Kentavious Caldwell-Pope believes the debate over the NBA’s greatest player of all time would already be over if the Los Angeles Lakers had kept their 2019-20 championship core together.
Speaking with former teammate Dwight Howard on Above The Rim with DH 12, Caldwell-Pope reflected on the chemistry and unity of the 2020 Lakers squad that won the NBA title in the Orlando bubble.
“That team, we had a lot of moments where everything just clicked for us,” Caldwell-Pope said, via Lakers Nation. “I think if we kept that team together, we would’ve run off two more… There would be no more GOAT talk, that would’ve put [LeBron] at six.”
The Lakers won their 17th championship in franchise history that season, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis with key contributions from Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, and others.
But the front office opted to overhaul the roster ahead of the 2020-21 season, letting several veterans walk and bringing in new faces.
That decision, Caldwell-Pope argued, prevented the team from building on its success and robbed James of the chance to match Michael Jordan’s six-ring total.
Caldwell-Pope is not alone in that sentiment.
Howard, now playing overseas, previously stated the Lakers would have won three straight championships if the group had stayed together.
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss also recently acknowledged that, in hindsight, she wishes the organization had kept the roster intact.
His comments add further weight to the ongoing narrative that the Lakers’ front office might have moved on from a championship formula too soon.
