Hello everyone, this is Dan Woike, beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, and against my will this is the latest edition of the Lakers newsletter. I would rather not work for weeks on end, but unfortunately my requests for freight management went unanswered.
So yeah, that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
The decision
It was a game the Lakers had to win because they had to win as many as possible.
On Wednesday night, they played against the Houston Rockets, the worst team in the West. And because it was the second game on consecutive nights, they did it without Anthony Davis.
The Lakers lost 114-110, halting the momentum they had built over the past few weeks and failing to reach .500 for the first time this season.
The Lakers said Davis is still dealing with stress response issues in his right foot, which he injured earlier this season.
“While he played pain free, we made an organizational decision, starting with our team doctors, to keep him away from rugby,” coach Darvin Ham said Tuesday after the Lakers defeated New Orleans. “So it’s just one of those things where even if he’s playing pain free it’s still an active injury. So we have to keep an eye on it and stick to the plan like we’ve always done.”
But the plan is wrong.
The Lakers, like any other organization, go into each season with one goal: to win a championship. Unless Davis is healthy for the playoffs, the Lakers have no chance of even coming close to a title.
So in this way it is a step towards achieving their goals.
But the Lakers have to get their first one – make the playoffs.
The situation should be incredibly clear for the Lakers, a handful of teams separated by two games and playing for a playoff spot or the playoffs.
Every loss will matter. A defeat against a team that is in the Westkeller will undoubtedly play a role. The impact can be serious. It could be the difference between playing as the ninth/tenth seed in a single-elimination play-in versus as the seventh/eighth seed in a double-elimination situation. This may mean playing on the go instead of at home. That could completely keep the Lakers out of the playoffs.
The Lakers have said in the past that they have “more than enough” to win, and the Rockets certainly have. But without Davis and reserve center Mo Bamba, who is out with an ankle injury, the Lakers played with virtually no edge protection.
Houston attacked the basket early, scored easy buckets, built confidence and eventually played spoilsport.
The options to prevent this are limited.
The team could have signed a player on a 10-day contract to fill the empty spot in their squad, which ideally would have given them more options up front after Bamba’s injury.
But there are reasons why these players are available.
While Ham cited locker room chemistry as one of the reasons the Lakers didn’t take action, it’s probably more down to available talent than anything else.
The other option, of course, is to play Davis and take the risk.
The Lakers have one set of back-to-back games left this season. They will play the Clippers in Utah and then Los Angeles – two games that could have major implications for the fate of the Lakers.
The safe bet is that Davis won’t be allowed to play in any of those games either.
Sitting Davis and prioritizing his health are the most responsible things to do. Nor is it sporty.
There’s an element of competitive unfairness in keeping a painless player off the pitch for high-stakes matches — even if that’s not the end result.
Executives and owners around the NBA are privately concerned about the overall health of the NBA. Ratings continue to drop and regular season games have never felt more important.
Everything was in play for the Lakers on Wednesday.
If the team with Davis and LeBron James makes it through the postseason healthy, the Lakers will be in good shape.
If they had won on Wednesday, that position would certainly have been even better.
song of the week
“That’s how we treat each otherby Spoon
Does it feel good? NO. Does this seem to be a problem? Yes. But the NBA continues, players sit out games, injury prevention and management are only gaining momentum.
With that in mind, here’s the best “do-what-you-should” number I can come up with.
In case you missed it
Understaffed Lakers fall behind against the worst Western Conference Rockets
“We played well.” How Anthony Davis and Malik Beasley moved the Lakers
‘He Can’t Do It To Himself’: Why Dennis Schroder Says Anthony Davis Wasn’t Responsible For The Loss
“We can’t waste any more time.” Lakers lose to Knicks, missing chance to hit .500
Anthony Davis embodies a new vibe that aligns the Lakers in time
D’Angelo Russell and Hot Shooting Bench get Lakers back over Raptors
“The Physical Style”: How Rui Hachimura Helped the Lakers Beat the Grizzlies
D’Angelo Russell is ready to restart his red-hot Lakers starting with an injury
Source: LA Times