Lakers fans have quickly turned on last year's promising story

It wasn’t so long ago that no one besides people who were entertained by his last name knew who Kon Knueppel was. There was someone else with a confusing K name that was important, and good, and loved. It was Dalton Knecht. The first round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024.

Everyone, especially you, talked about the bright new future with LeBron James and Dalton “Westside” Knecht (actual nickname) running the league for the next ten-to-thirteen years. The King and Knecht. The two k’s. The highest number of k’s one should probably go.

We all knew that Knecht’s inevitable physical decline was eventually going to get him, and LeBron would have to carry on his own, but we didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Aging is one of those things you can’t really predict. Does aging happen? There’s no way to know. However, these are disconcerting numbers.

I can’t recommend looking at the replies because you need an account on Twitter to look at the replies, and I broadly think having one of those is bad … but yeah. The replies are not kind.

Do these two summer league games predict how the rest of Dalton Knecht’s career will go?

Pretty much anyone who has appreciable knowledge of statistics and/or reality will tell you that no, two bad summer league games do not mean you will be a bad player forever.

But … what if two bad summer league games mean that you will be a bad player forever? This is a possibility that Lakers fans have to consider.

It feels so long ago since I heard one Laker fan call him “K-Dalt.” It wasn’t a good nickname in the first place, and he certainly hadn’t earned it. But it was a sign of appreciation, a sign of honor. Today people call him “Stupid Dalton Dumb Dumb” and “Basketbad.” It’s mean, but when you’re supposed to be averaging 19 point per game by the end of your first season, and you come up short then people are going to be upset.

I remember one time someone in a position of authority telling me that life isn’t fair while they did something unfair to me. Something that they had all the authority and choice not to do, but they did it anyway for the sake of doing it. As if simply providing a reminder that people abuse their power by abusing their own power was somehow a good deed. That they get to smile thinking “Today I showed someone that bad people exist by being a bad person. I’m glad I’m contributing to the world.” I think about that sometimes. I’m trying to be that person to Dalton now.

Dalton, life is unfair. You are bad now. Please continue to be bad so people can say mean things.