Helplessly, it was eliminated 1-4, and was eliminated 1-4! An annual salary of 52.6 million yuan is a burden, maybe you should retire

The playoffs this season are coming to an end, and the West decided the title early. In addition to encountering some resistance against the Nuggets in the semi-finals, the other two rounds of the series went smoothly. To put it bluntly, the Lakers and the Warriors who lack Curry lifted the Timberwolves to a height that was not theirs, resulting in the West Finals being boring. Both teams in the Eastern Conference Finals also have young core teams. Halliburton performed various miracle finals again and again, while Brunson scored 30+ in the playoffs like a daily clock. Of course, no matter who wins the Eastern Conference, it is difficult to put pressure on the Thunder. Alexander was promoted to the level in the Western Conference Finals and was waiting for it before the finals, and the team still had a home advantage. In addition, it is undeniable that the new generation is gradually replacing the old legendary stars.

This season is the year when legendary superstars fully stepped down from the altar. The Clippers won 18 games in the last 21 games of the regular season, and their final record in the regular season tied the third Lakers in the Western Conference (50 wins and 32 losses). However, in the playoffs, Harden had no bottom limit as always, his performance was disappointing, and Leonard also lost his dominance. The Clippers gradually closed the championship window. The Warriors are the most regrettable. Butler's arrival allowed them to play from the playoff level to the second round of the Western Conference, but Curry consumed too much in the first round of the Rockets. He suffered a hamstring injury in the second round of the Timberwolves. Curry was absent, and the Warriors lost a lot. What's even more helpless is that Curry will be 38 years old next season, Butler will be 36 years old in the offseason, and he will have a maximum salary of 110 million yuan for two years, so the Warriors are also tied up.

But the most helpless one is the Lakers. Before the trading deadline, the team sent away the Davis to exchange for Doncic. Doncic's arrival did allow the Lakers to find a new facade for the team in the next 10 years after James retired, but they did not give this facade a decent tool. The Lakers did not have the shortcomings in the inside, which led to them being eliminated by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs again, and were out of the Timberwolves 1-4 in the first round! The reason for this upset is that no one is optimistic about the Timberwolves before the series starts. It is generally believed that Gobert will be named and broken by the Lakers' Big Three. But when it really came on the court, Reeves and Doncic became a defensive loophole, and both of them lost 8 points in 100 rounds at the same time in the playoffs! Reeves is expected to pursue a maximum salary tomorrow summer, and the Lakers trade him this summer, but one person is ignored and it is James.

Jack James still set various records at the age of 40. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists per game in the regular season, averaged 25.4 points, 9 rebounds, 5.6 assists per game in the playoffs, and broke through the 50,000-point mark in his career. He surpassed Jordan in 571 games in his career. He ranked first in history. He was the oldest player in NBA history to win 40+, and was selected into the All-Star + Best Team 21 times. He ranked sixth in MVP voting this season, and even better than the ninth in the league in the rookie season! Everything indicates that James still has at least 2-3 years of career. As long as he wants, he can still maintain 25+7+7 data. But it is precisely because he is James, because he is worth $52.63 million next season, that both he and the Lakers are in an embarrassing situation.

Lakers have been playing for two consecutive years, and James' advanced data are not very good. Last year, he had no choice but to lose to the Nuggets 1-4, but he couldn't beat it. When James was on the court, the team's offensive efficiency was 112.4 and his defensive efficiency was 113.8. Last year, the contradiction could be attributed to former coach Ham. However, this season's playoffs, when James was on the regular season, the team lost 0.3 points in a net loss of 100 rounds; when he was not on the court, the team won 4.9 points in a 100 rounds, and the On-Off value was -5.2. He is the only player in the best team + MVP voting list with an irreplaceable value of negative. In the playoffs, when James was on the court, the team lost 11.1 points in a net loss to his opponent in 100 rounds, and when he was not on the court, the Lakers beat his opponent in 10.9 points in a 10 round, and the On-Off value is -22.0. To put it bluntly but realistically, James is indeed old! There was such an analysis three years ago. James' data is still fine, but the advanced data is a mess. When he attacks with all his strength, he cannot do the best in the defensive end, and even often watches his opponents break through, which is indeed powerless. Then can James still support the team's upper limit to winning the championship? If James' salary is 10 million or 20 million, the Lakers have plenty of room to find the third giant! Note here that it is not that James is not worth a super maximum salary, but on the contrary, because he is James, and as long as he does not retire, he should get a super maximum salary. But the Lakers have no room for operation. Hachimura, Finney Smith, Vincent, Vanderbilt and others generally declined significantly when they were in the Lakers.

And James' salary of 52.63 million is also a huge burden. Even if he is willing to cut his salary to help the team strengthen, the Lakers already have two ball-holding points. How can they find giants to match the lineup? If James really leaves the Lakers and pursues the championship, in the words of the US media, this will definitely shake his historical status. The Lakers are already the final chapter. The potential plan to go to the Cavaliers and even the Mavericks is to slander James' reputation. There is no hope of winning the championship, and it will tie the team's future hands and feet, and James's own dominance is also declining. After all, he is 40 years old! In Charania's words, next season may be the last overture of James' career. Perhaps James really should consider retiring, with 4 championships + 4 FMVPs + countless personal honors, which are below one person and above ten thousand people.