Lakers: LA Columnist Slams LeBron James' New Contract Extension

If Lakers forward LeBron James were to end his career today, he would undoubtably go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Not even the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who's scoring record James will surely surpass in the coming seasons, played at this high of level this late into his career.

Despite the greatness of James, the numbers for his new contract are downright insane. James is set to most the highest guaranteed money in NBA history ($532 million) at the completion of the contract, and he's entering his 20th season.

LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke did not take lightly to James' numbers heading into the end of his career.

"A team that needs to build for the future remains stuck in the past, forgoing substance for sizzle, clinging to an aging star even as the sky is falling around them."

It's the moment NBA fans have been afraid of which is reminiscent to signing Kobe Bryant to his final contract with the Lakers. A two-year $48 million extension which of course Kobe was worth but would end up leaving the Lakers in shambles for the next few seasons.

"It first assumes that James is still capable of leading a team to a full-season championship. The truth is that he is not. The extension also assumes that James will be healthy enough to be the full-time Lakers leader during the regular season. The painful reality is that he will not."

Plaschke may be right. James who was considered one of the most durable players has only been getting more frequent injuries while this team is supposed to be led by Anthony Davis, who also is injury prone.

This could be a sign, as Plaschke noted, that the Lakers will inevitably move on from Russell Westbrook. For now, the future of the Lakers seems bleak for Plaschke.