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B / R
In the enchanted universe of the Los Angeles Lakers, there are no failures – just occasional breaks between moments of pure and unbridled glory. At least, it may seem like that.
All these banners. All these trophies. All these legends encased in the Hall of Fame. There is a reason why "The Exceptionalism of the Lakers" is part of the lexicon of the NBA. The Lakers do not really fail or humble.
So it was a rare and disconcerting sensation in February when Jeanie Buss, owner of the Lakers, was sitting at the Staples Center, at the Lakers, and watching the all-star game unfold. without a single Laker involved. That was a possibility she feared openly, a fear that she had expressed directly to Commissioner Adam Silver when the game was awarded in Los Angeles two years ago.
"I said," You know, I'm worried … that if the star game comes here, we may not have star in it. team, "recalled Buss just after the weekend of the stars. "I'd like to think we're on the right track to get there, but it's humiliating."
Historians might want to frame this virtual snapshot of the Lakers' humility, vulnerability Lakers, because we may not see him again
LeBron James is a Laker – or will be Friday, when he can formally sign the four-year deal, $ 154 million that his agent announced Sunday . Lakers Exceptionalism was not dead, just sleeping. LeBron revived with a single sentence: "LeBron James, four-time MVP NBA, three-time NBA finalist, fourteen-time All Star NBA, and two-time Olympic gold medalist signed a $ 154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers "
All the obvious warnings apply: The Lakers still need another All-Star (or two, or three, or four) to have hope to challenge the Golden State Warriors, which may be even stronger. DeMarcus Cousins. In a rich Western conference of talent, the Lakers could fight just to break the top four. James is 33, and the laws of physics suggest that he can not play at a MVP level forever.
LeBron lifts everyone into his orbit, but even his immense powers will be tested by the new team of teammates that the Lakers are hosting: Lance Stephenson (volley), JaVale McGee (flaky), Rajon Rondo (testy).
Long rivals, LeBron James and Lance Stephenson will be his teammates with the Lakers Ron Hoskins / Getty Images
Can the Lakers pull off Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs? Will they land another All-Star in a great late summer contract? Will they wait until July 2019, when the free agent class could include Leonard, Klay Thompson, the cities of Karl-Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Devin Booker and Myles Turner?
Valid questions, all. But put aside the logistics and the chances for the moment. There will be enough time for further analysis. This moment is (to borrow a phrase from LeBron) bigger than basketball. It is a restoration of the faith. This is the rebirth of the first glamorous basketball team.
The Lakers, more than any other franchise in the NBA, were defined by superstars – and by their allure of superstar destination. This is the franchise that drew Wilt Chamberlain from Philadelphia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Milwaukee and Shaquille O. Neal from Orlando. This is the team that Kobe Bryant wanted as an adolescent phenomenon (even before the Lakers acquired his draft rights). It is here that Karl Malone and Gary Payton came to chase a championship in 2003, and where Steve Nash and Dwight Howard came to chase their dreams nearly a decade later.
The Lakers Rob General Manager Pelinka sparked some sneers last week. his team "the top of the food chain" and a subject of "natural envy", but he was not entirely wrong. Although five years have passed since the last playoff in the Lakers playoffs and eight years since their last title, the vapors of their mystique have persisted.
Of course, he disappeared with the decline and eventual retirement of Bryant. He took a hit when Howard escaped to Houston, and more damaging blows when a slew of free-agent elites (including James) dismissed the Lakers' openings. Even Paul George, a native of Southern California who, a year ago, was campaigning for a trade with the Lakers denied them to the free agency over the weekend.
Then, from a daring move, James revived the mystical Lakers.
It was a risk when Buss hired Magic Johnson as team chairman and Pelinka as GM last year, appointing two virtual recruits to lead the club. But that is Pelinka who orchestrated the list movements that allowed the Lakers to secure James. That was the presence and gravity of Magic – a LeBron's childhood hero, and his most important basketball style – that helped to wrap up the deal.
James could have stayed in Cleveland or joined suitors based in Philadelphia or Houston. He rejects them all to join the Lakers, believing that he and Johnson can forge a new power in Hollywood.
"He is going to build something long-term, who can compete for a championship," said a source with an overview of the decision. this knowing that moves will be made this year and next year that will put them in position to start to win. "
The Lakers were mocked for giving Bryant a $ 48.5 million contract to wrap up his career, and made fun of removing two sweaters in his honor in December . But these are acts of good faith, gestures that emphasize the appreciation of the franchise for its biggest stars – and a subliminal message to all Lakers stars: You will never be taken for granted here.
As Buss said in February when speaking of Bryant "I wanted to make sure that when the All Star was there, his jerseys are in the beams to remind everyone else of the time. Kobe's legacy and career. "
The similarities between Bryant and James – both came to the NBA directly from high school, the two idolaters Michael Jordan – their relationship was cold, at best. From the time James entered the NBA in 2003, Bryant kept him at bay. But Bryant quickly moved to kiss James on Sunday, tweeting "Welcome to the Family". Abdul-Jabbar also announced on Twitter, proclaiming "I am sure the Lakernation is rejoicing." As at the right moment, a video of Lakers fans throwing talc (a tribute to James) quickly went online.
The Lakers are far from a title. It's hard to tell what the James era will look like, or whether he'll win a spot in the rafters alongside Magic and Kareem and Kobe and Shaq and Wilt and Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. We know that he will join them all one day in the Hall of Fame, where an entire wing could be reserved for the Lakers
Landing James at the age of 33 might not have the same historical impact as the acquisition of Abdul-Jabbar in his first, or a young Shaq and a teenager Kobe in a single week in 1996. The reward will probably not be as vast or spectacular. And yet the symbolic value is incalculable.
LeBron wins and inspires and raises. He makes his teammates look good. Where he goes, the others follow. Despite widespread rumors that he would never join the Lakers without a second star, James made the leap by believing that he and Magic, the powerful new Hollywood couple, with their combined charisma, could build from # 39; here.
build a competitor in the spring? Next summer? Can they lift a 17th banner before LeBron begins to fade? Can they raise the next generation of Lakers stars before he retires?
These are questions that no one can answer with confidence – except perhaps LeBron and Magic, Lakers Exceptionalism embodied.
Howard Beck covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and B / R Mag. It also hosts Full 48 podcast available on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter, @HowardBeck .
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