The Lakers lost their third consecutive game to open the 2018/19 season on Monday night, dropping their record to 0-3 and making them one of four NBA teams that remains winless. However, speaking after the game to reporters, including ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron James said that he’s not fazed by his new team’s slow start.
“It’s not tough,” James said after the loss to the Spurs. “I know what I got myself into. It’s a process. I get it. And it will be fine. … I didn’t come here thinking we were going to be blazing storms right out of the gate. It’s a process, and I understand that.”
There have been some concerning signs for the Lakers in their first three games — the club has allowed 131.7 points per contest, has only shot 28.7% on three-pointers, and has struggled to get reliable production from the center position, relying last night on newly-signed two-way player Johnathan Williams for key minutes down the stretch.
Still, the Lakers’ schedule so far has featured three strong Western Conference opponents in the Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Spurs, and James is right that the Lakers’ new-look roster was expected to take some time to jell. When LeBron has changed teams in the past, his new clubs have been a little slow out of the gate — the Heat were 9-8 to open the 2010/11 season, while the 2014/15 Cavaliers got off to a 5-7 start. Those teams turned things around, and the four-time MVP expects the Lakers to do the same.
“We’re going to continue to get better,” James said. “We’re going to continue to get better. I like the direction we’re going in. Obviously, it’s not resulting in the wins right now, but it’s such a long process.”
2017-18 Cleveland squad was the worst team I dragged to the finals?
Hold my beer.
Here we go with the bs, he’s the problem not the team. The Lakers were one of the best defenses in the game last season and now that LeBron is there they are garbage. They are better without LeBron on the court.
LeBron, welcome to the Western Conference.
Are you a planted commenter to drum up comments? Because honestly I’ve read so many contradictions of yours that anything you say shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Just an observation.
(Goes back to lurking)
If you haven’t been here in some time let me tell ya I used to like LeBron but that bum quit once again the 2018 Finals and it’s always the same stupid narrative. If he wins it’s him and if he loses it’s his teammates, that’s why no one wants to play with that bum anymore.
Dionis is always good for a daily laugh
He literally broke his hand. I don’t know if you have ever tried to play basketball at a high level with 1 hand before, but it is damn near impossible and he still managed to pull his own weight. If JR scores that ez putback, James doesn’t break his hand and the series is closer (still don’t think they win, but more competitive)
He didn’t break his hand, he sprained it hitting the backboard. It didn’t matter, they couldn’t beat the Warriors. They lost 8 of the last 9 games i the playoffs to the Warriors. Dionis is right. A lot of people said he quit.
lmaooo “broken hand”
Lakers defense wasnt the same last year after the first 2-3 months. It was bad in the 2nd half of the season…short samples mean nothing. KCP, Ingram, Hart, Bogut was why they were better defensively in that short sample size, and that’s why Lonzo Ball improved on that end, as he isnt as lengthy as you would think for his size
Lakers 21st ranked defense last year. Dionis makes this BS up as he goes along
I’ll take Luka Doncic over LeBron James. Luka is a better shooter,better passer,better floor general, and a better ball handler.
Lol don’t overreact this hard man. Mavs do look very good with Doncic but if I had to put my money anywhere it’d be on the Lakers making the playoffs over the Mavs. We’re only 3 games into the season.
Luka is a rookie and does not have a good a team as the Lakers have. What team has bench players as good as Rondo,Stephenson,Hart, and Kuzma? I’ll wait. Luka Doncic is a better basketball player than LeBron James period.
So dirk, Jordan, Matthews, Smith, Powell, Barnes are all garbage? Gtfo Dionis go back to hour Malik monk fan fiction
They are not garbage at all but who has the better roster? The Lakers have the so-called GOAT LeBron.
The Lakers are bringing in brand new pieces in LeBron, Lance, Javale, Rondo, and Beasley it’s gonna take time to figure things out. LeBron will be playing basketball in late April/early May without a doubt
I’m not hitting the panic button until game 20. It’s a new team that has played rather well the first 3 games considering who they played. When your best players are Josh Hart and JaVale McGee you are going to have a tough time.
