Make-or-Break Summer
- Myles Gasmin
- Apr 23, 2019
- 2 min read
The Los Angeles Lakers have been (and still are) the crown jewel of the modern NBA era. Since the 1980's, the Lakers have won 10 of their 16 NBA championships. However, the Lakers are currently in the midst of their worst stretch in history. They have missed the playoffs for their 6th straight year, a time period in which they've had the worst record in the entire league. Yes, that includes the New York Knicks.
Last summer, one man arrived and was supposed to be the "savior" of the franchise.
LeBron James has been the face of the NBA and its best player for the past decade. He fulfilled his promise to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, by bringing them a championship in 2016. This essentially gave him the freedom, in the eyes of fans, to leave and join another team which ended up being the Lakers.
Players like Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant have all won multiple titles for the storied franchise. Even Jerry West was able to deliver a title to the Lakers. The only superstar player that has not is Elgin Baylor. Despite his greatness, he is notorious for not being able to win an NBA title for the franchise. LeBron James is in danger of joining that exclusive club.
The narrative around James signing with LA has been that the Lakers, for the first time in their history, needed a player more than said player needing them. Over the past 6 years, the Lakers have been extremely inept and dysfunctional. LeBron James seeks to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest (basketball player) of all time, or the "GOAT". This seems impossible since LeBron has a 3-6 record in the NBA Finals while Jordan has a perfect 6-0. Saving the most storied franchise of the sport would help his case, which is why this summer is a make-or-break.
The Lakers must shake whatever curse that has plagued them for the last 6 years in order to reclaim their NBA throne and LeBron James win (at least) another title in order to put himself back in the GOAT conversation. This summer's free agent class is full of top-tier talent: Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson. The Lakers have to sign one of these players in order to contend for a title next season. Or they could pull off a trade for Anthony Davis, but preferably both. Honestly, it doesn't matter how the Lakers and LeBron win a championship; what matters is that they do it. Otherwise, both of their legacies are at stake.
(434 words)
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