“His Game Has Declined. It’s Over and That’s Okay”: Rashad McCants and “Gil’s Arena” Crew Have Some Sobering News About Careers Of Anthony Davis and LeBron James
The world’s been waiting for Anthony Davis to step out of LeBron James’ shadow and be the Top 75 Player he’s touted to be with a workload befitting of a max-money legend.
Former NBA player Rashad McCants doesn’t think it will ever happen on LeBron James’ watch because his style is too dominant and ball-controlling.
Rashad McCants Says LeBron James Is Holding Back Anthony Davis
“Until LeBron actually step out of the way, I’m not going to see none of that,” McCants said. “It’s like we’re not giving him enough flowers for him to just kind of walk away. It’s like we gotta bring more flowers because, to me, it’s hindering the game. The stats, the praise, we get it. I’m gonna give you flowers because you’ve done so much for the game.”
“You can’t defy the gravity that he’s passed all these greats, and he’s done all this stuff for the game. You cannot ignore that stuff. But what we’re seeing now is the diminishing of the game because a great player will not step aside so other players can be great,” added the former UNC Tar Heel.
Who can blame James for not listening to what anyone says? Who can blame him for hopping off of social media?
The walls were closing in a bit on a guy who is used to things working out his way. The Bronny experiment hasn’t been what we all hoped and anticipated. He’s barely functional as a G-League player.
Maybe Bron didn’t make all the right moves, but the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is getting his goals accomplished.
Is The Public Turning On Struggling LeBron James After Praising His Age-Defying Feats?
Some fans on social media aren’t buying the idea that LeBron is in a slump. They say he is aging in front of our eyes.
Said one X user: “N-s are saying it’s a ‘slump’.I’ve watched LeBron in a 5 game slump before but if you actually watch the game literally everything in his game has declined from last season. It’s over and that’s okay I just feel bad that never watched him in his prime.”
Niggas are saying it’s a "slump".Ive watched LeBron in a 5 game slump before but if you actually watch the game literally everything in his game has declined from last season.
It’s over and that’s okay I just feel bad that never watched him in his prime pic.twitter.com/SLNJUg4ziu
Early on this season the Lakers were winning, and the Bron-AD connection seemed as strong as ever. Championship talk started falling from the lips of some analysts who should be smart enough to know that Anthony Davis’ body will never allow for him to play at a high level for a sustained period of time. And despite the millions that LeBron James pumps into his body and diet and workouts, Father Time waits for no man and catches up on us all eventually.
Especially a guy who was supposed to have relinquished the role as go-to performer on his team.
Now, after being praised for his “dominance” at 39 years old, reveling in the embellished relevance of his Olympic performance with star-studded Team USA, where younger players took a back seat to give King James the Olympic farewell he deserves and media acted as if the rest of the team was the 2007 Cavs, James is stuck in a miserable shooting slump and all of a sudden opinions about his age-defying abilities are changing.
James and the Los Angeles Lakers got blown out by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, losing on the road 109-80.
James’ struggles continued as he finished with just 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting. He missed all four three-pointers he attempted and has now missed 19 straight from downtown. He has scored fewer than 20 points in five of his past six games and has shot under 45 percent in his last six contests.
LeBron James LOWLIGHTS! 🧱 10 points on 4/16 shooting, 6 turnovers and a game-worst -28. James has missed his last 19 threes. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/mfNY5FWPIS
Against Miami on Wednesday night, Lebron started strong with 10 points in the first quarter, driving to the hoop. The announcers praised his play and how effective he is at his age. However, the impact wasn’t there. The offense wasn’t flowing, and Anthony Davis was nowhere to be found. By the end of the third quarter, they were down 105-72. McCants’s rant was playing out right in front of everyone’s faces.
The final score was an embarrassing 134-93. It was the fourth largest margin of victory in Miami Heat history. Bron’s numbers were the same as always: 29 points, he even hit a three-pointer. Davis couldn’t find a rhythm, shooting 3 of 14 shots from the field for just 8 points.
Rashard McCants & ‘Gil Arena’ Pod Say LeBron Needs To Relinquish Lead Role To Anthony Davis
McCants feels a change in philosophy is needed as King James has become the greatest impediment to the Lakers’ success.
The rest of the panel on “Gil’s Arena” agrees that at the very least James should see the writing on the wall, step back and let Davis take over during games.
LeBron is still posting statistics, so his supporters always attack arguments that suggest he’s regressed to a point that he’s a detriment to winning. With the Lakers 12-9 and in playoff contention, it’s hard to get the fans to buy into that.
McCants’ take is controversial because on the surface LeBron’s numbers are statistically elite: 22 points, eight rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game.
His assists numbers are equivalent to prime King James’ 2018 season. So to ask Bron, who knows he’s still better than half of the league, to defer to another player is a tough ask.
Critics of James may be overrating the capability of Davis to consistently carry an MVP-type load, but we all agree that relegating AD to a screener, especially in crunch time, is disrespectful to his skills.
“How is it working right now? A 40-year-old taking 28 shots on my team and I only got to shoot the ball two times?” McCants continued, referring to Davis’ total shot attempts in the fourth quarter against Utah on Dec. 1. “If you want me to take the rein and you’re taking 28 shots at 40 in the fourth, I don’t wanna hear nothing else come out of nobody mouth other than move the f*** around.”
Despite the support for LeBron, the number of touches for AD in recent fourth quarters supports McCants’ gripes.
According to reports, over a five-game stretch, the nine-time All-Star played 29 fourth-quarter minutes and scored only six points.
Against Utah, Bron took 28 shots, half of those in the final quarter, while Davis attempted two, and both of these came in the final two minutes and 32 seconds of the game.
“Sometimes, we should just accept that people don’t wanna be the bad guy. Maybe he don’t wanna be responsible for losing games. Maybe he can’t take the pressure of dropping this game. I’d rather let the 40-year-old do it because I don’t want the responsibility. If we lose, Laker Nation is gonna be on me,” Arenas said.
“Maybe he just don’t want it. It ain’t in him,” added panelist Kenyon Martin.
Maybe this is just who the Lakers are and maybe, just maybe, LeBron James is cool with that.
