It took less than a week for LeBron James to start lowering expectations.



Three games in, the Lakers remained winless after James missed a pair of free throws in the final seconds of an overtime loss to San Antonio. James stood in front of his locker, towel draped over his massive shoulders.



“I know what I got myself into,” James said. “It’s a process.”



Three factors – roster construction, injuries and mistrust — proved fatal. They largely explain why the Lakers won the LeBron sweepstakes in July, but ended up back in the lottery.



The process most people envisioned when James signed with the Lakers involved fewer steps. Add LeBron, stir, return to playoffs. That’s it. But that plan underestimated the hurdles the Lakers would encounter along the way. The dramatic miscalculation of what players would work alongside James; the injuries to every key player, and especially the strained groin James suffered...