📅 Published on: 2024-12-03 16:01:01
⏱ Duration: 00:16:49 (1009 seconds)
👀 Views: 565088 | 👍 Likes: 6801
📝 Video Description:
On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe debate whether LeBron James’ recent struggles with the Los Angeles Lakers are a bad stretch or a bad sign.
0:00 Are LeBron’s struggles a bad stretch or a bad sign?
3:00 Shannon Sharpe thinks LeBron will come out of this slump
3:12 Stephen A. says on LeBron and the Lakers are on a fast track to nowhere
8:20 Stephen A. says it’s time to ask why is LeBron still playing
10:30 LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan
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🎙 Channel: ESPN
🌍 Channel Country: United States
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🕵️♂️ Transcript:
LeBron James and the Lakers blown out by Minnesota last night 10980 LeBron tied a season low with 10 points on four of 16 shooting from the field it’s his six straight game shooting below 45% it’s his longest streak doing that since 2004 20 years ago here’s LeBron on what’s frustrating him about his game no just period it’s everything it’s the Rhythm still Rhythm the last few three four games we are measuring the players and and you know we we we can tell if a guy’s running hot or whatever he does a remarkable job of taking care of his body and and uh getting recovery um I don’t know I you know I don’t know that’s in the best interest of of him and us if he does that um but if he’s feeling well and feeling good then he should play but we we obviously um want to want to manage that as as best we can still trips me out seeing JJ doing his thing proud of him obviously he’s referring to LeBron playing all 82 yes Shay I want to come to you yeah Ju Just talk to me about what you just heard in terms of the sound and and LeBron struggles well I think I don’t think 82 is in the best interest of anyone I don’t know if at this point in time LeBron has anything to prove by trying to play 82 games considering I don’t know if he’s ever played 82 games so at this juncture of your career year 22 you trying to play 82 games it’s almost like you’re trying to prove a point see I could have played 82 if I really wanted to and so I don’t think that benefits him or the or the team but when you look at it yeah he’s in one of the worst stretches of his career uh I mean that’s I mean you pick 20 year 22 to all of a sudden find something wrong with I can point out the years I’m just say I can do that go ahead yeah I you know what guys y’all y’all know me I I don’t like to give a guy an excuse um maybe it’s the Olympics maybe that’s catching up with him having to play um but at the end of the day he’s not playing well it’s incumbent of him in order to play well nobody’s really played well over the stretch you look at ad he had 12 points uh dton connect uh second straight game he scored in single digits but LeBron isn’t playing well he’s not shooting the ball well he mentioned that he uh he’s off Rhythm 0 of 19 from the three-point line and and to shoot less than 40% from the field and and I I noticed something steephen is that when he doesn’t go to the free throw line now that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get fou we know LeBron James gets officiated a little differently maybe sometimes it’s the Sha syndrome because he’s so big and they think he should play through contact but LeBron I can’t I can’t find a great reason uh I don’t think he’s injured uh uh he’s just playing bad and at the end of the day it comes down to are you doing it or are you not doing it and he isn’t doing it but do I expect him to play I mean because the standard is so high he’s averaging 22 10 and eight most people that is a great season but when you’re the goat that’s unacceptable Stephen before you jump all over him I just want to know do you feel like obviously we say a game of swings game of runs Etc and it’s still very early in the season do you feel like this is a a bad stretch or a bad sign for LeBron I think I think it’s a bad stretch for him I I think this is something that he’ll get out of yes not a bad sign huh it’s not a bad sign okay okay okay all you know first of all it’s good to see you so it’s so lovely to have you here in studio for this particular subject at hand I mean I’m just so touched that you’re here right now I didn’t know if you going to show up this morning I really did after I watched them get their ass kicked last night in Minnesota I didn’t know if you was going to show up Shannon so I give you a lot of props and when you say of 19 from the field I’m glad you broke that up because I was wondering whether I over for 19 from three over the last four games you didn’t mention the last four games but it’s okay the bottom line is you threw out that stat because I wanted to make sure that you threw out the Nuggets did you know I don’t know if you knew this stat do you know that the Los Angeles Lakers have been outscored by 111 points on the floor when braon is on the floor yes okay so we have to get into that so because we understand he’s Mount Rushmore we understand he’s one of the top four players in the history of one of top three players in the history of basketb we ain’t going to say he’s or that’s all I’m say he’s two he ain’t number one a no goat okay goat in terms of longevity I’ll give that to him that’s about it we have to get to a point when we’re looking at LeBron James and we want to be we we want to be fair the man is phenomenal he’s great he’s a treasure to the NBA we all appreciate him but when we talk about slippage I got to look at the totality of his game I’m seeing him get burnt on defense a lot I’m seeing him not getting back on defense line not knocking that he’s go he’s approaching 40 years of age he shouldn’t have to he should have more help okay and so ultimately we have to get to a point where at this stage and point in your career we do have to legitimately ask LeBron James what you’re playing for because guess what Lakers ain’t going nowhere let’s call it what it is and I’m very proud of JJ reick I’m very proud of the job that he’s done and I think he’s going to be a damn good coach in the NBA years to come I really really believe that this is no shade on him I’m looking at the roster I’m looking at the development or lack thereof of the players around him whether tcha Mora whether