The Lakers' game against the Bulls turned out to be one of the most surprising battles of the season, even more difficult to understand than the loss to the Spurs by James and Bushy Eyebrows. The Bulls look like they've given up on the season and turned on supermarket mode, and winning a win or two won't mean much to them. However, the Bulls won against the Lakers in unexpected circumstances. The Lakers' performance was completely out of par with a team that had just won the midseason, and it was incomprehensible that a team like the Bulls could score 124 points and be beaten with a full range of players.
It is worth mentioning that even Vincent returned in this game, and the Lakers can be said to have sent an all-main lineup for the first time since the midseason, but still suffered such a bad loss. Some people think that James lost on purpose, or maybe he deliberately used these losses to irritate the team's top management. Now that the mid-season has arrived, it's time to make a trade. A three-game losing streak may not motivate them, but a six-game losing streak may produce unexpected results. The Lakers will face some strong teams such as the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Eastern Conference leaders Celtics, all three of which are some of the strongest in the league.
As a result, there is a good chance that the Lakers will suffer a six-game losing streak. If they do suffer a six-game losing streak, will the top brass still not make a trade?This is an important tactic to force the team's top management to make a trade. Once you lose, you have to send a message to the top, a message to Jenny Buss and Pelinka: If you don't trade again, we're going to ruin the season and we have to trade on a big scale. The Lakers now only have two players who can't be beaten, namely LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Other players can consider **, and this is how they put pressure on the team in this way.
That's why James didn't leave the game directly after the loss. In the past, he would always leave the court directly when he lost, but this game did not leave the court, and he was even very happy, smiling and hugging the players of the opposing Bulls. He mostly hugged Caruso and DeRozan, two players who are exactly what the Lakers should be aiming for. Caruso needless to say, he is the best fit for the Lakers' system, and if he can be replaced, he and Rivers will be a perfect match, one offense, one defense. And DeRozan had a great performance in this game, scoring 27 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and his contract is not too high.
If he could be replaced, the Lakers would have exactly one of the top Big Four. James went out of his way to hug the two players and smiled and said a few words to them, clearly seeing them as important targets. As for LaVine, his performance is really unsatisfactory, and coupled with the high salary and contract, he can't win the game if he stays. James deliberately hugged the two men tightly, unequivocally conveying that his goal was established. This also explains why, after the loss, Zhan Huang did not show too much loss, but exchanged greetings with his opponent with a smile. He knows how much this team means to him.
So even if James were to make the Lakers lose five or six games in order to make management aware of the urgency and urgency of making a trade, it would be an extremely important decision.