The Los Angeles Lakers have hovered around .500 for most of the 2021-22 NBA season.
Considering that this group came into the season with title aspirations, to say it has disappointed thus far would be an understatement.
Has that started to wear on this veteran-laden group?
This week, Carmelo Anthony got brutally honest about his squad’s woes during a session with the media.
“I understand the chaos that you’re talking about, but we try not to pay attention to the chaos,” he said.
“It is what it is. People are going to talk. Me personally, I don’t really know what people are saying. I try to stay away from it. That’s how I cope with it.
“But for the most part, I think we do a great job of just staying together in that locker room. That’s what’s important. We never waver. We never lose our confidence. We talk things out. If something is going on, we bring it to the forefront and we address it. If somebody has something to say, we give them the floor to say that.”
Beyond that, Anthony said his teammates have done a good job keeping things in perspective. They regard the outside noise as just that – noise.
“As far as the way we deal with how we’re playing, or the games that we’re losing that we’re not supposed to be losing – it’s part of the game,” he continued.
“We control that, nobody else. … Our confidence level has not wavered as this point.”
It will be interesting to see where L.A. goes from here.
This week, a team stepped forward and revealed it would be willing to take Russell Westbrook off the Lakers' hands – for a steep price. Time will tell if the front office opts to accept that deal.
If that were to happen, and should the Lakers be able to pull off one of the trades they’ve been linked to in recent days, there would be grounds for optimism in regard to turning the season around.
However, should everything remain the same as it has been – then the results will likely remain the same, too.
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