LeBron James, almost three months after his signing for the Los Angeles Lakers, spoke on Monday for the first time to the media and admitted that the Californian franchise is far from reaching the level of current NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors.
"My expectations are to try to improve every day, I do not expect anything, you work to get what you want," said the 33-year-old forward, who signed a contract for four seasons and 154 million dollars.
Although James, considered the best player in the NBA, has been present in the last eight finals, is aware that the template angelina must go through an acclimation process to know the true potential it has.
"I do not think the only thing that makes a season successful is winning the championship, there is only one champion, that does not mean that (the team's performance) has not been successful," said Akron (Ohio), who admitted that the Golden State Warriors return to be favorites this season.
"We have a long way to go to reach them, we started from scratch, we can not worry about them, they have been playing together for several years, we must focus on ourselves and hopefully one day we will be able to win titles," he said.
The incorporation of James to the Lakers has turned the club automatically into focus of attention for the media and has filled with enthusiasm a franchise sunk athletically in recent years.
Media like ESPN predicted during the summer that the arrival of the forward will not help the team access the qualifying rounds, but many other specialized media believe that the squad has the potential to go far in the West.
The Lakers have been reinforced this year with Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee and rookies Sviatoslav Mykhailliuk and Moritz Wagner, but above all a step forward is expected from men like Lonzo Ball , Brandon Ingram , Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart .
"We have so many players who can do multiple things on the court: pass, throw, rebound, assist, go out on counter-attack ... It's going to be fun to see how I can fit in that style," James said of the dizzying style of play that he likes to implement Luke Walton, team coach.
In any case, number 23 warned that his game will not change.
"It does not matter who's around, I think my game fits in. The first thing is the team," he said.
In his speech from the UCLA Health Training Center, the pavilion where he trains the team, located in El Segundo (California), James highlighted his desire to play with Rondo, with whom he has competed for many years in the Eastern Conference.
"He is one of the most intelligent, cerebral and competitive players I've seen," he said.
He also talked about how he made the decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Lakers .
"The decision was based solely on my family and the Lakers, I'm a basketball player, it's what I do, if I do it at the level that I know, everything else will come alone," said the star, who did not hesitate to emphasize several times. who is "excited" by this new stage.
"We have the opportunity to do something special," he said excitedly.
And do you feel pressure before expectations? "None," he concluded emphatically.
Comments