Are LeBron, Los Angeles Lakers in danger of missing playoffs?
Midway through the third quarter of the Lakers' loss to the Pelicans on Sunday, team owner Jeanie Buss had seen enough.
The Lakers trailed 78-53 with 5:27 remaining in the quarter, and though a quarter and some change remained, the game was all but over.
L.A. was lackluster all night, surrendering a season-high 23 turnovers. LeBron James had his highest TO total of the season (7) despite tallying 32 points, while Russell Westbrook accounted for seven more. James dished out just one assist all night. For Westbrook, it marked just the second time in his career that he had back-to-back games with one or fewer assists.
The final score was as forgettable as they come for the unit: 123-95 — L.A.'s ninth loss in its last 12 games.
"I played pretty bad tonight," James blatantly acknowledged.
"I had some horrible turnovers. Probably about four of them were pretty bad. The other three were just bad connections. Obviously seven turnovers is not an ingredient for winning basketball for myself. So I hold myself accountable for that. I could’ve been a lot better for sure. I don’t think it’s [the injury]."
Turnovers weren't the only facet of the game that hampered their winning ability. The Lakers shot at a porous 41.7% from the field, and made just 20.4% of their shots from beyond the arc.
And aside from their shooting woes, age, concerns about effort, and injuries — Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn are both out — are all fusing together to create a consistent recipe for disaster, a recipe which could very well leave L.A. on the outside looking in as the postseason approaches.
But could this LeBron James-led group actually miss the playoffs?
Ric Bucher says yes, but still believes the Lakers will claw their way into the postseason's second round.
"Anthony Davis has not been playing," Bucher said Monday on "Undisputed," adding that the Western Conference is very top-heavy at the moment.
"The Phoenix Suns are without Chris Paul right now. The Warriors are without Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. The Memphis Grizzlies have never been out of the first round. The entire conference looks very vulnerable. If you put the Lakers in a tournament with the Timberwolves, Clippers and Pelicans, it's very gettable for them to win a game in the play-in, and they could beat [an injured] Phoenix or Golden State. As bad as they looked, the door is still open."
But for Colin Cowherd, it's time to completely scrap this roster.
"The Lakers officially bottomed out [Sunday night]," he said on "The Herd."
"Booed at home, crushed by the Pelicans. Let's be fair, this current mess is on LeBron. I would blow this puppy up. Now, I'd prefer to maintain my relationship with LeBron and see if I can add parts. But I'd be willing to blow that part up, too, if it gets ugly and LeBron tries to overplay his hand. This city moves on fast. Maybe keep Malik Monk and [Austin] Reaves, but I'd start all over."
The Lakers are 1-5 in their last six and will next face Dallas, the Clippers and the Warriors — three teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings.
L.A. has more questions than answers right now, and unless it undergoes drastic changes in the coming weeks, those weeks could turn into months … off.
