How LeBron James is HURTING Los Angeles Lakers | Colin Cowherd NBA

How LeBron James is HURTING Los Angeles Lakers | Colin Cowherd NBA

a lot to talk about so um listen I have been overwhelmingly a LeBron defender um my entire career but but there are a couple of things recently that he’s done that give his critics and there’s a lot of them mj’s always been more popular that’s not even disputable and I would say about 75 to 80% of the people think MJ’s the GOAT not LeBron but he’s done something recently i saw yesterday where he picked up his $52.6 million Laker option and in the press release well LeBron wants to win titles well then you can’t pick up the option you can’t play for $52 million it’s a hard cap now no owner’s going to blow through it so first of all he got into that silly ring debate about uh two weeks ago where he talked about something that he didn’t truly believe which is the ring culture it’s overemphasized and then the piece of video emerged of LeBron saying after he won in Cleveland hey that ring I think make me the greatest of all time well I thought I thought the ring culture is overemphasized rings matter to everybody including LeBron and he knows it but he’s not as popular as MJ the numbers we remember about Michael are six for six and Michael is considered the GOAT by a lot of people uh including some notable people like a Phil Jackson um and that’s just the reality of it okay it is and Michael’s much more popular his shoes still leading sellers they’re like collector’s items and they still sell um and so the reality is that debate was silly it was projection and then the second thing is you know LeBron’s always been hey I’m about winning which I’ve always argued he he plays winning basketball he elevates teammates he’s like a more athletic Magic Johnson but then when you do this knowing the Lakers need at least two centers two that’s what Oklahoma City has you know that’s what the Knicks have uh that’s what you know the better teams in the league they’ve got a couple of bigs by the way Denver drafted a bigg he got hurt but they’ll have two next year like you’ve got to have bigs and the Lakers have one and the coach JJ Reic doesn’t want to play him so they need two centers dorian Finny Smith is opting out they need two wing defenders then and you can’t do it if if you’re if you’re taking maxes cuz they got to pay Luca this summer and Austin Reeves just declined money and they take they tell everybody they love Austin Reeves and so you’re gonna have to pay LeBron and he’s opting in for 52.6 million so again what is it are you about winning because I’ve seen Otani take pay cuts and Josh Allen and Tom Brady and Tim Duncan and Jaylen Brunson that’s about winning tom did it for winning he was the best quarterback in the world and he kept taking pay cuts so you’re going to have to pay Luca and I’m told you’re going to pay eventually Austin Reeves so if if LeBron has opted in it’s not a championship team okay and I’ve seen the great ones i mean LeBron now and I don’t envy it there no animosity i don’t think anybody holds it against LeBron that he’s a billionaire we don’t care there’s billionaires everywhere everything we buy at Amazon run by a billionaire who just got married in Venice and Venice is mad but you know most Americans we’re capitalists we’re good with it that’s not it but when you’re telling me ring culture doesn’t matter and you’re telling me winning it’s all about winning no it’s not you just watched OKC in Indiana that had like eight deep rotations that played eight or nine guys the Lakers don’t even trust their starting center jj Reick doesn’t lebron’s getting older luca is hopefully in shape they’re going to have to pay Austin Reeves i’m told they love him so you’re giving your critics cannon fodder to criticize you and for years I’ve always been LeBron’s about winning nah Brady was about winning duncan was about winning josh Allen’s about winning otani is about winning that’s what I’m Jaylen Brunson’s about winning that’s what truly matters to them i don’t feel like they’re projecting they’re actionable on not taking the maximum available so I’m just saying just be of your word do rings matter of course they do and does money matter more than winning at this point absolutely yes it does by the way Kobe Bryant wanted every penny to the end but he was honest about it he was authentic about it he was totally upfront about it there’s multiple quotes about it just be honest with us that’s all we’re asking jac told me during the break he he wants to play a little trivia here so I I just said “I have defended LeBron you know and this could be our last LeBron topic for a while i’ve defended LeBron for years that he’s a winning player he’s more magic than Michael he elevates teammates he doesn’t get in trouble i’m a LeBron fan who’s the best ever i don’t really care they’re different players totally kobe was more Michael lebron’s more magic uh I I don’t care but but there have been moments where I feel like LeBron’s not being totally honest with us like the whole ring culture argument it’s like LeBron it’s a straw man argument we all know Barklay’s great but the reason he isn’t as good as you or Michael or Magic is you guys do have a lot of rings rings do matter and everybody knows it also you can’t tell me it’s about winning when you take the max and by the way Kobe Bryant took the Max but Ow said I’m not giving I may love the Bus family I’m not giving them discounts players shouldn’t give discounts just be honest with me kobe was always upfront about that lebron tends to be a little you know it’s a little passive aggressive i I want to win well not really because this team needs two centers and probably now two wing defenders that’s why I would make an Austin for Derek White trade but okay so you were gonna ask me a trivia question about salary
well okay so I brought up the salary because this idea and I’m not saying you’re saying this but this idea LeBron should just take less if he wants to win that that’s really nonsense okay kobe demanded to be the number one paid player lebron last year can you guess where he ranked in salary last season alone and I’ll I’ll give you Steph Curry was the leader at a $55 million cap
well remember because a lot of people had contracts negotiated last year with the new CBA i’d say he’s probably 15th last year
oh wow that’s pretty good lebron was the 14th highest paid player last year after just legends such as Bradley Beal uh Carl Anthony Towns Damen Lillard like LeBron’s already making less than them i I just don’t want to hear this hey just take less LeBron it doesn’t apply to Otani it doesn’t apply to Tom Brady that’s a
But the difference is salary caps
