When LeBron James inked a mega-deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, plenty of folks around Sacramento were disappointed. There was never a hint that King James would become Kings James, but you never like to see your rival land one of the greatest players in the history of the league.
Nearly 60 games into the 2018-19 season, James has decided to become general manager, coach and now a motivational speaker for his young Lakers teammates and it isn’t going over all that well.
Following the team’s loss to the Pelicans on Saturday, James sounded off.
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"The last few years, everyone's so accustomed to the losses that I'm just not accustomed to," James told reporters. "I'm not accustomed to it. I will never get comfortable with losing. So losing Game 1 to Houston, it feels the same way as losing Game 59 in New Orleans to me. It's just how I'm built. That's who I am."
The final line of his statement is likely the most telling. James has made it to the NBA Finals in each of the last eight seasons with either the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s a winner. He’s LeBron James and the rest of his Lakers teammates are not.
Just in case the Lakers needed a refresher course on who they are playing with, the 15-time All-Star made sure to remind them.
Following another loss to a sub-.500 team Monday evening in Memphis, James continued to express his opinions. Although his answers were directed at a specific question asked by a member of the media, they still show where his head is at.
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"At this point, if you are still allowing distractions to affect how the way you play, then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come and be like, 'Listen, I cannot do this,” James told reporters.
"Like, seriously, if you're distracted by playoff pushes out of all the stuff that's been talked about this year, nah,” James continued. “Just come and do your job. We do our job at a high level and that's not a distraction. That's what you want. That's what you want every game. You want to feel like you're fighting for something."
The Lakers have been a mess for much of the season. They had a run where they looked like they would jump into the upper echelon in the Western Conference, but a groin injury cost James 17 straight games.
Rumors at the deadline had LA shipping most, if not all of their young players to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis. James’ representation was a large part of those discussions.
The deal never materialized and James is left with a group of pawns on a chess board, not players to chase titles with.
Sacramento blew a golden opportunity to move into the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings on Monday evening with their loss in Minnesota. It was also a chance to further separate themselves from James and the Lakers.
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With 22 games remaining, the Kings are a game out of the playoff picture and two games ahead of the Lakers in the standings. It will be a dog fight down the stretch, but the Kings are focused on the task in front of them.
It doesn’t hurt to glance back now and then to see the dysfunction of the Lakers, but Sacramento is building chemistry and pulling in one direction. They are playing for each other and the opportunity to give their city a much deserved postseason berth after more than a decade of futility.