LeBron James is Facing Backlash, and the Lakers Are Lacking Leadership.

48 hours out from Sunday's horrible loss to New Orleans at crypto.com Arena, things don't feel any better around the team. The Lakers didn't practice on Monday, and face a stiff upcoming schedule as the team slides in the standings and questions about whether they qualify for the play-in tournament are becoming as frequent as ones wondering where they might be seeded. It's a dark spot to be in, and feels fundamentally different than other low points the Lakers have faced this season. Fans are growing very restless, including some intense booing by the home crowd on Sunday. Tension is building in other ways, too, including between LeBron James and a member of the local media. How hypocritical is it for James to criticize a writer for using unnamed sources in a story, when he has no doubt served as one himself? How much does it matter that LeBron seems to have misread the mood of the room, so to speak? He's operating out of a position of unusual weakness, relative to the rest of his career. The whole franchise is, for that matter. Finally, who exactly is leading the Lakers? They have leaders, they have people in leadership positions, but who is the voice? Who is the person really steering the ship? As the Lakers enter into a very difficult stretch, not knowing the answer to this has the potential to be a major, major problem. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers have entered a dark place. The morale is low inside the locker room, and among the fans. SEGMENT 2: LeBron doesn't make many missteps, but he seems to have made one here, in how he's handled the recent run of controversial stories. And he, like the organization itself, is operating from an unusual place of weakness. SEGMENT 3: Who is the leader of the franchise? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices