Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers
After all those cryptic emojis and narratives about LeBron James using the New York Knicks as a tool to pressure the Los Angeles Lakers to do something, general manager Rob Pelinka and his front office didn’t budge.
James kept his answers short about the trade deadline-related questions after they didn’t make any roster move before their 114-106 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets shortly after the February 8 trade deadline.
“I don’t know. [I’m] not sure. We haven’t gotten to that point so it’s hard for me to say,” James told reporters when asked what is going to take for them when everyone is healthy to make a title push this season.
Pressed again on how much internal growth they need to figure out the rest of the season, James again pointed to their oft-repeated excuse for their shortcomings and struggles.
“Health,” James said bluntly. “Max [Christie] went down today … So our whole year has been about health.”
Christie left the game late in the first half and did not return after hurting his ankle. The second-year wing joined D’Angelo Russell (knee), Gabe Vincent (knee surgery), Cam Reddish (ankle) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot).
Despite missing several of their rotation players, the Lakers kept the game close and tied it with 2:18 left on Austin Reaves’ 3-pointer. The Nuggets responded with a 10-2 finishing kick to beat the Lakers again.
LeBron Praises Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic’s Chemistry
Reaves noted that the Nuggets went to their bread-and-butter play with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic’s 2-man game down the stretch to seal their second straight win against the Lakers this season.
But even if the Lakers knew what was coming, they were not able to stop it.
“Very good teams have the ability to run plays late in the game that they have ran all game,” James said. “You know you have certain packages they can go to where they can get a really good shot but it makes it even more dynamic when you have a point guard and you have a center as great as Jamal [Murray] and [Nikola] Jokic. So it definitely helps the play calls when you have those two guys.”
The Nuggets hit 2 3-pointers courtesy of Murray and Michael Porter Jr. out of Jokic’s high-post play during their 10-2 closing run. Their other field goals during that run came off Murray’s floater and Porter Jr.’s alley-oop in transition.
Why Lakers Stood Pat at the Trade Deadline
Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had an interesting analogy on why they stood pat the trade deadline.
“My job is always to look for ways to upgrade our roster, but you can’t buy a house that’s not for sale,” Pelinka told reporters via Lakers Nation. “The right move wasn’t there, and it’s a thoughtful and tricky calculus at times. … We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more impactful movement potentially in June and July.”
The Lakers will have access to as many as 3 first-round picks in the offseason which they believe is enough to land them a star.