Lakers Advised To 'Shut Down' LeBron James, 'Old Geezers' Following Skid

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on a terrible losing streak, and changes need to be done as soon as possible.

On Thursday, the Lakers suffered a humiliating 132-111 blowout loss to the Clippers to extend their losing streak to four. To date, the purple and gold has lost seven of its last eight games, stagnating at the ninth spot in the West with a 27-35 record. As expected, the Lakers have become a hot topic of discussion once again.

NBA analysts Kendrick Perkins and Charles Barkley have similar sentiments when it comes to L.A.’s poor run. For Perkins, the Lakers should move on from LeBron James and start thinking about building the future.

“At some point, the Lakers might need to consider shutting [LeBron] Bron down!” Perkins tweeted. “It’s no more hope for them… no need putting more miles on the old man who’s going to be in his 20th season next year. He’s given everything and more. On top of all that he’s playing on a hurt knee! Real talk.”

Barkley, meanwhile, reckoned that James still has something left in his tank, but he noted that aging veterans such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are struggling with consistency and can no longer keep up with the new generation of players.

“Think about the Lakers,” Barkley said on “Inside The NBA” on TNT following the Lakers’ loss to the Clippers. “Who have we been talking about for the last two months? Stanley Johnson, [Malik] Monk and [Austin] Reaves. You know why? ‘Cause they’re young and they hustle. Because sports ain’t made for old geezers, it’s made for young guys.”

“Them old guys [are done],” he pointed out. “And you know how you can tell? They can’t sustain it.”

Statistically, James has been a consistent contributor for the Lakers. In the team’s last four losses, he averaged 26.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per outing. However, he still failed to single-handedly lead the Lakers to victory.

When asked to reflect on the team’s skid, James did not put any of his teammates on the spot. Instead, the four-time MVP blamed it on lack of intensity as a whole on the defensive end.

“It’s been challenging for this year,” James told reporters after the 21-point loss to the Clippers. “Defensively, we had a lot of breakdowns. We lost a lot of game because our defense has broken down but also because of our offense at times too.”

“Your offense can help your defense,” he explained. “You taking bad shots or you turning the ball over or you taking good shots but it’s a long rebound and you’re not getting the floor balance, and you’re not getting back — that can affect your defense as well.”