.jpg)
6 hours ago
2
Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James has been out to start the season due to sciatica in his back. While the Lakers would certainly welcome his return as soon as possible, some think the team would be better off without him.
In a recent episode of KG: Certified, hosted by Kevin Garnett, former Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce suggested that the Lakers would be a better team if they traded the 40-year-old James away.
“If I'm the GM, I’d trade LeBron,” Pierce declared. “We’ve already seen what it looked like last year. We got swept.”
“If they add some other little pieces, then they’ve got a shot because they get more,” Pierce added.
Pierce and James have a long, storied rivalry
Of course, Pierce and James have a long history that goes back to Pierce’s playing days. In history, James was just 18-21 against Pierce in the regular season, but 17-13 against Pierce’s teams in the playoffs. James also won two playoff series’ to Pierce in his career, and lost two.
The Lakers have survived James’ absence so far, jumping out to a 7-2 start, and second in the Western Conference. Could Pierce’s comments be coming from a place of bias and bitterness? Possibly, but the Lakers clearly can manage to stay afloat with James on the court, so the possibility of him being traded isn’t out of the equation given his age, and slowed down production compared to his usual standards.
English (US)