Diary From a Depressed Lakers Fan

AUTHOR: JACK GORDON

Hey, lifelong Lakers fan checking in.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have officially made my decision: this is my least favorite Lakers team of all time. I hate watching them.

Keep in mind that I was born in 2001, and the first real teams that I have memories and connections to began around 2012. It’s possible that if I was older, the 2012 Lakers team with Steve Nash and Dwight Howard would have topped this list, but I just wasn’t old enough yet to be invested.

Even starting from 2013, calling this year’s Lakers team my least favorite might sound dramatic considering our depressing mid-2010s run. Of course I remember those teams. How could I forget the likes of Steve Blake, Ryan Kelly, Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, my plumber, my electrician, my middle school P.E. teacher, and, of course, Robert “The Janitor” Sacre?

How can I justify comparing those sub-20 win, bottom of the league-teams with a .500, LeBron James-led team currently sitting in playoff position in the Western Conference?

The difference is expectation. The 2013-2018 Lakers teams were horrible, but we also knew that they were going to be horrible. This was a transition period. Kobe was nearing retirement, and out of love and respect we paid him a max contract; in return for his farewell tour, our team-building abilities were severely halted. There was little to no expectation for those teams, and that kept our pain to a consistent but manageable level.

But this year's team is just painful to watch outright. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I legitimately become sad every time I turn on a game and we are in a 4-point hole against Sacramento for the tenth time this season. This team is bad for so many more reasons than the Robert Sacre teams.

Here is how you know that Lakers fans hate this team: when every conversation consists of almost all questions and no statements. Here are some actual examples I’ve experienced, like,

“Which do you think is worse, our offense or our defense?... Seriously? Have you watched us play offense? How do we score in the fourth quarter?... That’s true, our defense is pretty bad too… I know, right? Why does it seem like there is literally never anyone in the paint?”

and,

“I was just thinking, what does THT do well? Like, is he good at anything?... I guess, but he’s pretty bad at that too. It’s not like he’s creating shots for other people. Why are we paying him $30 million again?... By the way, I looked up his three point percentage, can you guess what it is?... Lower… Haha nope, lower… lower… It's 22 percent. Isn’t that insane?”

So why do I hate watching the Lakers so much this year? There’s a lot of reasons, but we have to start with the $44 million elephant in the crypto.com room. I had no idea how to feel about the Russell Westbrook trade when it happened, but once the season started, it became clear that it was an absolute disaster. His fit with this roster is just horrific, and it hasn’t been fun watching him this year. He used to be one of my favorite players in the league, and we all used to think, ‘Man, when he figures out how to slow down and control his pace, he’s gonna be amazing.’ Well, he never figured it out, and now that his athleticism has started to fade, the decision-making and basketball skills that he never developed fully have come back to haunt him. I’ve watched almost every Lakers game this season. His decision-making, on both ends of the court, in the final few minutes of the game are damaging to the team. He can’t shoot the ball (which would help LeBron), turns the ball over excessively, and he misses a lot of layups (as my dad loves to point out, and he barely watches basketball). Even simple things that you would expect and need from even an average guard, like entry passing, Westbrook is not good at. I remember yelling at my TV at the beginning of the season when Westbrook and AD would be on the floor together, and for some reason would not run pick & rolls despite having no other offensive system to speak of. Instead, Westbrook would dribble around and eventually send an entry pass to Davis in the post, which might either get tipped or lead to a missed mid-range jumper.

Once AD got injured, we eventually tried going small with LeBron at the center position. Offensively, this seemed to help Westbrook a bit, since it freed up the middle of the court for him to do stuff. It’s the same thing that Houston did when they traded Capela and Westbrook's numbers shot up. Completely change the team, and maybe Westbrook can contribute. The problem with this adjustment, obviously, was that our defense became even worse than it already was. Without any big men or real on-ball defenders aside from Avery Bradley, opposing teams seemingly waltz into the paint on every single possession. Seriously, in any close game, we pray for LeBron to bail us out on offense, but my hope as a fan gets bashed over and over again when there is no resistance on defense whatsoever.

This leads me to the main reason it's so painful to watch this team. The Lakers are a .500 team, with wins that have come almost exclusively against below .500 teams. However, we do not beat any of these teams in decisive fashion. Here is another question I’m constantly asking myself: “Geez, can we get a single definitive win against a bad team? Why is LeBron averaging 30 points just for us to eke out games against the Timberwolves?” Against any good team, anyone that watches will understand why the Lakers can’t be considered a good team. The contrast is always clear, and there is just something about this team where it never feels like there is an obvious path for hope or optimism in any game. The most depressing part is that we have played so many bad teams, and have struggled to win games. At some point, our schedule is going to get much more difficult.

Westbrook can’t be blamed for everything, though. Anthony Davis, before the injury, was having one of his worst seasons and was the worst mid-range shooter in the NBA by percentage. He fits being on a team I hate watching, because he is the most frustrating player I have ever watched - someone who has so much talent, and can so clearly be dominant, yet doesn’t have the drive to do so.

Talen Horton-Tucker, who for some reason was relied upon by the organization to become some instrumental piece of the team’s future, was chosen over Alex Caruso in free agency. I have never understood what the best version of Horton-Tucker is supposed to be, but I do not enjoy watching him play - and clearly neither does Frank Vogel, because it seems like he plays less and less.

