Kevin Garnett Says It's 'Delusional' To Think Lakers Can Contend For A Championship This Season

Speaking on 'Ticket &The Truth' podcast, Celtics legend Kevin Garnet took a shot at his old rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. Speaking plainly on their chances in the West, Garnett scoffed at the notion that the Lakers were even remotely on the same level as the other Western Conference powerhouses.

"I think anybody sitting here looking at the Laker team, talking about they can contest in the West for a title is f*cking delusional," said Garnett. "They should have made some moves to better that team for him."

According to Garnett, the Lakers' lack of consistency is the problem and they missed a major opportunity this season to try and address it.

"Consistency. There's only two pieces right there that's consistent. The question is, what can you do more to better the Lakers team so that they're in contention? They're not in the category, they're not a contender, bro. They're not better than the first four f*cking teams."

It should be noted that the discourse was similar last year before the Lakers took off and made a run to the Western Conference Finals. Unlike last year, however, the Lakers let the trade deadline pass without making a single move. Even with D'Angelo Russell's offensive resurgence, they are still just two games above .500 and down to 9th in the standings. Even though LeBron and Davis have been healthy for most of the year, the team has been mediocre at best and a longshot for the NBA Finals. This month, Rob Pelinka had the chance to make some upgrades to the roster, but he elected to stand pat and ride out this season with the guys they have. Only time will tell us how the Lakers fare with this group, but it's clear that LeBron was expecting more in his 21st season.

LeBron James Is Displeased With Uneventful Trade Deadline

The Lakers were rumored to have interest in multiple targets, including Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and veteran sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic. After weeks of searching for any upgrade in the backcourt, the Lakes could have joined the chase for a number of targets. Instead, GM Rob Pelinka held his cards and it's a move that LeBron James is apparently less than thrilled about. 

With averages of 24.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game on 51.9% shooting, LeBron James is having another fantastic season and it's the latest A+ campaign for him after 20 solid years of greatness. But with the internal clock ticking for James, he only has so long to win another title before his inevitable decline (which some believe has already begun) and he'll have to choose how to close out his career. With a player option on his final season, James could opt for free agency if things get bad enough and he's already showing signs that he may want out of Los Angeles. Or, if the Lakers make win-now trades this summer and bring in a third star, it could convince the King to re-up for another season and make a run for his fifth championship. Whatever the case, it's obvious to everyone now that the Lakers aren't going to get far as presently constructed and unless they make some moves here soon, it could have drastic implications for their title aspirations in the years to come.