LeBron James has given a remarkable response to the LA Lakers needs.
The LA Lakers deficiencies were laid bare with a demolition at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert’s 27 point, 24 rebounds performance emphasized the glaring holes on the Lakers’ roster.
Mark Williams, the player the Lakers could have signed, even poked fun at their exit following the 103-96 home defeat.
LeBron James had a remarkable response when asked about the lack of size after the game.
This is the second successive first round exit for the LA Lakers, following their defeat to the Denver Nuggets last season.
This year’s frustration saw LeBron James underline his unhappiness with a snappy comment after the defeat.
Asked about having to fill in and play at center, due to a lack of other options, he cited Anthony Davis’ previous unhappiness.
“My guy [Anthony Davis] said what he needed, and he was gone the following week,” he remarked, referencing the Luka Doncic trade.
The Lakers’ move to acquire Luka Doncic was always likely to result in a short-term pain for long-term gain.
JJ Redick’s team were enjoying a strong season before the trade, but could not resist the opportunity to acquire a generational player like Doncic.
This left gaps in the roster, harming their playoff chances this year, which will have to be addressed in the off-season.
A week before the trade, Anthony Davis had expressed his desire to switch to power forward, claiming he had wanted a center for years.
He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the deal to acquire Luka Doncic.
Lakers president Jeanie Buss later said that Davis was ‘complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy’, which was one of the factors behind the trade.
While LeBron is not serious that he could be traded, his comments underline that he is not happy with the team’s current roster construction, and this will have to be addressed.
