The championship-or-bust Los Angeles Lakers remain in position to clinch a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. But, at this point in their season, scenarios involving them making a deep playoff run are far-fetched. With 14 games left on the schedule, the Lakers are a ghastly 29-39, which is best for ninth place in the West standings. They've lost eight of their last 10.
The acquisition of superstar guard Russell Westbrook has certainly backfired. And in recent weeks, LeBron James, still playing at an elite level, has publicly expressed his frustrations with the team's disorder, both on and off the court. The Lakers' trio of James, Westbrook, and injury-prone Anthony Davis can be labeled as combustible, and former NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest believes that fans' anger toward Westbrook wouldn't be as severe if Davis was healthy.
"It's not only Westbrook, it's a mix. You can't just blame Russell Westbrook for the season," Sandiford-Artest told The DA Show on Wednesday. "I feel like it's a little bit of young guys, a couple older guys, and injuries. Injuries is the main thing, actually. If AD wasn't injured, I feel like this is a different season. That's probably been the biggest blow to everything. You can win with AD alone...
"Hopefully he comes back healthy next season, but I think that was the major thing... [Fans' criticism], that's just basketball. That's just typical. When you're playing sports and fans aren't happy, they're going to do that. So, you've got to expect that. Everyone was just expecting the Lakers to be at another level right now, and that's just not where it's at. They just have to absorb that."
Although the Lakers are receiving ample production from James -- he's been averaging 29.7 points, his highest mark since the 2009-10 season -- the team stats show he can't carry this poorly built roster. Through 68 games, they rank bottom-five in the NBA in average points allowed (113.6), and to make matters worse, Davis has missed the last four weeks with an ankle sprain.
Los Angeles returns to action on Wednesday night, in a road matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Lakers currently have a 7-percent chance to reach the playoffs, and less than a 1-percent chance to make the NBA Finals. Before the regular season, those marks were 49-percent and 2-percent, respectively.
The entire basketball conversation between Sandiford-Artest and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.