It’s fair to say the Los Angeles Lakers have not had the season they envisioned when they landed LeBron James, but the truth may be even more embarrassing if you dig beneath the surface a bit.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin took a deep dive into the Lakers’ struggles, and the organization comes off looking quite dysfunctional in the story. One particular anecdote involves the team’s decision to trade promising young big man Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers liked Zubac, a second-year center who was getting just over 15 minutes per game off the Laker bench, but had never even called to ask about his availability. It was the Lakers who called the Clippers and offered Zubac and Michael Beasley in exchange for backup center Mike Muscala, and the Clippers quickly accepted.
Most embarrassingly, Laker icon and current Clippers consultant Jerry West and a group of old friends with ties to the Lakers openly laughed at the team for parting with Zubac while dining out after the deal was made.
Zubac has since started 20 games for the Clippers, averaging nine points and nearly eight rebounds per game.
Let’s just say the Clippers aren’t the only team to laugh at a Laker trade offer this season, albeit for different reasons. It simply does not sound like a well-run organization at this point.
