76ers Alumni Marc Jackson Condemns Lakers and Resting Youth
During an appearance on South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN radio last Thursday, CSN Philly analyst Marc Jackson voiced his distaste towards the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Flat out, blasphemy.”
That was the reaction from Philadelphia 76ers alumnus Marc Jackson stemming from the Lakers’ youth sidelining last Wednesday. Though despite successive injuries, the depleted roster pulled off a head-scratching win over the playoff bound San Antonio Spurs.
From the jump, the chance of an upset victory seemed slim. D’Angelo Russell was suffering from knee soreness pregame and took the night off. Brandon Ingram sat out the second half after experiencing some knee soreness of his own, too. And when Jordan Clarkson bumped knees with David Lee late game, he too was withheld from game’s closure.
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Luke Walton was then left with a bench full of half damaged goods and half wide-eyed kids; the latter half of which longed to finally play some valuable fourth quarter minutes.
Nonetheless, the coach made a decision to call aging veteran Metta World Peace to the stage. It was his first crunch time appearance in months, yet he provided a gritty presence (and not much else) to help the young squad upset an elite Spurs team 102-95.
Views On The Surface
What was the resulting buzz from fans, media, and other NBA outsiders? It was just another miserable tank-job.
I mean, why else would Luke Walton turn to thirty-seven year old World Peace in the final minutes? To swing another elbow at a temple or two? Plus, they pulled Ingram out of the game right after the nine minute mark; following a 10-point outburst.
Marc Jackson responded to the benching of young players like D’Angelo, Clarkson, and Ingram among more, with dreaded haste.
“It’s a huge problem.” The former Sixer went on, “It’s flat out ridiculous… there comes a point as a coach where you have to say enough is enough”.
It’s clear Jackson is insinuating the organization’s undisclosed motive; to lose and increase their chances at protecting their upcoming draft pick.
The Lakers currently hold third place in the lottery standings, with a near 47 percent chance of retaining their pick. The remaining percentage lies in the hands of the 76ers, if the Lakers’ pick falls out of the top three selection mark.
It’s only reasonable that Los Angeles’s priority would be to maximize pick protection, and lose the remaining two games to secure a heightened chance at retaining that pick then, right?
Perhaps they’d like to rest young studs like Russell or Ingram while they “nurse” mild injuries. That seems not nearly the case, despite what Marc Jackson or the rest of the media claims.
Views From Beneath
Taking into perspective the 76ers’ injury woes in recent months, the Lakers are facing a similar (but smaller scale) domino effect of misfortune.
One obvious differences, however, is the bed that the Lakers made for themselves. The decision to sit Nick Young, Timofey Mozgov, and Luol Deng for the rest of the year was intended to give more able opportunities to their young core and surrounding pieces.
Instead, nagging injuries have left the Lakers more indecisive in minute delegation; especially with injuries recurring sporadically in various moderations.
According to SportsOutWest.com, D-Russ has been out of the lineup for 17 games this year, and the recurrence of knee soreness happened to be a legitimate concern for the medical staff.
Brandon Ingram has been nursing tendonitis in his knee, and missed three straight games prior to Wednesday. So the spontaneous knee aggravation was probably just another blow to Luke Walton’s roster at a bad time.
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On the flip side, Metta World Peace’s resurgence in playing time hasn’t emerged from a supposed incentive to tank, either. Luke Walton has emphasized his desires to play the former champion as much as possible over the last several games.
The Orange County Resident revealed some quotable sincerity by the coach regarding Metta’s playing time after Sunday night’s win against Minnesota.
“We want to reward Metta every chance we get for how great he’s been this year and the way he’s worked and the way he helps the young guys and being positive,” Walton said. “He’s been one of the better players in this league for a long time. He’s won a championship with this organization, obviously. So that comes into play.”
“Tank” Like Us
Sixers fans, out of any fans should understand how critical behind-the-scenes details are behind losing and getting labeled as a tank organization.
More importantly, we should understand that despite the roster assimilation by higher-ups, coaches and players have absolutely zero intent to lose. These guys are professionals, who work for two world class organizations in pro sports.
Perhaps sitting three veterans, and oiling up the ol’ tin man that is Metta World Peace wasn’t a good look on their part, but it’s what they feel is important to their future, and culture respectively.
Marc Jackson ended one of his conclusive rants saying “people will always find loopholes to do what they want”.
Well, yes. But the Lakers happen to be another victim of circumstance; something oh so similar to us in Philadelphia.
Keep ’em Running Coach!
The Lakers left the Staples Center with a buzzer-beating three from D’Angelo Russell Sunday night. They move on to continue their four game win streak. It’s not apparent they will end the season limping to the finish line as presumed they would, within the past few games.
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Luckily our luck as fans and the player’s win celebrations run proportionately this time around. They’re playing their hearts out, and we at The Sixer Sense love it.
We need the Lakers to keep up the momentum and lock up their third place lottery standing. And until then, our cheers in Philadelphia will probably be louder than those heard on the west coast.