To see the Los Angeles Lakers in 13th place is shocking. However, what is seemingly more shocking is that the team boasts the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. This season, not much has worked in their favor. Just when it seemed they had their business in order, injuries to key players left the team in a state of turbulence. Furthermore, the lack of on-court chemistry has hampered their run. As they navigate through this apparent mess, as per reports Russell Westbrook trade has been on the cards for a while. With these conversations are in play, the initial motivation behind bringing Westbrook on to the team has come to light.
Recently, as per reports, ESPN?s Jorge Sedano pointed out that Lakers’ General Manager Rob Pelinka loves to have big names on his team. So, in 2021, when the Russell Westbrook option was open, the Lakers jumped on it. Sedano stated that with Westbrook joining LeBron and Davis, the idea was to “recreate the Big 3 in Miami (Heat)”. The Big 3 of the Miami Heat were LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosch. The trio was instrumental in bringing Miami two championship titles. So the expectation from this Lakers’ trio was the same.
Is LeBron James part of another Miami Heat-like trio? Fans chime in
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As this news made rounds online, fans couldn’t help but find the funny side to this expectation; especially considering the current situation of the Lakers. For starters, fans failed to believe how the organization could even attempt to compare Westbrook to Dwyane Wade. Following this, they pointed out that the front office was living in a delusion. Many stated that the reason Miami’s Big 3 was successful was that the others on the roster complimented the big names well. As for the Lakers, this hasn’t happened and fans blamed Rob Pelinka for making poor choices. Here are some of the reactions:
Don’t ever compare Russ to d wade please please please
— 🐐🐐🐐🐐 (@MiladHeat) January 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/TroIIedByJimmy/status/1611050836188139528?s=20&t=FCZ2eMdFNvgjgPpzudfGig
some delusional people in that organization https://t.co/w52TQBMZdx
— Kai (@_Supremekai1) January 5, 2023
The vision was there, just the marginal moves were terrible and then they doubled down on them https://t.co/n0O6xYuplL
— Coach T. Jenkins (@Runnin4Jesus24) January 5, 2023
The failed to realized Miami's big 3 worked cause Pat Riley surrounded the stars with shooters. Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen
— Kev (elsewhere for the Pricefield) (@breakingdead1) January 5, 2023
This made me chuckle 😂 https://t.co/oIVNa2hATc
— jjettasmvp31 (@jjettasmvp31) January 5, 2023
Jeanie and Rob are ridiculous https://t.co/9tx1CQWqBR
— CJ (@CJTheAnalyst) January 5, 2023
Dreaming’s free https://t.co/aDBmOrmkip
— Dan Duarte (@danduarte1) January 5, 2023
The season with the Big 3 so far
Russell Westbrook had a sluggish start to the season while Davis dealt with an injury. When Westbrook got going and Davis made his way back, LeBron got injured.
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Eventually, when all three were fit and in form, Davis met with yet another injury. Not much in terms of the big stars has worked in their favor. However, the Lakers have seen glimpses of how dangerous the combination of James, Davis, and Westbrook could be.
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With that said, as of now, Davis is yet to get back on the court and King James, who missed a game because of a non-covid illness, is set to play in the next game. There are a lot more games left in the season and the Lakers still do have a chance to reach the playoffs.
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Do you think they have it in them to compete in the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.