Podcast: Moves after signing LeBron James leave bad taste in Lakers fans’ mouths

Building a roster around LeBron James isn’t exactly a new science. You surround him with shooters and preferably make sure he can spend the majority of his time at power forward. It worked with the Miami Heat. It worked most recently in his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The equation is right there.

You know which players don’t fit into that equation? Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson. That’s who.

So, I welcome Harrison back onto the show to discuss the moves immediately following the LeBron signing. This is going to shock you, but Harrison and I disagree on something.

Does signing LeBron James make Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office untouchable in criticism now? Is it worth anyone’s time to really freak out about guys whose roles on the team might not wind up being that big anyway? As usual, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, but yelling at Harrison is fun so here we are.

It’d be one thing if the Lakers made those additions and still had Julius Randle and the upside he presents at an incredibly valuable position. Yes, as Harrison puts it, the writing seemed to be on the wall, but that isn’t exactly indicative of an organization committing to an important part of the young core. All executives value guys they drafted or acquire by other means, obviously, but shortchanging anyone who isn’t “Magic’s guy” isn’t a great look.

Finally, I offer up my reaction to DeMarcus Cousins signing in Golden State. The knee-jerk reaction from most is to immediately want to try and match Golden State’s firepower, which has somehow gotten all the more intimidating, but I offer up a counter-argument to that response.

Listen to the full conversation below and as always, please check out old episodes or guarantee you won’t miss any ever again by subscribing on iTunes.