Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons Lance Stephenson is a bad move
By Amaar Burton
1. The Lakers already have enough potential drama
To be fair, some of the events that have happened since Stephenson agreed to a deal with L.A. have made the move appear worse in hindsight.
With that being said, the Lakers are looking like a team that is more likely to implode under the weight of its own drama than a team that will jell into a champion.
As great as LeBron is — and he will at least be able to lead the Lakers back to the playoffs after a five-year drought — his arrival comes with a sharp increase in media attention for everyone, behind-the-scenes gossip, trade rumors and sky-high expectations on a nightly basis.
Then there is LaVar Ball, father of starting point guard Lonzo Ball, and his polarizing commentary that ruffles feathers wherever he goes.
On Monday, L.A. agreed to a contract with former All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. He is a brilliant floor general who could teach Lonzo Ball a lot. But how will LaVar react to his son having competition for his job? Rondo has also left a string of burned bridges throughout his career, clashing with teammates and coaches in Boston, Dallas, Sacramento and Chicago.
The #Lakers are going to have Lonzo, Rondo, Stephenson, Lavar Ball, McGee, and LeBron next season. We are going to have the most amount of drama of any team next year.
— Writer Junkie (@WriterJunkiebiz) July 2, 2018
Can head coach Luke Walton, still relatively young and inexperienced, handle all of these personalities and pressure to perform at a high level? Will frustrations boil over if it starts to become clear that the Lakers aren’t ready to compete with the league’s best teams?
Adding an unpredictable character like Stephenson into the mix again seems like a gamble.
Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t think Born Ready and LeBron will have trouble getting along due to their history. We’ve seen this movie plenty of times, about the superstar and the nemesis teaming up and working well together. Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest made it work. So did Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
But given all the combustible parts on this Lakers roster projected for 2018-19, are you confident Stephenson — knowing his own track record — won’t add to the inevitable drama for some other reason?