And Walton has a point on the Lakers being hosed by the refs on going to the free throw line. I hate teams that make their offense rely upon pump-faking their way to free throws…
I agree. Popovich knows how to beat LBJ. Portland has one of, if not the best, backcourt in the NBA and a lot of talent. Houston has the reigning MVP, a HOF PG, and an excellent HC. If they were losing to teams like Sacramento, or the Knicks, or Brooklyn, then I would panic.
Inb4 all the stupidity from ridiculous haters…
Honestly, I usually dont even dignify these people with any attention, but it’s at a totally ridiculous extent right now. There is no point in even making an argument, b/c these people are going to continue to spew their baseless garbage
He makes the big 3 to send it to OT, and ya he missed 2 free throws at the end, but that happens. In fact, it’s happened several times already this year. 3 games in man…Why is Kuzma playing the 5 instead of Beasley or LeBron? Also, there are bigs out there in FA right now that they should look at to supplement Javale, Beasley/LeBron, and Wagner when he comes back.They should move Josh Hart into the starting lineup in place of Ingram during the suspension, for defensive purposes. Chemistry will come after a while. There is a different pace in the NBA this year, and scoring is definitely up, as expected. This is the short version of what should be said. Unfortunately, a lot more than that needs to be said, despite the fact it likely doesnt do anything to shut these people up. I really wish language can be ignored for certain issues here, but it cant, so I’ll have to censor a bunch of words as those words are essential to the emphasis of what I’m trying to say. Also remember when I refer to Lakers fans, I’m talking majority, not the ones that are actually knowledgeable, care about their team, and love the game. I would say the same about any fanbase, as I’ve said my entire life that south Florida sports fans are the worst in sports…keep in mind, it’s a rant, so stuff is a little out of place, and probably not as on point grammatically:
They wouldnt have even been in OT without LeBron and that shot. He missed the big free throws, but it happens…but Lakers fans are dumb, as is the rest of hater nation, and we apparently get the typical reaction, completely ignoring everything he has done his entire career. Btw, lebrons usage rate is an all time career low, 5% down from last year, yet people are now on this new thing claiming he is a ball stopper/ball hog, which is the most ridiculous thing ever for soooooo many reasons; An obvious one that now comes to mind is the amazing hypocrisy behind Kobe Bryant fans talking s#!+. Are they $×@#!%& serious?! I dont even dignify their stupidity with any attention at all, but they should be called out hard, and LeBron should be the one to do it. $#@% them. Their team would be completely irrelevant without Magic Johnson and LeBron James. LeBron should be like, “That’s fine. This is for us then. If you’re not with us, we dont need you. We dont want you.” And he should honestly say out loud that those people are even worse than any of the people that shat on him when he was in Miami, even the hypocrites in Cleveland. He should say they’re lucky his kids go to school there b/c otherwise, he wouldnt taint himself by being associated with those sacks of garbage that pretend to call themselves real basketball fans. People calling into the radio and going back to the amazingly ridiculous narrative that “he just isnt clutch.” People posting on here, with their vitriol for whatever reason. The other day, he tweeted about a hilarious typo at the heat game, and all the comments were from Lakers fans trashing him. What a joke. It’s so $#@×!%& stupid. Also, people act like this isnt his 16th season. Like…you people know he is almost 34, right? Jordan played 11.3 years with the Bulls, counting his injury year, and when he came out of retirement. He also obviously had that 1 season he didnt play at all when he first retired, in between the championship runs. His final season with the Bulls was his age 34 season. Then he took 3 more years off in retirement, and played 2 more years in Washington, where he was still really, really effective, but obviously not what he was when he was younger. That gave him a total of 13.5 seasons his entire career. As I said, this is Lebrons 16th season. They play at a different pace than they did in the mid-late 90s. LeBron likely has a lot more mileage on his body at this point. People talk about his defense now, and it’s like, really? Like he wasnt a great defender most of his career, and he doesnt turn it up in the playoffs when it matters. Lebron coasts in the regular season. We all know that. This isnt new. It’s to keep his body together for the end of the season. And then the leadership “issues” people have started talking about or how he is some kind of hindrance to his teammates. These narratives make no $+@#!%& sense, and yet people continue to spew it, and people in the media continue to let it go, creating more idiots. I understand needing to talk about lebron for financial reasons, but there are more than enough positives to discuss those things, instead of constantly digging for stuff that doesnt exist. Hindering his teammates…what a $+@#!%& joke. Those guys get more opportunities than they ever did before, with so much space. Cant even be $+@#!%& greatful you have a top 3 player of all time on your $#!+ team. I remember thinking Miami didnt deserve LeBron when he first came here, but this is on a whole different level/ end rant
Trade the bum, he has no clause on his contract. He would be good riddance so Ingram,Hart, and Kuz can keep on developing and the Lakers can get back to playing team ball instead of having this narcissist on the Lakers.
