The Lakers’ loss against the Hornets made one thing very clear. The team isn’t complete yet. Even after the recruitment of the generational talent, Luka Doncic, the team needed LeBron James to run the show last night. Guess what? They fell short against the 14th-seeding Charlotte Hornets. We saw the Slovenian star having a rough night, shooting the ball and throwing away a ton of turnovers. While we can let it slide, calling it a rusty stretch, ex-Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless raised a serious question.

It’s been five months since Bayless abruptly ended his stint with the FS1 and still the 73-year-old doesn’t stop with his harsh opinions. We all know that he has earned a reputation after becoming a professional Bron hater. Surprisingly, tonight, he spared a praise for the superstar. Instead, he picked on the Lakers’ latest entrant. In fact, he raised a key concern that Rob Pelinka may as well take it seriously. 

When the Mavs kicked out Luka Doncic, Nico Harrison bluntly pointed out the 25-year-old’s fitness as the major reason. Additionally, speculation loomed in the NBA world, claiming the guard weighed around 270 lbs. While there were counterarguments to squash it, Skip Bayless has once again brought it to square one. Amid the Lakers’ challenge against the Trail Blazers tonight, the vet picked on Luka’s absence and wrote, “Good for LeBron playing back to back tonight in Portland. Luka needs a night off,” via X.

It might sound like a caring message, but it wasn’t. He followed it up with a cryptic message: ‘Luka is the “before,” LeBron the “after.”‘ I couldn’t wrap my head around it but something was clear: Luka wasn’t helping the Lakers post the trade. Above all, Bayless concluded with a big question to Rob Pelinka, “Luka kept getting red-faced last night huffing and puffing up and down the floor. He isn’t in shape after his injury absence. Has he ever been?“

Last night, Luka had his face turn red multiple times as he was struggling to connect buckets. He went 5-18 from the field. Most importantly, he was gasping for air at the clutch when LaMelo Ball swiftly took the game away from the home team. Anyway, now the question falls on Pelinka. Did he commit a mistake?

Luka Doncic and the weight loss saga

Coming into the Lakers‘ fold, Luka Doncic was believed to have weighed around high 260 lbs. The Mavs felt that the 240 lbs was the ideal weight for the ace playmaker. Nico Harrison, who was behind the star for a long time, pulled the plug this season and traded him to the LA side. 

Apart from weight controversy, it also saved the Mavs from an enormous expense. After signing the 5-year rookie extension worth $215 million, the star was eligible for a $345 million super-max extension. However, Harrison terminated the contract with 2 more seasons left in the contract. And, if at all Pelinka looks to sign a 5-year extension with Luka, it will amount to only $229 million. Even though Pelinka has to pay less than Nico, the only question is about the star’s fitness. 

The star has already played 25 games this season, most in his career. Does the Lakers have a guarantee that the 25-year-old would return to his best of fitness before Pelinka rethinks the decision? We never know. On the positive side, Luka promised that he sees a future with the team when a reporter asked about his overweight issue, saying, “It’s a motive I know it’s not true… Like I said, I came here to one of the biggest clubs in the history of sports. It’s a big motive for a long run here.” 

So, just like the Lakers’ fans, Pelinka should also hope that everything falls into place!