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After winning the LeBron James sweepstakes earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers have seemingly gone out of their way to assemble the most self-destructive supporting cast in NBA history for James, a pseudo “Suicide Squad” headlined by Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee. What could possibly go wrong?
For different reasons, all four of the aforementioned players have a reputation for having interesting (to put it kindly) personalities on and off the court. While some might see those qualities as a negative, McGee told Arash Markazi of ESPN he believes the Lakers’ vibrant locker room will translate to on the court success:
JaVale McGee on the Lakers locker room: "Man, it's going to be amazing (big smile). You got so many personalities in this locker room but I feel like it's all going to mesh together and it's going to be one of the most fun teams ever."
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 21, 2018
McGee also gave his thoughts on his team’s newest acquisition of Beasley, who the Lakers reportedly signed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal on Friday:
JaVale McGee on the Lakers signing Michael Beasley: "He's going to have a huge impact on the team. He's a long guy and a pure scorer and he's a great guy. I'm actually good friends with Michael Beasley and the fact that he's coming now, this season is going to be amazing."
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 21, 2018
There’s no denying that the cast of characters the Lakers put together makes the team more intriguing, but how much of that intrigue comes from what the players can bring on the court?
Sure, this group’s fun and sometimes outrageous personalities are what helps make the NBA arguably the greatest league in all of sports, but when players are doing all of that extra stuff without contributing meaningful minutes to the team, they can come off as corny. Nick Young had this problem with the Lakers.
However, if Rondo, Stephenson, Beasley and McGee can co-exist on the court, their erratic style of play could maybe, just maybe, give the Lakers the competitive edge they have sorely lacked over the past few seasons. Maybe.
Or it could all end in a fiery blaze. Who cares? The Lakers got LeBron freaking James to sign a four-year deal. Whatever happens this season, I can assure you it will be better than whatever it is fans have been tuning into the last five years.
Just sit back, relax, and embrace the Meme Team.
LeBron &
— Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) July 21, 2018
Lance &
JaVale &
Rondo &
Beas &
Lavar.
Get @breakingtco's new 'Meme Team' shirt today! https://t.co/zNqe4Lhn4B pic.twitter.com/7ouPr1tAnT
You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.