One common thing that delusional Lakers fans were saying early on was, “Well, we don’t have Ariza or Nunn yet. Just wait until they get back, and things will change.” That was dumb. Has anyone watched Ariza lately? He is like a corpse, just looking to pass the ball off as soon as he gets it.

I am also not sure why we signed Deandre Jordan, or why we thought an old roster would be a good thing. Austin Reeves and Malik Monk are exciting players to watch - I wonder why! Hm, is it because they are relatively youthful and athletic and care about every game? Somehow Carmelo Anthony is one of our most important players, something that probably isn’t a great sign.

The list goes on, and I could rant forever. As I’m finishing this up, the Lakers have lost a 14-point lead to Sacramento once again to fall back to .500. LeBron has 30+. Reeves is trying. Westbrook is 2-12 from the field. Dwight Howard has another DNP. The Lakers gave up multiple wide open shots on defense down the stretch. Like clockwork. Ready to do it again the next time.

This team sucks to watch because we were supposed to be a title contender, and instead it's just a legitimately mediocre team. And there isn’t much hope for a trade, because Westbrook makes too much money and everyone else on the team makes too little. And there isn’t much hope in general, because the team is so old that there aren't many ways to improve for the future. Watching the team flounder every game to keep their heads above water genuinely bums me out, and this is why it's my least favorite Lakers team.

Oh, well. I love the Lakers and I can’t wait to talk myself back into them. Westbrook always plays way better in the second half of the season! Anthony Davis is gonna come back at some point! We still have LeBron James! This team is built for the playoffs! *Sigh*

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

The NBA Is Starting in December!

Author: Jack Gordon

Editor: Aaron Mesco

The NBA is starting up again on December 22, a very quick turnaround from the end of last season. Think about it- it was only Oct. 10, 2020 that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were surrounded by confetti and smoking cigars in post-game interviews. Oct. 10. That was last month. And two months later, they’re expected to suit up again?

Now to preface, it has to be acknowledged that there are a million moving parts to be dealt with. The coronavirus pandemic has turned the sports world upside down, and has forced every organization in the world to reconsider how they operate. Not only are the players’ safety and health at risk, but employees and teams face the possibility of losing significant revenue, in addition to enormous pressure from broadcasting stations and sponsors.

There are a lot of people to please, and to his credit, Adam Silver did by far the most successful and effective job last season at restarting the season than any other sports commissioner. He created an unprecedented bubble that resulted in zero positive cases throughout three months, allowed his players to put a spotlight on racial justice, fit in enough games to satisfy broadcasting contracts, and ultimately produced a champion when it all came down to it.

Silver has earned himself lots of trust moving forward, so this is not to say that the plan for the December 22 season opener is a bad option, or even that there is a better one.

But it just sucks for the players.

The NBA season is a grind - 82 games over the span of six months, with plenty of back-to-backs and traveling - and that's not even including the playoffs. Normally, even the teams that make it all the way to the NBA Finals have four months to work with in the offseason to rest, recharge, and gear up when the next season begins. This time is crucial for the players, first and foremost, as it lets their bodies get some much needed rest.

On top of this, free agency is another big part of the offseason, allowing players to have time to make decisions and become well-acquainted with their new squads.

Even under normal circumstances, players need every bit of those four to six months to gear up for what will be yet another six-to-eight-month grind.

This year, because of the pandemic, the season ended in October rather than June. And with the approved Dec. 22 restart, players from teams like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers will have merely two months to prepare themselves for another season, which would likely be around 70 games.

Many of these players that just played in the bubble were gone from their families for months, confined to a small area, unable to leave. This type of constraint is something that could be frustrating and exhausting, not to mention the increased and reasonable mental health concerns that could’ve come as a result.

Now they are out of the bubble, but the mental and physical toll of such an unprecedented situation is not one that can be taken lightly. LeBron James joked that he would be cherry picking the first half of the season, and it's not impossible to understand where he and others are coming from. Two months is a very quick turnaround, and it seems unfair to players who gave up so much in order for the league to restart and give the fans what they wanted, only to be asked to play once again almost immediately.

This turnaround is also concerning for the physical health of the players. One of the reasons the season is coming back is so fans can have their basketball back by Christmas, but what fans definitely don’t want is for all of their favorite players to get injured because of the lack of rest they were alloted in the offseason. Expect the debate around load management this season to increase, especially with the stars who spent significant time in the bubble in Orlando.

And finally, this restart is tough for players joining new teams - that means rookies, free agents, and players who have been traded. With a severely limited training camp, players have little to no time to become acquainted with their new teams and teammates, and rookies have a particularly challenging first season ahead of them with the cancellation of summer league.

And none of this covers all of the other potential problems with the prospect of NBA players traveling this upcoming season, potentially undoing the amazing work that the league did last year to prevent any active players from getting COVID.

Again, Adam Silver has proven himself time and time again as a commissioner that makes the right decisions for both the league and players, and there is no reason to think that he will be careless with the health of the athletes.

But this is a really difficult situation for the players, with the potential to come across the same issues that the NFL, MLB, and MLS have had with cancelled games and sick players. It will be interesting to see how the NBA details its plans for the upcoming season, and if the players will even be ready to play by the time Christmas rolls around.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE