If you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan and have taken a look at Twitter or any social media platform this season, there’s a huge divide among Lakers fans as of late.
With the team officially out of playoff contention and a possible draft pick hanging in the balance, Lakers fans have experienced mixed emotions when approaching ballgames.
As most fans are aware, the lower the Lakers place in the overall NBA standings, the higher chance the team has to retain its draft pick. Essentially, the Lakers have to be awarded a “top five” draft pick in the draft lottery in order to keep the pick they traded away in the deal they made for Steve Nash back in 2013. If they don’t receive one of those picks, they lose out on the chance at a top draft prospect.
The consensus is that the Lakers would benefit greatly for years to come as a result of receiving this draft pick, going into next season. Coupled with Julius Randle (last year’s seventh draft pick) and Jordan Clarkson, who has made strides coming down the final stretch of the current season, another young prospect would be a great asset to have for a team in its rebuilding phase.
Even if the Lakers decide to trade the pick for an “immediate impact” player, the value of the pick is significant regardless of how you look at it.
The effect the Lakers’ current situation has had on its fans and how they approach the ballgames, however, has had a bit of a dividing factor.
You’ve essentially got the crew who wants the Lakers to “tank,” and the group who warns against this type of behavior — the latter arguing that the creation of a losing culture would not be attractive to free agents and generally would be a detriment to a franchise that prides itself on winning and being a class organization.
Rest assured, the Lakers are not going to intentionally “tank.” What I mean by that is Byron Scott is not going to approach his players and say, “We need to lose this game in order to move up in the tank standings.” No self-respecting coach would ever do that.
Given the Lakers’ situation, however, we’ll often see moves or lineup changes similar to that of a coach in the preseason or during an exhibition game. Byron isn’t always going to put the lineup with the best chance of winning a game on the floor at the end of ballgames, simply because it’s beneficial to see how a player like rookie Jordan Clarkson will respond in that type of situation. The Lakers are effectively in a developmental stage at this point of the season.
Back to the effect the overall situation has had on the fans, though.
There’s basically three categories fans can be cast into regarding how they feel about the outcome of any given Lakers game.
BEGIN SLIDESHOW: The Tankers
The Tankers
First, we’ve got the Tankers. These are the fans who are focused on the draft pick and what it means to the Lakers going forward. These fans are the ones who not only want the Lakers to lose every game and get the best possible position they can in the draft, they’re emotionally attached to this notion. They’re the ones who’ve created Twitter accounts or websites dedicated strictly to the tank, and are tuning into ballgames rooting for the Lakers to lose. When the game is on the line, they may even scold a Laker for hitting a clutch shot, or praise an opposing player for putting the proverbial nail in the Lakers’ coffin.
It certainly adds an element of emotion (and sometimes comedy) that’s maybe been missing from the games this season, but is it a healthy emotion? We’ll discuss this in just a bit.
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CONTINUE READING: The Winners
The Winners
Next, we’ve got the fans who want the team to win every game possible. They certainly want the team to succeed in the future as well, but they’re watching the game that’s in front of them right now and want to see the Lakers victorious by the end of the night. These fans loathe the Tankers, and feel as if they are a disgrace. At the very least, they want to avoid any connection to the support of a losing culture. They’ll certainly welcome the draft pick if it comes, but the losses that keep piling up are absolutely frustrating the heck out of this group.
These fans are just as emotional as the previous group and become disappointed after every loss. Should they really be that disappointed, though? Maybe not.
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CONTINUE READING: The Neutrals
The Neutrals
This group is kind of stuck in the middle on how to feel about the situation. On one hand, they want the Lakers to have a bright future and certainly being able to retain their draft pick and losing games is of high importance. On the other hand, it’s always nice to seeing the Lakers beat another team when they play.
This is the group that I’m apart of. I’m certainly not saying it’s the “right” or “wrong” group, but for me, it’s the best way to cope.
I’ll tune into the game and take on more of an analytical or businesslike approach. I’ll watch for how certain players are playing with each other, or how they’re expanding their games. Or, as it often happens these days, I’ll get distracted or zone out while the game is on.
If the Lakers lose, good. It’s all (hopefully) for the greater good and will give us a better chance at getting back to the promise land.
If we win, great. The team played well and the players gained some valuable experience and hopefully some of it will pay off in the future.
The downside of this, however, is the emotional detachment from the game. Sports are meant to be emotional. Fans are supposed to cheer, shout, and curse as the game hits its ups and downs. I’m typically the outspoken, loud fan at Lakers game (sometimes to the point where an usher may ask me and my group of friends to tone it down a notch), so to remove the emotional attachment is a bit depressing, to be honest.
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CONTINUE READING: Lakers Draft Situation Leaves Many Fans Divided
For me, though, this neutral approach just makes the most sense.
Now, if it’s a close game, you’d better believe you’ll still catch me jumping up and down in my living room cheering for a Lakers “W” because it’s in my nature to want the team to win the game that’s live and right in front of me. If I were to get hit by a bus later on that night, I’d die happy knowing that the Lakers pulled out a close, overtime victory over a hated rival. I certainly wouldn’t be thinking, “Well, I’m dying happy because the Lakers lost tonight and the chances of us getting a player who may or may not impact the franchise in a significant manner at a future date just got boosted by a half-game in the tank standings.”
Basically, if I’m watching a game, I can’t pull myself root against my team or root for the other team to win.
Similarly, I can’t envision a season ticket holder who’s attending every home game rooting against the team they’re paying big bucks to see. Essentially, they are paying to see the players go out on the court and perform at a high level.
On the other side of the coin, the Tankers are thinking in the sense of the bigger picture, so getting upset at a win isn’t exactly “wrong,” either. However, imagine if a member of this group has deep family roots with the Lakers. In 100 years from now if his or her great grandchild were to get ahold of an old home video of their great grandparent in the living room rooting against the Lakers, that poor child would be extremely confused.
My approach is simply to be mindful of the standings and understand the importance of the pick. I want us to get the pick, and understand that losses will get us closer to that pick. But I’m also going to support the players as they still don purple and gold jerseys and play hard for the team I love.
This medium is also where Magic Johnson appears to stand as well. Earlier this season, he famously stated that he hoped the Lakers would lose every game this in order to secure a good pick. Following that statement, he clarified his statement by saying although he stood by him wanting the Lakers to get the best pick out there, he still loves to see the team succeed:
Laker Nation: Don’t forget that I’m the biggest Lakers fan and despite what I said I still want the Lakers to do well!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 13, 2014
The season has been tough and has certainly put Lakers fans through the ringer, and divided them in many ways. There really isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to watch these games, nor should anybody feel bad for what they’re rooting for during any given ballgame.
We all want the same thing — for the Lakers to be successful — but because this is a season in which we are not all rooting for a common championship goal, and there are variables involved, everyone is going to prioritize what’s important to them and approach the games differently.
With the season winding down, we’ll all get a better indication of what the future holds, soon.
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