The front office
This is where I believe the biggest sins were made for the Los Angeles Lakers. Could you blame the players, sure? And there are probably some that deserve it, which we’ve already discussed. However, I’m not sure how you can defend the inaction by the front office through the first half (and then some) of the season.
When it was abundantly clear that Russ and the rest of the team’s original supporting cast weren’t going to be good enough to help the Lakers compete in the Western Conference, the team just didn’t do anything. Instead of trying to make a move to salvage the season, the Lakers continued to push the issue down the road.
They finally made moves at the NBA Trade Deadline (and some really good ones), but it may have been too late. If the Lakers do end up missing the playoffs, the moves will have been too late. Can you imagine if the Lakers had made these moves (or similar ones) two months ago to salvage the season?
They wouldn’t be in such dire situations, that’s for sure. And that’s why I believe the front office is to blame the most. They set up LeBron, AD, and this coaching staff up for disaster. It’s quite unfortunate.
Blame percentage: 50%