Stephen A. on the Lakers 🗣️ ‘THEY LOOK DISTRACTED’ + Warriors’ roster issues 👀 | NBA Countdown

Stephen A. on the Lakers 🗣️ ‘THEY LOOK DISTRACTED’ + Warriors’ roster issues 👀 | NBA Countdown

Warriors they have frankly been a a very average team in that time so you have the floor what are you diagnosing Golden State with right now no but Stephen are you going to let me have the floor I get it for a little bit appreciate that

Thank you I thank you welcome back to work yeah thank you see he wouldn’t do it he couldn’t do it couldn’t do it um look they they don’t know what they are I mean it’s without him he’s the fulcrum and Draymond Green is such a good defensive player and has been such a

Great leader that’s been tested lately and there’s a void I mean that’s the truth there’s a void without him um six and four I don’t think that’s real I don’t I think that’s a little bit of a mirage I don’t think they think they’re on to something without Draymond Green

Um he’s good enough to make any team a good defensive team so without him they’re they’re what a 16th 17th in the league in defense he’s always made the Warriors a good defensive team the hard thing with these things is um when a player goes through something like this

Or a team and I was there for many distractions I mean you guys covered all of them it’s just hard it takes energy it takes energy to deal with these things it takes energy to have to lose a player for a li for amount of time to

Bring him back into the fold Steve cerr is trying to figure out the rotations and when Draymond gets back that kind of all starts over again uh Steph has had to try to figure out the Reliance of Curry on Draymond is something we all know and know well so then he loses him

And says okay I got to figure out how to play with CP which CP is great at it but it’s something that has caused in many ways uh a period of time where it’s just a great amount of uncertainty and now they got to come back when he comes back

When that is and figure it out again and it’s just exhausting that’s the hard part of it a lot of time left um they’ve been in a ton of games 25 clutch games I don’t know if that’s good or bad but um not where they want to be uh Steve C

Still trying to get it right Steph Curry is still I believe might be the best leader in sports so he’s going to keep him on on the path but um you just got to get Draymond back as soon as you can and then plug him in and see what you

Can do so Stephen A when you’re looking at the standings in these two franchises specifically which one needs to make a move sooner rather than later for me I I would think it’s the Los Angeles Lakers I mean when I think about the Golden State Warriors here’s the deal I I can

Guarantee you this I don’t think this team will stay together after the season’s over I think that what you’re seeing um this is the last to Rob because Joe Lup and the crew they they just can’t take much more of this you you got to have when you look at Steph

Curry you’ve got to have pieces that are reliable around them which they customarily have been up until recent memory but they are still better off than the Lakers as far as I’m concerned because when I think about Steph Curry the greatest shooter God has ever created he’s going to be just fine in

The case of the Golden State Warriors what you’re looking at is you want better from clay you want Draymond Green to step on the court with the Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis is playing all World LeBron James is all World absolutely and there is an APB out for

Everybody else on the squad I mean damn it local police FBI nobody can find them I mean you can’t find them they can’t shoot they can’t seem to defend they don’t seem to give you consistent effort they’re 20th in offensive rating they’re 21st in defensive rating and and they

Look like a team dare I say that is distracted by what they don’t distracted by they you know when you live in LA it is distracted but banners across the street too in LA right that’s not D everything you said I agree with I’m not talking about LeBron reason by the

Way not those two and by the way they’ve played in all the games right neither one has had any health issues so far they’ve played right one here one there they’re not good enough the Lakers aren’t you you you’re saying these names they were good enough for a stretch last

Year after R palinka made that deal it all every piece fell properly into place what are the chances that’s going to happen again with Houston outperforming expectations oh wait the Minnesota Timberwolves outperforming expectations even Oklahoma City has got to be at least a year early early that’s three

Teams outperforming where are the Lakers in that and are their rosters even top heavy with those two Hall of Famers are they as good as Oklahoma City’s roster no yeah I think I think the Lakers uh and the Warriors are both facing these upstart teams in Minnesota Oklahoma City

And of course the defending champions in Denver these are deep rosters they are well balanced these are teams certainly uh in you know Denver uh and uh with with size and they do not have depth on these rosters and when you have not when especially with the Lakers when you

Don’t have young players that you’ve drafted under contract that are moving up and you’re always having to go trade for them after a while you you get diminished returns that’s why Austin Reeves you talk to teams who would like to deal with the Lakers one name comes

Up will the Lakers include Austin Reeves in a deal that’s the player who has great value in trades the Lakers understandably they’re very reluctant to put him in any deal and if Austin Reeves isn’t in a trade yeah it’s hard to imagine a Difference Maker La can

Acquire would you Bob would you put him in a trade no no no I think he’s a good play he’s got a great contract by the way I don’t let me ask you anybody this Wester Conference finals last year it’s pretty much the same team is it just

Because the West is better is that the only reason you say distracted I mean I look they seem that way they do they do seem distracted but the team I saw and Anthony Davis he said to someone before game the game in the n Season tournament in Vegas against Pacers he said I’ll

Show you what a game seven looks like he said that to somebody would he get like 30 and 20 in that game 40 40 and 20 these guys they have their next 11 of 12 cross the street in La we may feel very differently about them after the eight

Or nine wins are are requisite turn my attention to will do that I thought you were coming to me I thought you were coming to me listen y listen everybody up here knows basketball you have this is basketball this is not football you got two super Superstars you know what

Everybody else needs to do your job he ain’t asking but but so much ain’t nobody asking hot ain’t nobody asking Angelo Russell to go out and average 25 and nobody asking Austin Reef to go out and average 25 do your job that’s why I could use the word distractions because

When you can’t perform your everyday dude if I got a star a superstar like LeBron James and a dude playing like a superstar on Anthony Davis I’m like damn if I’m halfway decent we in good shap a quick question that’s basketball you look at the rest of the rosters just

Just confined it to we let’s leave Denver out Minnesota and and Oklahoma City they hungry do you think the rest of their rosters after you take the top two out you think the rest of their rosters are as good as Oklahoma City and Minnesota no but they ain’t this bad

Mike that’s the different they’re not this bad do your job suggest they can do it better than the competition and I’m saying to you they can’t ride they you if you Circle the potential more people doing their job is January 15th the next one coming players exactly the certain

Players become available and we will see if they are still on the Los Angeles Lakers

Bob Myers, Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon and Adrian Wojnarowski join Malika Andrews on NBA Countdown to discuss the state of the Golden State Warriors in the absence of Draymond Green, if Steph Curry can make up for roster issues and the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster beyond LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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