Getty Cam Payne talking with Chris Paul
Things are quickly going from bad to worst for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the team finally having their big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook relatively healthy, the roster continues to be a disappointment. They’ve lost six of their last eight games and are coming off a loss against a Portland Trail Blazers team that didn’t have Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum.
Things are truly looking bleak for the team this season and it could be time to accept the harsh reality that they just aren’t any good. Less than a year ago, the Lakers were up 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. Davis hurt his groin and was hampered the rest of the series, leading to Los Angeles losing the next three games.
Now the Lakers are in a much worse spot and the Suns look like the best team in the NBA. Guard Cam Payne has quickly become an antagonist for Los Angeles and he’s relishing them not being very good. Payne ripped the team in a not-so-subtle way.
“You’re damn right I did. We’re the number one team in the world and you’re worried about the f***ing Lakers. They the worst team in the west,” Payne said when he was informed he had accepted the speaker request on Twitter Spaces.
“They the worst team in the west.”
Cam Payne did NOT hold back while talking about the Lakers 👀
(via @the6foot5)
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Embarrassing Times for the Lakers
Obviously, the Lakers aren’t close to being the worst team in the Western Conference. LeBron James is playing like the MVP when he’s healthy and Anthony Davis is still a star. However, just because they aren’t the worst doesn’t mean they aren’t terrible. It seems impossible to believe that a team with LeBron playing this well can be this bad.
Somehow, the Lakers are defying the impossible right now. In the past, Payne’s trash talk would’ve fallen on deaf ears as Los Angeles has owned Phoenix for a long time. Now things are changing and it’s not looking good for the proud franchise. For right now, it looks like the Western Conference belongs to Phoenix.
Lakers Make No Trades at the Deadline
For months the Lakers have been linked to a number of big trade rumors considering their current roster hasn’t worked out. As the trade deadline neared, it became clear that they’d have a hard time making something happen. Simply put, the team didn’t have enough valuable assets to interest teams around the league. The trade deadline has now passed and the Lakers didn’t make a single move.
There were big trades all over the NBA but Los Angeles couldn’t make something happen. They had to accept that their roster is what it is and it will be interesting to see what happens going forward. Clearly, what’s happening now isn’t working and changes need to be made. Whether that’s having Westbrook come off the bench or benching him outright, the Lakers have some tough calls to make.
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