Jeanie Buss opened up on Anthony Davis being the main star for the Los Angeles Lakers and spoke about what they need to do to make the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that will always be at the center of attention, being the most successful franchise in the modern NBA. The Lakers faithful expect success every season, which has made things difficult these last few seasons. The Lakers are well outside the play-in spots this season, and this is coming off the back of a season where they missed the tournament entirely.
LeBron James playing at the highest level any 38-year-old has in the game's history only adds to the pressure. The Lakers have been shafted by some egregious calls, but there is more to it than that. The roster construction has been poor, and both Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss have come under scrutiny for the same. While the Lakers have made a trade, their fans are far from satisfied. And with the questions piling up, Jeanie has now spoken about the situation.
Jeanie Buss Got Real On The Lakers' Play-In Tournament Chances And Anthony Davis
There are many things to discuss regarding the Lakers this season, including whether changes need to be made to the roster and the front office. Rob Pelinka is trusted by the organization, but he is not immune from criticism. Jeanie Buss spoke to Stephen A. Smith recently about the situation and opened up on all these topics.
On Rob Pelinka: "Sometimes it's tough in our business. As we learned when Dr. Buss traded Shaquille O'Neal, that you gotta keep evolving and moving the team forward. Having to relieve Frank Vogel of his coaching responsibilities was really tough. He had just won us the championship. But for the roster that we had, we had to make a change. Rob Pelinka has found, in Darvin Ham, the coach that we need, and I think he's done a fabulous job."
On Play-In Tournament: "We are under .500, and I don't think we would make the play-in unless we're at least .500. We're 3 games under, we're slowly getting our starters back. Anthony Davis is playing, hopefully Lonnie Walker will be back during this road trip. Austin Reaves. I think as we get healthy, then we'll know what we have."
On Anthony Davis: "You can't judge what the team is going to be without the star player Anthony Davis, who we built the team around. When your star goes down, there's very few teams that can continue to win when their top player is out."
These answers will be a bit concerning to Lakers fans. Darvin Ham has been called out for some of his decisions lately. And while Anthony Davis is a superstar, LeBron James has still been the main man on the Lakers for a while. The roster has holes even without injuries, so the hope will be that the Lakers do make it to the postseason, as Jeanie Buss doesn't look too keen on changes at the moment.
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