it’s D’Angelo Russell Mr Cruz control himself that’s what I call him okay or whomever else you want to come up with Austin Reeds High one day low another whatever the case may be when you are a squad that is literally relying on Anthony Davis who’s the top candidate for League MVP on this is year top cand he’s one of the top candidat for League MVP he deserves it but when you’re relying on him and LeBron James and you have nobody else to point to that you can trust right corre all right other than rookie Dalton connect because I like what I’m seeing from him and he’s only going to get better that’s a damn shame and so when we look at the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James I’m saying to myself you going into these games you kind of know that you can’t afford to be what he’s been at certain intervals yet he he he he you know usually he’ll recognize that and say all right I got to step it up right this particular instance that’s not the case right now Shannon so what I’m asking you is what is this year about with LeBron James was it really about having that moment with bronnie and making sure you had that you know on your bucket list and now that that’s achieved you’re just going through the motions of a season is it age and attrition that’s finally kicking in I don’t know the answer to this question but I do know this I don’t expect 0 for 19 but it’s not like I expected him to be a prolific three-point shooter corre and right now the way that he is struggling the Lakers are on a fast track to Nowhere theyve what is it they lost like seven of their last n or five of their last seven something like that right all right after six after a five game winning streak they’re on a fast track to nowhere shanon I want to know what are you going to say when that happens ultimately well I think it’s a combination Stephen A I think he really wanted to play in the Olympics he knew this was his last chance to play on the international stage with KD and Steph he had never played with Steph before on the international stage and I think that’s something that he really wanted he mentioned this five maybe five six seven years ago about the opportunity to play with his son bronny now he has that but at the end of the day because as if you’re a great player Molly and Stephen A you know this if you are a historically great player they don’t compare you to other great players they compare you to a younger self and so if we measure LeBron by himself he playing awful if you measure him against that most people would take at any year 22 10 and 8 but that’s not how we measure him because we haven’t seen the greatness in great stretches like we’re used to seeing do I expect him to shoot 40% when he’s a career 50 uh 50 and a half% shooter from the floor do I expect him to continue this trend no I do not the thing that concerned me the most Evena is his turnovers there was a for the league lead with Brandon Ingram since November 13th yeah but why can’t just be a slump that he back from we see this with players all the time if anybody’s going to figure it out it’s LeBron James unless you’re saying it’s attrition no but I think the thing is is that when you’re great you’re not supposed to go through slumps that’s what we say because man nobody ever had this if we have to wait till year 22 to say this man is in a slump we seen him in slump before stop that we’ve seen him SLP before that’s what you do that’s what you do when LeBron James has never been in a slump now he might not have been in a slump like this since his rookie year and I get that part but he’s been in slumps before here’s what I’m saying to you and this is the point to get to your point Molly yeah you might measure guys against their younger self that’s an argument that’s valid but you know what else we do we do get to a point when you’re a champion we ask why you still playing as opposed to stepping away when you on a high because if you’re the Los Angeles Lakers and you ain’t going anywhere we’re asking I think it’s getting to a point where we might have to start asking ourselves well what you still playing for ask you a question did you ever pose that question to the guy that went to Washington oh no no no no I did not let me tell you why I did it let me tell you why I didn’t it we all know that Michael Jordan all of us that cover the NBA knows that Michael Jordan went to Washington because he thought he was going to get an ownership stake from a Poland at the time the owner of the Wizards and what happened was is that all right you want to own a piece of this team we want you to come play for the franchise that was why Michael Jordan came out of retirement it didn’t work out and then he ended up rolling to Charlotte with former bet owner Bob Johnson the point is the only reason he came out of retirement to go to Washington was for ownership that’s what happened if he had won a championship so that Championship wouldn’t have matter I’m sorry if he had won a championship in Washington yeah of course it would have matter why that’s not what he went there for he didn’t went to win a championship I understand that but what I’m saying to you is he first of all they weren’t good enough we all know H you tell the goat you me to tell me the goat can’t BL everybody Al you can’t play can’t wa when I get that just like LeBron can’t play one but check this out if I’m going in there to get ownership and everybody in their Grandmama knows that’s why I’m there that’s entirely different than me going on the court every day I’m still a king I got cats like Shay Shay wearing goat mask on National Television telling everybody it’s the goat and then the minute The Narrative doesn’t twist in your favor you got your you got your peeps calling Folks up getting on us about what what we’re not the the narrative that isn’t accurate enough for their liking yeah Michael Jordan didn’t have to do that but you get me started with that you ain’t going to win this argument my guy is in a six game slump I know a guy that was in a twoyear slump and a nobody say a word who who would it be because he was a six- time champion who would it be because he was undefeated in six trips to the finals in MVP in every single final could it be because he was unquestionably the greatest player that that God has ever graced a basketball court with you mean that’s