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Dec 15, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate guard Austin Reaves (15) making a three point shot to defeat the Dallas Mavericks during overtime at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
via Imago
Dec 15, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate guard Austin Reaves (15) making a three point shot to defeat the Dallas Mavericks during overtime at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers have been woeful this season with a 24-25 record. They spent the off-season trying to build a strong roster that can fight for a championship. They did manage to get quality depth for the season. However, the players have failed to settle in, leading to a poor start to the 2021-22 season.
The Lakers did a massive roster overhaul during the summer. They added quality to their roster with Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, Malik Monk, among others, joining them during the off-season. But they haven’t had a big impact on the team so far, with LeBron James carrying the team single-handedly.
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 2, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts with guard Russell Westbrook (0) after his basket scored against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
But the Lakers are the joint-most successful team in the NBA and have great pulling power for top stars. They have a big market status and top players prefer to join big market teams in the NBA. That gives them an edge over the other teams in the league. Former NBA star Charles Barkley once talked about how big market teams lead to other teams struggling in the league.
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Charles Barkley roasts Los Angeles Lakers and big market teams for pissing off NBA team owners
Former NBA star Charles Barkley attended the Jimmy Kimmel show back in 2019. During the show, he talked about the 2019 off-season and how top teams get the best players, leading the other teams to ‘stink’.
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BIG SKY, MONTANA – JULY 06: Charles Barkley looks on during Capital One’s The Match at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin on July 06, 2021 in Big Sky, Montana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Match)
“It’s going to be probably the most interesting summer (2019) in NBA history. Because you have four teams that have two max slots available, the Lakers and the Clippers and you got the Knicks and the Nets,” Barkley said.
“The negative that is, who don’t get those players, their team’s going to stink. Or if those guys leave all those other teams, those teams are going to stink. At some point, the owners are going to say they’ve had enough. These guys are billionaires. You don’t want to piss off billionaires.”
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The Lakers have witnessed several best players play for them throughout history. They have seen Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and now LeBron James don the purple and gold throughout the years. With immense player-pulling power, they have been able to win 17 NBA championships.
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However, signing the best players doesn’t always work out. The Lakers had one of the best rosters in the NBA this season. But they are struggling this season and would need a big push if they want to reach the playoffs.
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