BarcelonaThe Lakers are rubbish. The Los Angeles franchise has lost five of its first six NBA games and has abandoned its usual glamor to become one of the worst teams in the competition. The 2019-20 title is a mirage amid a decade in which they have only managed to qualify twice for the play-off.
The 2022-2023 season has only just begun, but the Lakers are already drowning in an endless sea. The team of LeBron James, who loses more balls than ever, and Anthony Davis, who suffers physically to keep up with the pace of the game, accumulated five losses in a start to forget. One of the biggest headaches of the project is Russell Westbrook. The point guard, who thanks to a salary of 47 million dollars (47.5 million euros) is the third highest paid player in the competition, is playing without any kind of confidence and the opposing defenses are giving him all the space Of the world.
“It stinks to lose, but we have a lot of games ahead of us and a lot of time to right the ship. That’s just starting now,” says Darvin Ham, a coach who has been on the tightrope for days. The coach tries to sell an optimistic scenario, but the statistics invite pessimism. Since he was a rookie to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the team started with five losses, LeBron James had never experienced such a bad start. The Lakers began the season losing five games for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, when Los Angeles lost 17 of their first 20 games and eventually landed at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, with a 17-65 record.
One of the Lakers’ weak points is outside shooting. Despite hitting 43.3% on three-pointers in their game against the Denver Nuggets, the Californian team has the worst average in the competition. Only 26.6% of three-pointers end up inside. There is only one other team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with less than 30% shooting. Defenses know this and close to reduce the spaces near the basket.
No team has won the NBA championship after starting a season with five straight losses. Los Angeles, then, has a lot of work to do if it wants to break the tie with the Boston Celtics and become the franchise with the most championship rings in league history. At this point there are only two possible consolations: make a transfer that changes the dynamics of the franchise or ensure a good choice in the draft next summer The NBA, however, warns that it will make sure that no team loses games on purpose. “We have already told the teams that it is something we will follow very carefully this season. It is necessary to continue to monitor the tanking. The draft it’s a good system, but I know the danger in it, especially if a player who aims to be a generational reference gets his head out. Teams are getting smarter and more creative, finding ways to get things done. To every move of the NBA they respond with one of their own. So we’re always looking at how we can make our system the best it can be,” explains Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA.
The Nets, with less patience
The Brooklyn Nets fired coach Steve Nash on Tuesday after starting the NBA season with two wins and five losses. Nash, 48, has been coaching the Nets since September 2020, but his team’s performance has not met the lofty ambitions of ownership, which invested in stars like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. He also passed through Brooklyn James Harden, who finally transferred last February to the Philadelphia 76ers.
After falling in the first round of the play-offs last year, with a resounding 0-4 in the series against the Boston Celtics, the Nets started the year with negative results. The coach was fired despite the fact that the Nets won this Monday at home, suffering, against the Indiana Pacers. “We want to thank Steve for everything he has brought to our franchise over the past two years. Since taking over, Steve has faced a number of unprecedented challenges and we are grateful for his leadership, patience and humility. Personally , was an enormously difficult decision. However, after much reflection on how we have started the season, we have decided that a change is necessary,” said Sean Marks, general manager of the Nets.