reason why look at num look at them numbers look at them numbers right there now one guy one guy was in year 22 look at look at them numbers hold on excuse me are you really going to compare that to the to the softest putty game that I mean it’s like it’s like listen listen today’s NBA bring monitor closer I got to see that monitor bring that closer for the man is Ste right there that’s why smiling like that cuz he know I got him you know good and damn well today’s NBA game is T himount to f I mean it’s telling about the flag football compared to what it was in the 80s and early ’90s you got to be kidding me you can’t compare the two man 29% matters what 29% we we don’t went through a straight we don’t went through a SL was a three-point shooter the threes wasn’t implement the threes existed but it wasn’t implemented to the degree that it is now the days of Mike dantony with Steve Nash and all of those guys changed the game you got cat now if he could have made him listen we see excuse me if he could have made I saw the brother drop about six in the first half of an NBA Finals game against Portland did you forget that and by the way by the way he wasn’t 69250 but he still went to the hole all the time all the time what are you talking about you have no argument here on was he going to the hole when he was in Washington who Mike not as much of course not he was 40 my got 40 again I’m GNA hold on I’m G repeat this I’m gonna repeat this again today’s game is tanam out to flag football compared to the NFL the NBA now and I’m not disrespecting the players I’m talking about the game and how the rules CH the game is are you going to deny that the game is considerably softer today than it was it was Far More Physical back in the day but I believe the players are more skilled now okay I’m not even refuting that but I’m saying to you if you consider more if you could get called for a foul for passing gas in today game last year and when Michael Jordan was playing you would getting mugged and they would still you wouldn’t even get a flagrant you were all right hold on talking about Steph we’re going to break in a second I know where Shannon stands he’s just saying not a break we’re going to we’re going to football Jeff St saying right there but but you’re saying on this I don’t know if it’s preaching he’s all hype but you’re obviously you’re saying for LeBron it’s a bad stretch I believe it’s a bad stretch I don’t believe I don’t believe it’s for where where are you cuz You’ thrown out a lot of narratives like did he just come back for his son and check out I’m saying to you my LeBron James is still on the Mount Rushmore one of the greatest players to have ever lived he’s one of the greatest players in the game right now okay I’m not taking that away from him what I’m saying is he’s not what he used to be there is some slippage and when you’re playing on a team that clearly ain’t going any damn where unless he leads them at age 40 there does come a point in time where you as a basketball fan are asking well damn since you’re a four-time champion why be a part of this did you but but did you think it was going to be this way did you think yes yes I didn’t expect much from the Lakers you felt like he should just I I want listen listen personally speaking we all know me we know I it’s about my social life in May and June I want to be in La I mean I ain’t going to apologize I want to be in LA in Miami that’s my dream I’m still mad that during the lockout Miami and La played in the finals all of these years that was my dream match up and they had to do it in a bubble because of Co I’m still depressed about that that’s my dream scenario but that’s the only reason listen damn it I find myself Roo for the Clippers half the time because they Los Angeles I mean this is what I’m trying to talk about I’m not going to apologize you know what let’s get je a chair but you know what I wish uh Lebron James could have taken four years off during his career you feel like that you should be ashamed that is nonsense scandalous hold this hold on hold on Saturday hold on for a second this is the thing that sh I want America to see that I want y’all put the camera on me damn it I want an ISO shot right here this is the problem with Shannon sh right here this dude in the wait room man still he got muscles coming out of here he work out all the time he’s the epitome of physicality but he going to ignore how physical the game was when MJ was playing compared to what it is now for LeBron he he got four years off can you imagine Molly can you imagine if if LeBron James had said he need timeout because he was mentally and physically fatigued can you imagine the media would have been all over him did he say it stepen a I just want to know one thing one thing no no you’re right did he say that yeah but remember what happened though let’s be sensitive to that the first go around this first time we know what about the next what about the next time what about the next time well the next time he retired he only came back for ownership that’s the point we don’t do that you don’t do it you don’t come back for ownership really really what well if you com wrong with you something wrong with you come back and be a owner because if you’re on the basketball court all I’m looking at is you as they did not facilitate him just coming in as an owner a Poland said I’ll give you a piece of the pie if you come back and play for my team and you could be a part owner they went against and he and he couldn’t get that team to the playoff the goat the goat couldn’t drag those guys long that’s what you ask LeBron to doable that’s what you ask LeBron to do because today’s game is the soft as cottel tissue compared to the ‘ 80s and early ’90s and the man of Steal should know that should know that should know that je do you want to say anything michaelan go to Stephen A is 100% right 100% right they one goat and that man’s a Tar Hill don’t even get the rest of this nonsense all this he about can you imagine Michael Jordan at 40 trying to go in with the bash Brothers trying to lay hat on people back if we if we ask people at home who do you think won that debate oh Stephen A really understand how you’re you’re what time we I don’t know know cuz we Hot Blooded that’s all it is [Music]
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