The Lakers Are in Ruins

Los Angeles has officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Where do LeBron, Westbrook and Co. go from here?

So this is how it ends for the Lakers, unofficially anyway, with an 11-point loss, with LeBron James on the bench in street clothes and a hobbled Anthony Davis looking like he belonged next to him, with its aging roster getting boat raced by a younger, more athletic one, with its 74th season as an NBA franchise ending as perhaps its most humiliating.

The Lakers will not make the playoffs.

They will not make the play-in.

After this weekend, they are going home.

“Extremely disappointing,” said Frank Vogel.

Said Carmelo Anthony, “This was a season that we just didn’t get it done.”

Facing play-in elimination, the Lakers started strong. Russell Westbrook made shots. Dwight Howard made free throws. Davis, still visibly bothered by a lingering foot injury, pulled down rebounds. L.A. led by three after the first quarter. They were within five at the half. Then came a 35-22 Suns run in the third quarter that turned the game into a laugher.

“Our guys stayed fighting until the end,” said Vogel, echoing a familiar refrain.

Great. Is there an award for that?

The Lakers want you to believe injuries derailed this season. James has missed 23 games and may not play another in 2021–22. Kendrick Nunn has yet to see the floor. Vogel called the year “disjointed.” Davis lamented the limited number of games he, James and Westbrook played together. “Feel like we had the pieces,” said Davis, “but injuries got in the way of that.” Two dozen players wore an. L.A. uniform this season. Vogel stitched together 39 different starting lineups. Said Davis, “We had more starting lineups than wins.”

All true. But it’s not why the Lakers are lottery bound. It’s because they traded for Westbrook, offloading what was left of the team’s assets, passing on a more surgical move (Buddy Hield) for the splashier one. It’s because they assembled an old, unathletic roster in an era where youth and versatility reign. It’s because of a chaotic front office with decision makers on the inside (Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, Kurt Rambis) and one (Magic Johnson) lobbing grenades at them from the outside.

They didn’t deserve a shot at the play-in. Last Friday, with a chance to make a final stand, a Lakers team with James and Davis lost to the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans. On Sunday, with its season on life support, L.A. was gashed for 67 second-half points by a Denver team more familiar with adversity than they were. On Tuesday, a Suns team with nothing to play for ran them off the floor.

“I believe once guys prepared for the game, I would like to believe everybody thought we had a chance,” said Westbrook. “But I can’t really speak for everybody’s preparation, how they feel, if we had a real chance. I never quit. It’s not in my personality regardless of what’s happening. I’m going to play to the end, regardless of what’s going on.”

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Changes are coming. Westbrook expressed interest in seeing what a healthy group can do next season. But is he? Westbrook scored 28 points against Phoenix. He shot 50% from the floor. But he committed six turnovers. He will shoot below 45% for the fifth time in the last six seasons. He will shoot sub-30% from three for the fourth time in his last five. For the second straight year his free throw percentage will be in the 60s. There’s an Iverson-like arc to Westbrook’s career that has him on a path to make $47 million next season … in what could potentially be his last.

“Honestly, me personally, the situation that I was blessed to be in, I learned a lot, a lot of different things about myself,” Westbrook said. “I was just able to stay real and faithful and true to what I believe in, regardless of whatever was thrown my way, our way and continue to just fight through regardless of the results.”

Vogel could get fired. Probably will. James, still playing at an MVP-level at age 37, will have a decision to make on a contract extension. Davis could remain a Laker. Or the front office, armed with limited flexibility, could move him for other pieces. Half the roster next season will likely be filled by players on minimum contracts.

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Fixing this won’t be easy. The Lakers are headed for the lottery but that pick is earmarked for New Orleans or Memphis, depending on where it lands. All around L.A. are contenders with brighter futures. James is still great. Davis is still special. But the Lakers, right now, are in ruins.

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