Nobody is going to do what a troll thinks they should do.
There was like 15 comments before you wrote that essay, you weren’t “inb4”
I was at work, so it took a good while to type up on my phone lol
I’m just sick of the amazing stupidity around all the hate for this guy. I mean seriously…how many years have we been doing this now? What year are we even in at this point? I thought it was late 2018, but I dont know. Or maybe this is the perfect representation of this country, and the world, in 2018.
Preach my man, preach
I don’t like Tom Brady, but he is the GOAT and I can respect his game. I like LBJ, and he’s SGOAT behind Michael. It’s unlikely that any player on the current Laker’s roster will ever make an All Star game.
Here’s the disconnect – LBJ is one of the best players, but also a good person in the community etc… and you hate him.
But all you haters would the ones to line up and go down and protest for like Meek Mill to get out of jail b/c gun and drug possession and violating parole are societal ideals?
You all act like he kicked your dog.
It’s about LeBron’s ego. Jimmy and Kawhi don’t want to play in L.A. (Durant won’t either, he’s not going to New York-he told the reporter in NYC to shut up about free agency). these guys don’t want to have to deal with the media. LeBron thrives on drama.
Brian Windhorst said, ” Did Kyrie take himself out of free agency?” He did, but the media still won’t go away.
What I love is after the Rockets game. CP3, his wife, Carmelo, and LeBron waited outside the arena together for their vehicles. LeBron chose to be with his real friends.
Lol you were just telling us the other day that Butler and Kawhi want to go to the clippers
This is true. The Clippers don’t have the media around them like the Lakers do. I gave you the source that said the Clippers were Kawhi’s 1st preference, Toronto 2nd, and Lakers 3rd. Obviously you didn’t read it. lol
Exactly. What is there to hate him for? Is it the charity event where he raised hundreds of thousands, possibly a couple of million (I cant remember) dollars for kids 8 years ago? Or was it the for Heat fans only celebration where they were asked what their goals were, and if they’re looking to win not 1, but multiple titles, and they responded “ya, we want to win multiple titles, not just 1, not 2, not 3…” Were they supposed to say “No, we’re good with the money, and we’re going to try to get in there as an 8th seed, but if we dont win, whatever?” What a joke
Let’s give everybody credit they deserve. I Promise is a good thing. It will cost $8mm a year to operate. $6mm will come from Akron taxpayers. Other will come from people like Ellen DeGeneres. We need to thank LeBron, as well as everyone who is contributing to keep it operating.
Just like the Lakers denying Rondo spit on CP3, even saying they didn’t see it on tv. I saw the official version on “The Athletic,” and I saw it. I get my info from surfing the web and you guys hate it. Most of you guys info is strictly “what you think.”
No it’s just annoying that you point out irrelevant/super off topic stuff, mostly stuff that everyone already knows has been previously reported, a lot of it on this website, and its usually all over the place
Or that my stuff isn’t my opinion and I get it from articles on the web. You guys can’t handle criticism that isn’t your opinion. Life is a 2 way street. There are always 2 sides to a story.
