LOS ANGELES, Apr 7 (BUS): Big changes are likely to await the Los Angeles Lakers’ off-season after their NBA playoff hopes were dashed when they fell 121-110 to the Suns in Phoenix on Tuesday.
The match was the seventh consecutive loss for the team that entered the season 31-48 with high expectations after adding veteran goalkeeper Russell Westbrook to the tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reuters reported.
What was supposed to be a heartwarming homecoming story for Long Beach native and former league MVP Westbrook quickly turned into a nightmare amid injuries for James and Davis that prevented the core from finding true rhythm.
The three played just 21 games together, and were a lackluster 11-10 in those games, and Westbrook’s future with the team is now in doubt after he posted some of the worst numbers of his career in purple and gold.
When asked if he would like to return next season in hopes of getting more time on the court with James and Davis, the 33-year-old said he would.
“That’s the plan, but we promised nothing,” Westbrook told reporters.
“You kind of have to take it one day at a time and you have to play the cards that are dealt to you.
“Yes, we want to see what that will look like over the course of an 82-game season but we’re not sure if that’s guaranteed either. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to do that in the future.”
The Lakers were particularly bad after the All-Star break in February, and are currently playing 17 sub-0.500 games with three contests remaining.
“Our goal was to win the championship,” said Davis, who has played only 40 games this season with ankle and knee injuries.
“I felt we had the pieces but injuries hindered that and that was the difference in our season.
“Even though we lost in matches we were all on the floor, I think we were three great players that would have counted if we scored more minutes together.”
Most people expect the first change to come as head coach, with Frank Vogel possibly replacing Utah Jazz coach Quinn Snyder.
We’ve brought integrity into the process, we’ve just failed in a disjointed season,” said Vogel, who led the team to a championship in the COVID-19 lockdown bubble in 2020.
“We are all very frustrated.”