lebron’s already a billionaire number one and you’re giving me awful contracts and saying “Well LeBron’s isn’t that bad.” Well yeah they it shouldn’t be lebron is thoughtful he’s smart he’s a billionaire he’s got a production company he’s got a shoe deal so LeBron can’t be held to Cat’s standard right
so if cat if the Knicks are also a bad franchise that had to make deals LeBron now is in the Catbird seat I would say for 15 years in this league like Brady at the end Brady was making money endorsements his wife was worth3400 million at the time or more so you couldn’t compare Brady to like anybody else and my take is listen if LeBron wants to win and and by the way if LeBron came out and just said “Hey listen I’m not taking pay cuts all players should get the most they can cuz these guys are all billionaires.” I am totally okay with that but I don’t want in the press release to say “Hey it’s about winning.” OKC’s roster Lakers aren’t close
they’re not they’re not they have nine they got young no no no no no no no no they have two functional centers nine guys they trust on the floor in the finals lakers do not have a trustable big guy from the coaching staff
hartinstein is their highest paid player like come on they look
But again because they’re not paying anybody else the Lakers are different you’re like you’re looking to win the argument luca is guaranteed 240 this summer
right
okay and and Luca is a guy that we’re hoping he’s healthy and in shape so the bottom line is the OKC has two functional centers the Lakers have none none you you cannot win the West against Jokic against OKC size this is what Golden State’s running into okay you can pay Draymond and Steph you have no size you have to go pay for bigs well you you a you can’t have it all that’s just not realistic unless you look into it like the Thunder did building a team and struggling but Colin let me just bring this up you you’ve said eloquently that LeBron really ushered in the player empowerment era people love that
do you know what it would look like if LeBron said “Hey I’ll take 30 mil.”
It would be doing the opposite that would be a sign to every veteran in the league hey don’t get your money take less well LeBron took less he’s put up 24 eight and seven you ain’t doing that take less and it would be like the opposite and it would look pretty bad for players would you not agree well then don’t release time and time again the press release saying it’s all about winning championships sports fans have always had in my opinion a better beat on stuff like this than actual media which tends to protect players like the fans know the fans can see it the ring culture stuff silly argument and it’s all about winning no it’s not i mean Austin Reeves is a better player than a lot of guys maybe in the league he’s not better than Derek White make the deal give up picks if it’s all about winning in LeBron’s last great year lebron is now saying “I got one year left.” He’s saying that one or two year well if you got one or two years Austin Reeves no center LeBron at 41 42 and Luca is not a championship team in the West
wait let me ask you this since the report came out that LeBron is going to uh opt in notice the Lakers have not said anything it’s been 24 hours are you surprised by that because everybody just assume okay it’s a done deal to me it’s the Lakers not really confirming it yet means maybe this isn’t a done deal i I I don’t know does that Does it leave the door open for some something
well if you go look at the Mark Walter group first thing they did with the Dodgers get better upstairs in the front office they got Andrew Freriedman from Tampa they’re going to make a move in scouting and the executive suite the second thing the Dodgers have done since the Mark Walter Group arrived they’ll move off manny Machado Zack Grinky Corey Seager Cody Bellinger they will move off people if the money and the production and the age isn’t right they’ve done it time and time again so I’m telling you what the Lakers are going to do expand the analytics and scouting and start moving off some pieces mark my words they’re always It’s amazing the Dodgers have all this money yet they’re always seeking the very best of the best they will pay for the very best
they moved off MVPs that that LeBron is not with the Lakers next year and he’s somewhere in the East trying to win a title it sounds like he can’t go to Cleveland the money can’t be made right but I don’t know there’s some excellent guys out there do you think he’s not in the Lakers like 5% 10 oh I I’m just telling you the the Bus family needed Kobe and LeBron for merchandise sales and tickets they were the poorest or one of the poorest ownership groups believe it or not the Lakers were Steve Balmer’s the richest right steve Balmer makes a mill a billion dollars a year on dividends from Microsoft he makes a billion dollars a year on dividends from Microsoft the Clippers owners the richest in the NBA the Lakers were bottom two or three the Mark Walters group is going to be much more like Bulmer where like if they wanted to build their own stadium they would the Lakers don’t need that obviously they are going to operate differently
but right now or do they wait here now okay everything if I bought a business for 10 billion you think I’m going to say you know I’m going to act differently in about a year from now everything is going to change they’re going to attack the scouting the analytics they’re going to make the executive suite the best in the league i mean when is the last time the Dodgers called him a minor leaguer and they weren’t exceptional like they just don’t miss on anything
it feels unlikely that they would the Lakers would move off a international global icon right now i know Luca is you know a superstar in the future of the Lakers but moving off LeBron would be a massive surprise to me like he’s
I’m not predicting it i’m just saying unlike the previous owners
right
they could and not lose a second of sleep now the NBA culture is different than base baseball’s got like 10-year deals um baseball tends to romanticize and lean into the past but the Dodgers don’t the Dodgers run their operation like an NFL team what did you do last week not good enough we’re upgrading that’s not what baseball teams do baseball teams tend to lean into the past understand the romance the lore of history all that stuff dodgers don’t you could be an MVP trading deadline off to a bad start we’re getting draft picks and a better player they’ll move off they just And by the way that’s how you should run a franchise that are now valued at$10 billion dollar i’m going to make sure we’re hyperefficient and only pay for the very

Colin Cowherd reacts to LeBron James exercising his $52.6 million player option and how this deal hurts the Los Angeles Lakers’ ability to win an NBA title in the future. He also discusses potential Austin Reaves trades and other ways the Lakers can fix their situation.

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