I dont even know what you’re saying. You keep saying stuff about researching articles A) as if nobody else does B) totally randomly and unprovoked C) as if anyone is disagreeing with reports they’ve already seen either here or elsewhere. Most of the time you arent even stating opinions. You’re just mentioning a bunch of random news, usually not pertinent to the actual post, and usually stuff that everyone either already knows or doesnt care about b/c its irrelevant
When it’s not pertinent, I point it out. I get my articles from goog professional writers, unlike you who do good research. That’s why we have Bing, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, NBC, ESPN, etc. Most people get on the computer to read their news, not your blog comments. They want real professional news.
That;s good professional writers. I want their opinions.
What don’t you understand about you only recollect from what you read is the part that you believe in. There’s a term for this condition.
You do realize when I say here, I’m obviously referring to the articles, not comments…
I usually don’t read your stuff. Ididn’t your long writing here. I don’t care if you like my writing. I like what Luke and these professional writers write. What you guys write doesn’t mean a thing to me. I know you guys information isn’t credible.
I have a subscription to ESPN, the Athletic, and I read their sources. When I see a good article, I let them know. My info isn’t mine, it can be traced to a credible source.
Again…I have no idea what you’re even saying
Fair weather fan
Not every sports fan is obsessed with 1 player. Start using the ESPN trade machine, you don’t know how to figure the salary cap.
Lets be honest LeBron’s ego isn’t half as big as Mio or Dionis
LeBron is religious. I believe the Bible where it says “The meek shall inherit the earth.” That’s why I like Kawhi and Kevin Durant, who are superstars, but prefer to keep things private, like Aaron Rodgers.
My username is for Peyton Manning (no.18). He has his name on a children’s hospital in Indianapolis, a statue outside the stadium, and is world renowned for his character and community service.
Durant is constantly making comnents. You’re making things up again. Oh wait… somebody mentioned Lebron… time for you and your buddy Dionis to freak out.
I’m done giving you sources. You are the biggest one who makes things up, and the biggest one who can’t handle criticism on LeBron. Like Lonzo said, he’s not God. I have no trouble looking up information. It’s time you started. I pay $15 a month for ESPN and the Athletic. Don’t bitch about the paywall, get your own subscription. My info has credible sources. “You” make things up.
I read these articles and think some people might like to read them. And then there’s people like you. I really do need to stop.
P.P.S. Durant just told the NYC reporter (it was on here too) not to bother him on free agency. My memory is good. Go Warriors!
I still think you are Thad on Cleveland.com. A know it all smart alec from Sacramento. I know why you do your posts in the middle of the night.
You don’t know how to provide sources even though I spelled it out for you, so yes, I’m sure you’re “done” with them.
But your sources don’t matter to you when you get all emotional and racial.
I haven’t been to cle.com in a while, too much complaining by spoiled “fans”, many of whom like to show off disrespect for players obssessively. For this site, there are fewer of these sad people. But you are one.
Again, not Thad, get over yourself.
“and is world renowned for his character and community service” you talking about LeBron?
I haven’t seen a Lakers game since Kobe left, and I won’t watch a game that LeBron is in. I don’t like selfish players. You guys are jealous of Peyton. Later dudes!
The lakers will make the playoffs regardless but get bounced by GS early on
@x%sure: The Warriors swept the Cavs last season. Durant got MVP for the 2nd year in a row. LeBron is being honest saying the Lakers are a long ways off from the Warriors. The Lakers have lost 3 in a row. LeBron has lost 7 consecutive regular season games. Like Lonzo was saying when they asked him how he liked practicing with LeBron. He said, “He’s not God. He’s just another one of the guys like the rest of us.”
Never said he was God. I crit him all the time. But you are obssessed with him and racist. Also what does Peyton Siva have to do with anything. Tighten up man quit blubbering.
People need to finally realize, and let it sink in, that LeBron is an aging veteran. 34 is young for life, but old for the NBA. Especially with the kind of miles LeBron has on him.
Anyone with common sense could see that this wasn’t going to turn out well. It isn’t 2010. This is only going to get worse as he ages.