Needless to say, things have not gone according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. The team is seven games under .500 and the ninth seed in the Western Conference. They haven’t exactly looked like championship favorites at any point this season. In the offseason, Los Angeles loaded up on former All-Stars looking to win a ring.
DeAndre Jordan was an addition late in the offseason but was another former All-Star who decided to hop on. Unfortunately, the decision to load up on aging starts has been disastrous. Despite being one of the Lakers’ worst players, Jordan saw the writing on the wall and asked to be released. His wishes were granted and now he’s playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team is in a much better spot than Los Angeles as they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 39-24.
Jordan is already with Philadelphia and had his first chance to speak to the media since his release. He didn’t directly take any shots at his former team but he definitely took an indirect shot at the Lakers.
“I enjoyed my time there, for sure,” Jordan said, via Sixers Wire. “Obviously, this is an opportunity where I’m familiar with Doc [Rivers] so this is a chance to come here and play a little more and have a chance to go further in the postseason.”
Basically, Jordan is saying that he ditched the Lakers because he didn’t see them making a deep playoff run. Obviously, anybody following the season could’ve said the same thing but it’s interesting that he’d say the quiet part out loud.
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Jordan Does Think Lakers Can Turn Things Around
While Jordan did take a shot at the Lakers, he’s not trying to start to burn any bridges. he made it clear that he thinks the team can turn things around, he just wanted a fresh start elsewhere.
“I do think those guys (the Lakers) are going to have some success late,” Jordan said. “But this was just the best opportunity, I feel like for me.”
Jordan’s release from Los Angeles was a long time coming considering his issues on the court. Both sides will be better off due to the release.
Can Lakers Actually Turn Things Around?
Jordan says the Lakers can turn things around but if he truly believed that, he wouldn’t have forced his release. That said, anything is possible with LeBron James. The world just saw him drop 56 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors. Right now, the Lakers just need to focus on locking down the ninth seed in the Western Conference. If they can do that, they’ll be in the play-in tournament.
If LeBron and Anthony Davis are healthy, the Lakers might be the scariest team in the playoffs. They’ve struggled all season but if those two superstars get hot, anything can happen. It has been a rocky season but LeBron is proving he can still do magical things despite being 37-years-old.
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DeAndre Jordan Takes Shot at Lakers in 1st Post-Release Comments