The Lakers couldn’t take what the Minnesota Timberwolves were dishing out. So tonight, after 5 games, they crashed out of the Playoffs in the very first round. Despite scoring more points than LeBron tonight, Rui Hachimura couldn’t help stop it. And knows who to blame. But he needs to be careful because of what happened to the last guy who criticized the Lakers, like him.

Tonight’s game was decided plain and simply by rebounds. Of course, there were other moving parts. But the Timberwolves’ and, specifically, Rudy Gobert’s ability to grab boards gave them a huge boost. Gobert himself had a staggering 24 boards tonight. On the other hand, Rui Hachimura, tasked with doing the same thing for his team, only managed to get 4. And when you look at the teams as a whole, the Lakers only managed 37 to the T-Wolves’ 54.

So it’s no surprise that Hachimura blamed JJ Redick and himself for not getting it done for the Lakers tonight. “We didn’t get the rebound, you know. We need somebody to get rebounds. You know, I gotta, I gotta be one of them,” he said, taking some of the blame. He then explained his coach’s role in it. “It’s tough. You know, it is what it is. The coaches trust me to put me in the situation. I try to fight through that, but, you know, it’s, there’s a limit to it,” said Hachimura after the game tonight.

He explained that going up against someone with the attributes of Rudy Gobert is always a losing battle. “Unfortunately, I’m not a five-man. I’m six eight, two forty,” said Rui. And it’s understandable why he said this. Standing at 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-9 wingspan, Rudy Gobert is a rebounding machine. With a wingspan that’s 7 inches less than Gobert, Rui was never getting the best of Rudy. Pushed to his limits and beyond them by Rudy’s dominance tonight, it’s no wonder Rui feels his coaches put him in an unfavorable position.

But the most experienced voice in the locker room, LeBron James, chose not to blame Redick for tonight’s loss. Instead, LeBron defended JJ from the criticism directed at him. “I thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach, and it’s a lot different being a rookie coach. It’s already hard being a rookie coach in the NBA, and it’s a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach coaching the Lakers. That’s a whole another ballgame,” said the 40-year-old.

Now it’s clear that JJ Redick and LeBron’s relationship goes beyond player and coach. JJ was LeBron’s podcast partner before taking the Lakers job. So it’s only natural LeBron would defend his friend when the world seems against him. But it could also be that LeBron learned from the fate of Anthony Davis and kept his criticisms limited to the players on the court. By the way, yes, that was who we referred to as the “last guy” to criticize the Lakers. Here’s what Rui can learn from AD.

Rui Hachimura may meet the same fate as Anthony Davis if he keeps this up

Before Rui Hachimura, it was Anthony Davis who was complaining to the media about how his coaches were playing him. He openly talked about wanting to play as a power forward. But given the Lakers’ lack of depth, he was forced to play center. In his frustration, AD ended up getting on Lakers owner Jeanie Buss’ nerves.

And we all know what happened after that. Jeanie Buss and GM Rob Pelinka got rid of Anthony Davis, trading him to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. And a few weeks after the trade, Buss explained her decision. “Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played, and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for,” she said. Absolutely cold stuff from the Lakers owner.

And if Rui isn’t careful, this may be the fate that he meets this offseason. After all, if the Lakers feel comfortable trading AD, who won them a championship, they’ll have no qualms about doing away with Rui after tonight’s first-round Playoff exit. So Rui, if you’re reading this, keep your criticism towards your coach private!