“The Lakers? I don’t even want to say their name anymore. »
The Lakers are at their wit’s end and are increasingly establishing themselves as the laughingstock of the league. Observers are very fed up with them, like Charles Barkley who was scathing: he doesn’t even want to talk about them anymore…
27 wins for 35 losses, a 9ᵉ place in the Western Conference and a direct qualification in the playoffs which is utopian: to say that the Lakers are disappointing is probably the understatement of the year. The Californian superteam demonstrates a chronic inability to win, especially in the games that matter most. The latest evidence is the rouste collected against the Clippers in the derby (132-111), and the score could even have been heavier if Batum & co. hadn’t eased up at the end of the match.
Inevitably, many are those who are annoyed with force, the potential of the squad being completely wasted. Analysts never stop raining criticism on LeBron James et al, rightly so. On TNT, Charles Barkley has once again demonstrated his imagination: he will no longer name the Purples and Golds by their name unless they meet a condition. Because the Hall of Famer can no longer systematically talk about them:
Barkley: “The Lakers are losers, and we talk about it too much”
Chuck refuses to mention the word « Lakers » for the rest of the season 😂 pic.twitter.com/pNkyNd91cK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 4, 2022
I now call them “the Southern California team”. I don’t want to talk about them anymore. The only way for them to get me to say their name is if they win a playoff game. Otherwise, I will not say their name again until the end of the season. I’m tired of talking about these losers, between us on TNT and colleagues on ESPN, we talk more about these losers than anyone else.
Being one of the biggest markets in the league with New York, Los Angeles actually benefits from enormous media coverage, even if the level of play is not there. It gets even worse in this case… The Chuckster prefers to focus on teams that are in much better shape, however, and that’s understandable. It wouldn’t be surprising if he said he wanted to talk more about the Clippers, especially after the beating they inflicted on their local rivals:
Beyond his punchline, Charles Barkley casually raises a real question about the media coverage of franchises. As for the Lakers, they know what to do so that he pronounces their name again: win a playoff game. You should go there already…
