The Los Angeles Lakers You haven’t really done much over the past year.
A series of terrible moves In the 2021 season, he began what is sure to be remembered as one of the worst deals in league history: the one that sent Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards to Los Angeles. After that, the 2021-22 season was as bad as it could have gone with the team missing the playoffs and the entire playing cycle.
The Lakers’ 2022 season has also revolved around Westbrook, with the team having some of the quickest buyer’s remorse you can get with such a big deal, as evidenced by the countless rumors and reports about the team trying to get rid of someone else.
After Donovan Mitchell was dealt with from the Jazz (Team reportedly Can be the Lakers’ business partner for WestbrookTo the Cavaliers, Westbrook’s 2022-23 squad is now the biggest question mark in the league. Basically, every other team in the league has their rosters made for the season, which means everyone is now analyzing how the season ended for each franchise. Who improved? Who got worse? Who is tanks? Well, besides jazz, obviously.
One of the most popular forms of this type of analysis comes annually from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, when Surveys anonymous coaches, scouts and CEOs On various questions about the movements made in the off-season. Of course, since they’re a conversation blocker, the Lakers always come up somehow. But this season, there hasn’t been much mention of them except when it comes to two questions.
The first and most famous was “Which team had the worst off-season?” The Lakers received one of the 15 votes cast for this question, with three teams — the Mavericks, the Hornets, and the Nets — receiving at least more votes than them.
The second question the Lakers answered was, “What is the most surprising move in the off season?” Once again, one vote called for the Lakers, this time for Ross to stay on the team. Here’s what the “scouts” told Bontemps about what was supposed to be their vote.
“I suspect [the Lakers are] “They’re trying to prove to themselves and the other teams that they don’t have to do something,” the scouts said. “I think Westbrook isn’t quite as broke as everyone sees it.
“If he is put on a bad team, he will make the bad team fit. You put him in (Indiana)? It will affect the win.”
Who knows if this “scout” was the same person who voted the Lakers as their worst off-season performance, but I’m sure if Lakers managers saw this, they’d say something along the lines of, “We’re working on it!”
Although training camp will start in less than a month, this “worst unofficial season” in the league is far from over. You have to assume that if Westbrook traded with this poll in retrospect after the said trade was made, the Lakers and Westbrook likely would not have been mentioned at all (unless Rob Pelinka was polled, and he was able to give the Lakers the best chance” vote).
Either way, it’s worth noting that 15 of the coaches, scouts and CEOs - although some of the smartest people in the world when it comes to NBA decision-making - don’t always have the most trustworthy opinions about the off-season.
In the 2021 version of this surveyRoss’ deal for the Lakers was voted by two people as their worst off-season move, however, the Lakers also took five out of 10 votes to win the Western Conference Finals and two of 10 votes to win the The NBA Finals. Needless to say, those last electors were a long way off.
Whether it’s because Ross traded or if Ross, LeBron James and Anthony Davis can find a way to stay healthy and thrive under new coach Darvin Hamm, let’s hope the one who voted for them for their worst inconvenience is wrong.
Otherwise, the agony and gloom of the past year will continue.
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