LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in uncharted territory, with no answers and no path to contention.
It hasn’t been the case for James in nearly two decades, it’s a hard adjustment and certainly not the way he envisioned his golden years playing for the golden franchise in Los Angeles. The Lakers’ organizational ethos has been simple, effective and almost impossible to duplicate: acquire stars and contend. It’s hard to recall a period in modern NBA history when the Lakers had two bona fide stars, not just in name but impact, and yet not have at least a realistic vision of being a threat.