LeBron Discusses New Contract, Pay Cut, and Quiet Lakers Offseason; Plus, Summer League Disappoints

LeBron James, officially up and practicing with Team USA in preparation for the Paris Olympics, met with the media over the weekend. He talked about Bronny, and what has been a very, very quiet offseason. James didn't give a full throated defense of the front office, but he didn't fillet them, either. There was a strong, "it is what it is" kind of vibe.

 

LeBron acknowledged that the Lakers at least tried, and certain moves were just beyond their ability to close the deal. So he's smart enough to recognize the challenges of making stuff happen this summer.

 

Doesn't mean he's happy they're in the position they're in, but that's not something he went out of his way to complain. It's his job, he says, to make this group as good as he can. He was excited about the rookies and the coaching staff, which is good. Would he prefer the Lakers have improved themselves? Sure, but James does seem to have a pragmatic attitude, reflective of the relatively transactional nature of the relationship with the team.

 

Meanwhile, up in San Francisco the Summer Lakers struggled badly this weekend. Saturday in a loss to the Summer Kings, the Lakers showed flashes of good stuff, but ultimately lost pretty big. Sunday... woof. The Summer Warriors blew them out of the water while everyone on the Lakers was godawful. They shot 25% as a team. Not from 3, but from the floor. Dalton Knecht missed his shots, Maxwell Lewis missed his shots (all of them), Blake Hinson, who was on fire Saturday, was 2-10 on Sunday.

 

There's still a lot of time to learn what's going on with these guys and get a better feel. Early returns, for whatever they're worth, weren't fantastic.

 

HOSTS:  Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

SEGMENT 1: LeBron speaks to the media about the state of the Lakers.

 

SEGMENT 2: James on the offseason.

 

SEGMENT 3: Reacting to the first weekend of Summer League play.

 

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