Letters to Sports: Why the Lakers should (and shouldn’t) get rid of LeBron James

Bill Plaschke’s idea is bold yet very sensible. The choice comes down to keeping today’s franchise player (with little chance of winning a title) or saving $51.4 million to build the franchise of the future. It’s a no-brainer. And it will keep Coach Darvin Ham from being hamstrung with a star who still makes his shots but in all likelihood calls the shots too.

Ron Ovadia
Irvine

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How do you improve the Lakers ? Easy, get rid of LeBron! He is not the player of yesteryear, but a run-down version who burdens the club by his slow-down play. The future will be bleak for the Lakers if they decide to keep him.

G.T. Oka
Rosemead

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Bill Plaschke uses the term G.O.A.T. in referring to LeBron James. To me the greatest of all time should refer to players who brought championships to their team, not ones who run to teams to try to win championships. See Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as examples.

Bert Bergen
La Cañada

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They say that love is blind. It’s apparent that Bill Plaschke’s infatuation with LeBron James has once again clouded his perspective. In his column he calls James “the NBA’s G.O.A.T.” How does he not see Bill Russell, Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain, to name a few, more worthy of that honor? Greater than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson or Kobe Bryant, each bringing five NBA titles to the Lakers?

David Grisanti
Bremerton, Wash.

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Well, the NBA trade deadline has passed and the Lakers made no moves. Cue the series of LeBron James cryptic tweet emojis and self-serving, passive-aggressive offhand comments to the press beginning in 3 … 2 … 1 …

Richard Turnage
Burbank

Kobe Bryant was ours. He was a child of 17 when he arrived and we, the fans, loved him, hated him, won and lost with him. We bled when he was hurt and cried when he died. To not allow the fans in and make the statue ceremony for VIPs and corporate folks is criminal.

Jeffrey Brown

Santa Barbara

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The Lakers unveiled a new 19-foot-tall statue in tribute to Kobe Bryant, with two more statues on the way. This Mamba trio will be a monument to Tinseltown excess and poor taste in front of the arena. Very Hollywood-ish, but not in a good way. I wonder if Magic, Kareem, and Shaq feel the same way?

Jim Regan
Carlsbad

UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond got played like a yo-yo when Chip Kelly left for Ohio State. He had the opportunity to elevate an up-and-coming young coach with a defensive mind, D’Anton Lynn, to head coach while firing Chip Kelly. Instead, he lost that promising coach to the USC poachers and Kelly leaves while kids are deciding where to plant their football cleats. Jarmond is two steps behind.

Good luck finding a quality head coach after most schools have picked the cupboard clean. Looks like more years of a dreary football life for UCLA followers and continued athletic department financial losses. Maybe Chip’s fabulous team training table menu can be opened to the public to help stop the bleeding. That may be his finest legacy at UCLA.

Felipe Hernandez
Glendale

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What a gift from the skies! Ohio State coach Ryan Day hires Chip Kelly away from UCLA so Martin Jarmond can do what he should have done years ago — find UCLA a coach that knows how to recruit and coach by today’s rules and standards. The move to the Big Ten with coaches and players having left the program and most transfers having committed elsewhere is really going to hurt this year. Let’s hope with a clean slate and the right coach they get it right this time.

Bob Goldstone
Corona Del Mar

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The only thing Chip Kelly accomplished in Westwood was being the first of five Bruins coaches since 1995 not to be fired!

Jack Wolf
Westwood

Mr. Plaschke, I’m happy Clayton Kershaw is back too.

While I didn’t like Ronald Reagan, his 11th Commandment — speak no ill of a fellow Republican — always seemed apt.

Never boo a Dodger (well, maybe Manny Machado).

Bob Wieting
Simi Valley

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It’s obvious the Dodgers owners have money to burn. And don’t get me started on Plaschke gushing over Kershaw’s one-year return. Heck, the guy’s beginning his 17th season on the IR!

Mike Aguilar
Costa Mesa

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The velocity may be down on his fastball, but it is still wondrous to watch batters tie themselves in knots trying to make contact with Kershaw’s Kurves.

Al Janis
Encinitas

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A recent Times story noted L.A. Dodgers Hall of Famers are shockingly few, but Clayton Kershaw’s first-ballot induction (and cap logo) is a forgone conclusion. Some guys are just meant to wear one team’s uniform their entire career. So while the club spent the offseason amassing an expensive collection of shiny new crown jewels, Kershaw’s return is like flashing a little OG bling too.

Steve Ross
Carmel

In your article about the Dodgers hoping to eclipse the 4-million mark in attendance this year, my annual frustration surfaced. Imagine what attendance would be if most people could afford to attend a game. Most of us can only dream of rooting on our favorite team from the stands. That’s not something which should make the Dodgers proud.

Peggy Jo Abraham
Santa Monica

To the Washington Commanders: You’d best prepare yourselves for the day (coming soon) when Kliff Kingsbury jilts you when the “next great opportunity” comes his way as he’s done to USC and most recently, the Raiders. Loyalty? A concept he’s apparently unfamiliar with.

Thomas Filip
Moorpark

Kings general manager Rob Blake continues to prove that being a Hall of Fame defenseman does not always equate to competence as a front office executive. I am curious as to whether team president Luc Robitaille sanctions Blake’s decisions. I sincerely hope not.

Bud Chapman
Mount Pleasant, S.C.

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