Players had been living for weeks with the idea that they might get traded at any moment. JamesвЂ™ desires and front office machinations have capsized team chemistry before: In 2018-19 after the Lakers failed to execute their first attempts at a trade for Anthony Davis, and the Lakers crawled to the trade deadline utterly in shambles, getting blown out in Indiana. As the two most important stakeholders in the organizationвЂ™s wellbeing, it skews the team when rumors of feuding arise. The conversation around the team has been dominated by talk of James and the LakersвЂ™ brass not being on the same page about the teamвЂ™s future. In fact, itвЂ™s not hard to derive that the latter was at least in part caused by the former. The last week saw a parade of stories trumpeting the LakersвЂ™ dysfunction, from JamesвЂ™ All-Star weekend teases about his future, to the reports of meetings between the front office and Klutch to smooth things over, to the disappointing on-court results.

TRENDING TOPIC: An honest question arose out of Sunday nightвЂ™s chaos: Have the Lakers given up? Fans have booed during this season, but never as loudly and often as Sunday night вЂ“ and this time, it felt as if the entire team was the target, as their deficit reached 32 points against the then-11th place team in the West. In a game they needed to win, that they acknowledged they needed to win, the Lakers were a virtual no-show, then let go of the rope midway through the game. LOW POINT: The LakersвЂ™ loss to the Pelicans on Sunday night was different than any other theyвЂ™ve had this season. HIGH POINT: ItвЂ™s difficult to say there was one. They are 3ВЅ games (plus a tiebreaker) behind the eighth-place Clippers for a single-elimination spot in the play-in tournament, and 2ВЅ games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans who are tied for 10th place (11th place misses the postseason altogether). The Lakers (27-33) are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, 21ВЅ games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns (42-10). Sunday, L, New Orleans Pelicans 123, Lakers 95 At a moment when the Lakers need to fight, they are showing signs of quitting вЂ“ Orange County Register Close Menu

Breach and clear deadline long to beat