Holy smokes, chill out. For real. Yes, I am aware that they lost Anthony Davis for presumably a very long time. Yes, I’m aware that they’re on a three game losing streak. That absolutely does not mean that the world is ending, or that the Lakers are not going to make it back to the Finals.
If you take a look at the Western Conference standings, the Lakers are still sitting at 22-10, which is 3rd in the West. They have the exact same record as the Clippers, and they’re both only 3.5 games behind the Jazz. Without AD, are they going to get the #1 seed? Probably not. The Jazz have been on quite the roll this season, and let’s not forget that AD is a top 5 player, so it would be difficult to retake the top seed without him. The Lakers, however, will still more than likely get home court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs, and by all metrics, AD will be back before the season ends. Now, if the Lakers are smart, they’ll rest AD until the playoffs, but I guess we’ll have to see how smart the training staff is.
The Lakers front office are aware of the hurdles that they have in front of them. With AD out for the foreseeable future, they are prepared to make moves. At the time of writing this, the Lakers just released Quinn Cook to free up a roster spot. A couple names have been attached to the Lakers, and releasing Cook was the first step in making the necessary moves to make a deep playoff run.
A couple of days ago, DeMarcus Cousins and the Houston Rockets decided to part ways, and the Lakers have been rumored to be in the running. Cousins did sign with the Lakers two off-seasons ago, but was released to sign JR Smith and Dion Waiters. Does Cousins have some bad blood with the Lakers front office for releasing him? I certainly would, but if you have the chance to compete for a ring, I’d let bygones be bygones.
Some other names that have been linked with the Lakers are Blake Griffin and Hassan Whiteside. For Blake, he and the Detroit Pistons came to an agreement for him to sit out until he is traded or bought out of his contract. With Griffin in the back half of his career, it would be very easy for him to go back to LA. He could start the transition to stand-up comedy, or an acting career, all while competing for a championship. Earlier today, the Lakers were reported to be monitoring Whiteside’s status in Sacramento. If he is bought out by the Kings, I’d expect that the Lakers would be the first team to come calling.
The Lakers are going to obviously have a plan to compete while AD is out. Not to mention that I’ve gone this entire article without mentioning one of the greatest players of all-time, LeBron James, is still on the roster putting up MVP numbers. The Lakers have gone through a rough spot, but they’ll be just fine. They’ve had a reputation of winning, and I don’t expect them to stop doing that anytime soon.
Round The Game 
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