After a disastrous season last time out, the Los Angeles Lakers have had one of the worst starts in their franchise history this season. They simply have not managed to get the offense flowing and they lack shooters. Apart from that many experts are blaming the general manager ROb Pelinka for building this team without any planning.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas also blames Rob Pelinka for the Lakers struggles this season. People did not expect the Lakers to be fighting for the NBA Championship this season but they at least wanted to be in a more respectful position in the standings. The Lakers are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 5-10 and there have been plenty of struggles for the franchise this season.
The season started with Russell Westbrook’s struggles as he was the main issue earlier. There were talk of him getting traded or dropped down to a more bench role. However, Westbrook has emerged recently and has delivered some noteworthy performances. He has been productive for the Purple and Gold off late but their issues have remained as they have struggled to get the results.
Recently Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on the Lakers team and their journey so far on his ‘No Chill’ podcast. Arenas shared how the Purple and Gold have been unlucky and also been very poor. He also blames Rob Pelinka for the struggles this season.
Speaking about the team and the struggles, Arenas spoke about the badluck and also how poor the Lakers have been this season. He said, “There’s both. The bad luck that they got Pelinka, right? And he created a bad team. That’s how we gonna do that one. So, LeBron didn’t play, right? He didn’t play last game, right? And Russ came off the bench still, right? And you want me to watch that f**king game still? ”
He feels with LeBron James injured he wants to see someone of Russell Westbrook’s calibre more on the court. He was very angry when the all time triple double leader came off the bench even when LeBron was not playing. “LeBron’s gone, Westbrook still comes off the bench? All right. Y’all playing with my emotions, the Lakers,” Arenas added.
Arenas does not like the idea of Westbrook coming off the bench when the Lakers lack that character and leader in absence of Lebron James. It is alright for Westbrook to lead the second unit when LeBron James is fit and fine as both of them are ball dominant and things were not working out that way. But probably the coach Darvin Ham thought of not messing with the chemistry as Westbrook has done well since he has been dropped to a bench role.