily.
Ethiopia come into the game on the back of an impressive run of form in qualifying after winning their last three fixtures.
However, South Africa have also not been beaten so far and enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory over the Central African Republic last week.
When the teams met in the reverse fixture in Rustenburg just under a year ago, they shared the points with a 1-1 draw after Katlego Mphela scored in the 78th minute to ca…
that Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Twente striker Luc Castaignos as they look to bolster their attacking options.
Brendan Rodgers has one of the best attacking partnerships at his disposal, but he clearly lacks cover for the likes of Suarez and Sturridge.
It is for that reason that the Reds boss is considering a January move for Twente starlet Luc Castaignos.
Liverpool missed out on the Dutch forward in the summer of 2011, when he opted to sign for Inter Milan, but the youngster quickly returned to Eredivisie following a disappointing spell at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Castaignos has since kick-started his career with the Tukkers, scoring 21 goals in 53 league matches, and is now being tipped to leave his current employers for greener pastures.
…
According to Tuttosport, Inter Milan could turn their attention towards Ilkay Gundogan if they re unable to land their main target Luka Modric. The Croatian midfielder has been linked with Inter for quite some time now, although Real Madrid made it pretty clear that it would take an extraordinary offer to lure him away from the Bernabeu.
Gundogan, on the other hand, could be available for around €40 million if Inter commits to the idea of bringing him to the San Siro. The 27-year-old would be viewed as someone who could add some consistency in the middle of the park for the Italian club, as they prepare to return to the UEFA Champions League after sealing their place in the competition last season.
Gundogan has been with City since 2016 when he made the jump over from…
Newcastle United have the signing of Fabian Schär from Deportivo La Coruna.
The defender goes to the North-East of England having signed an initial three-year deal and becomes the Magpies fourth addition this season, following permanent deals for goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and midfielder Ki Sung-yeung, as well as the arrival of Chelsea attacker Kenedy on loan.
Schär only arrived to Deportivo last summer and made 27 appearances for them during 2017/18, scoring two goals along the way. Before that, he had spells with Swiss clubs Wil (three years) and Basel (also three years), and German outfit Hoffenheim (two years). He s been capped 42 times for Switzerland so far, and he caught the eye of several suitors with good performances at the World Cup.
Manager Rafa …