Lakers News and Rumors: Has Los Angeles Become Most Unpopular Destination for NBA Free Agents?
Look at the greatest players in NBA history and the odds are, at some point in their careers, they played in Los Angeles. Whether it was by the draft, via trade, or free agency, the best players in the league always seemed to end up with the Lakers.
Even the Clippers have attracted great talent over recent years, as they are the best team in Los Angeles.
But this offseason has been a disaster for both the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers have salary cap issues, Kobe Bryant is on the decline and unwilling to take less money, and the team hasn't even signed a head coach yet. Steve Nash, 40, is still set to make $9 million. Many predicted this would be the best offseason for the Lakers in decades. While it was unlikely that LeBron James would take his talents to Los Angeles, many still believed that Carmelo Anthony would.
Unfortunately for Lakers Nation, he returned to the New York Knicks. Even Kevin Love would rather play for the Cleveland Cavaliers than the Los Angeles Lakers.
When did we think you would ever see that? And can we blame Love for thinking that way?
It was just last season that All-Star center Dwight Howard left the Lakers for the Houston Rockets. The addition of Jeremy Lin is good, but let's remember, there's only one year left on his contract. He may leave after next year, just like Howard did.
All of the questionable decisions by owner Jim Buss have finally caught up to the franchise.
Then, there's the Clippers, who have improved dramatically over the years. The franchise has finally given their fans something to cheer about, except for the fact that they share the same arena as the Lakers. But the Donald Sterling controversy still hangs over this team and it is hurting their offseason dearly.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said recently, "it hurts us," regarding to free agency and trades. Other owners meet with high profile player in hopes of a signing. The Clippers obviously can't do that because Sterling is banned. As of now, Donald Sterling is still the owner of the Clippers. Although he cannot make any trades and has been banned from the arena, he is still technically the owner. If Doc Rivers was currently unemployed, do you think he would choose the Clippers knowing about Sterling? There was a possibility the Clippers were going to sign Luol Deng, but he, too, went to Cleveland. The Clippers still have defensive flaws and this offseason hasn't been favorable to them either.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Kobe Bryant is entering his 19th career season in the NBA and is coming off a major injury. Even two seasons ago, when Bryant played 78 games (with Dwight Howard), the Lakers only managed to finish as the No. 7 seed in the West Conference. This year will be more difficult than ever with no Pau Gasol or Steve Blake.
With Lakers' management making terrible decisions and the Clippers still having a racist owner, Los Angeles fans can only lament and watch as all the big talent on the NBA free agent market head elsewhere.