The Lakers are probably the most disappointing team of the season in the NBA, with a sad 9th place in the West. But to The approach playoffs, some observers still have confidence in them. In fact, it would all be regarding fitness in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are having a season light years away from what fans expected last summer… When Russell Westbrook settled down in his hometown, all the specialists made the Purple and Gold the big favorites to leave the Western Conference, and all were waiting for one thing: an anthology Finals once morest the Nets. But less than two months from the playoffs, the plan seems compromised.
Indeed, at the dawn of the final sprint, Frank Vogel’s men are only in 9th place in the standings, and unlike Brooklyn which has greatly strengthened, the leaders did not see fit to upset the effective. A decision that might also be costly, since LeBron James and his entourage would have gone up once morest Rob Pelinka for his inactivity during the trade deadline.
Bill Simmons sees the Lakers go all the way to the title
If we add to this the many disappointments in the market for free players, and in particular Goran Dragic who joined the Nets, it is difficult to bet on the most successful franchise in history for the playoffs. And yet, despite the many doubts that surround Los Angeles, the speakers of Bill Simmons’ latest podcast still believe in an eventual victory of LeBron James and his teammates.
Let’s start from this theoretical point of view, but which has a good chance of happening. Chris Paul is injured for 8 weeks, on his return he will not be at 100% and imagine that he has a relapse for his first match. Draymond Green has a back problem and no one hears regarding it, we don’t know when he will return. When you have back pain, you have back pain for a long time and it always comes back.
In this scenario, the Western Conference loses its two best teams in the title race. Is there another team, if you take out the Suns and Warriors, who you see the Lakers taking out if LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk are healthy? Personally, I don’t see anyone taking them out.
According to the famous Bill Simmons and his band, the Lakers will act as favorites in the Western Conference if the Suns and the Warriors do not show up in the playoffs at 100%. It must be said that without Draymond Green, Golden State will be far too fragile in the racket to contain Anthony Davis, and Phoenix will have to rely on Devin Booker alone in the event of Chris Paul’s absence for the playoffs. The road to the title seems impossible for the Lakers, but not all specialists lose hope.
The Lakers have been in big trouble lately, and no one knows if they will manage to qualify for the playoffs. But for Bill Simmons, despite the doubts, Frank Vogel’s men are still among the favorites, provided they arrive in good health in the title race.
