EL SEGUNDO — One of the many things LeBron James said during an ESPN interview on Monday morning: He thinks the Lakers can compete for a championship as is.
If so, the 38-year-old has a funny way of showing it.
The more notable comment from his interview with ESPN’s Michael Wilbon was that he was “disappointed” that the Lakers didn’t land Kyrie Irving, his 30-year-old former teammate who was traded from Brooklyn to Dallas in a deal that was finalized on Monday afternoon.
“I’m definitely disappointed,” he said. “I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent, but (also) someone that I had great chemistry with – I know I got great chemistry with on the floor – that can help you win championships, in my mind, in my eyes.”
Added James: “But my focus is shifted now. My focus is shifted back to where it should be and that’s this club now and what we have in the locker room. It’s a quick pivot. It don’t take me long.”
The question might be if the Lakers believe that James, who is being spotlighted this week as he prepares to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, is “10 toes down” on the current roster.
The NBA trade deadline looms Thursday at noon PT, and the 13th-place Lakers (25-29) are stuck at the back of a Western Conference glut of 11 teams separated by only five games in the standings. The implication of James’ disappointment about not landing Irving – voted an All-Star starter this season – is that the Lakers would have had to ship out teammate Russell Westbrook, the 34-year-old guard who James helped stump for to come to L.A. in a summer 2021 trade.
The dream of a Big Three of James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook has evidently not worked well: Injuries and poor on-court chemistry led to them missing the playoffs last season, and they’re on track to miss out again this season. In his season-and-a-half with the Lakers, Westbrook has seen his on-court role shrink to…
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