Getty LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to compete this season. They made improvements at the trade deadline, but regardless, it’s going to be difficult for them to work their way back and fully immerse themselves into the playoff race.
LeBron James has been playing a ton of minutes this season, and both he and Anthony Davis have dealt with injuries. During a recent segment on ESPN’s The Herd, Collin Cowherd revealed that sources have told him that James is frustrated with Davis.
“According to sources – the NBA has a lot of leaks because players have a lot of power, and there’s a handful of reporters they trust, and when they want stuff out, especially if you’re LeBron or KD [Kevin Durant], or the big dogs, they get stuff out…,” Cowherd stated. “LeBron wanted to go down about 34 minutes a night. Once again, in Year 20, he’s playing 40 minutes tonight in big games. So, I think this just signals [that] LeBron’s not happy with AD. He’s doing the end-around a little bit. He’s not happy with Darvin Ham not holding him accountable. They’re playing LeBron too many minutes, but if you watched the Lakers pre-trade, they had to play him. It’s the only way they can compete against good teams, is LeBron plays 40 minutes, because you don’t know what you’re getting with AD. So messaging is real, it’s obvious, and I’m not opposed to it.”
As a part of that same rant, Cowherd revealed that Davis has been connected to the Dallas Mavericks.
“LeBron and his camp have been frustrated by how many minutes he has to play,” Cowherd said. “They cant depend on Anthony Davis. They are also mad that Darvin Ham is not keeping the pressure on Anthony Davis…I talked to an NBA source who I’ve known for a long time, he said, the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Davis, keep your eye on it. Anthony Davis is pouting, LeBron’s holding him accountable, LeBron’s not happy with him, AD’s gone into a funk, it’s not coincidence.”
LeBron James Shows Love to Russell Westbrook
After the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook and a bunch of other players, James showed some love to his former teammates, wishing them well.
“First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left: Russ, Pat [Beverley], JTA [Juan Toscano-Anderson],” James said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Also, DJ [Damian Jones] and Thomas [Bryant], those five guys, we’ve all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be on the floor. So, I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor.
D’Angelo Russell Sounds Off on Lakers Fans
Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell, who made his re-debut in LA after landing with the Lakers via trade, explained how much he loves the fans. He noted that he simply chose to embrace the emotions of his return.
“Just embracing all those emotions,” Russell said via ESPN’s YouTube channel. “Not being nervous, not being anxious, not being any of that, just kind of embracing it with my own my own persona. I love those moments. I play for the fans that are fans of me. I always appreciate them, and when I have an opportunity to embrace it and go out of my way and do something like that, I always think of fans when I’m doing that, for sure.”
