Two seasons ago, the Los Angeles Lakers’ last game before the trade deadline looked like a referendum on the state of the franchise – the Indiana pacers lost 2-points as rumors spread. The New Orleans Pelicans had no 128-111 road loss on Tuesday That For the Lakers, they are ultimately defending the NBA champions, but the resulting angst is very reminiscent.
“You’re going to be realistic,” Kyle Kuzma said. The injury left LeBron James and Anthony Davis, along with the original player’s spokesman. “It’s a challenge. But it’s not something we can’t overcome.”
The Pelicans’ game turned ugly, with the Lakers trailing by more than 30 points – consistent with the number of points they outsourced in Paint (62-32) – while they were without their best defender at Davis. And his starting center, Mark Gasol, who missed his ninth straight game after serving in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
As the 2019 Lakers reversed in Indiana, the team’s Davis pursuit caused tension, with the L.A.’s young rising star collection wondering if the start of his career in Southern California was coming under the sun.
These Lakers are not in the same situation. Some of those young players from the other two years ago were on the other side of things on Tuesday, with Brandon Ingram leading all scorers with 36 points in 14-for-21 shooting and Josh Hart shooting despite getting 15 shots, five assists and five steels. Only 1-to-9. (His anger over the February 2019 deadline was not justified – Davis’ trade with Pelico took place four months later)
No, the Lakers don’t want to make bulk changes to land another star to join James at this point. They have their franchise pillars, though one is in walking boots and the other hasn’t played since Valentine’s Day.
However, there is still pressure to improve around the margins and to increase their championship chances of coming postseason. For most of the season, it seemed like it involved involving the buyout market for an effective p te or two, the way La added Markiff Morris last year, and he became an important part of the bubble during his run.
But now, on a three-match losing streak, the Lakers’ record reached 7-10 as Davis was injured and finished fourth in the Western Conference standings – just 2 – games at No. 6 Portland. Plans can be adjusted.
Asked about his team’s position, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, “I think it will definitely have an impact on the final timeline of our mindset trade,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said when asked about his team’s position over the weekend.
One name mentioned as a potential candidate to be moved is Cantavius Caldwell-Pope. The shooting guard received a three-year, 40 40 million deal that came in the postseason, in which he shot a 3-point distance.87..10%. being points averaged, while the Lakers were one of the reliable perimeter defenders, but he saw it in December.96. Fore-shooting will come down to .5 to..5% this month before shooting night. Asked where he was, he was clear.
He said, “I don’t know who is in all the business talk, I haven’t really paid attention to it or heard anything about it.” “It was my first time about it. But I don’t know. … Man, I feel good about Iraj, I don’t think anyone would worry about a trade unless they keep it personal.”
The Lakers are definitely keeping things personal. While it has become fashionable for some league officials to send trade intentions to the media as a form of trial balloon to determine the value of a player, none of the rumors you will read this week stemmed from the Lakers vice president of basketball operations. And Rob Pelinkani, general manager at El Segundo, California.
It’s a different matter than it was two years ago, when the Lakers were involved in the chaos that led to the deadline with the information passing around them.
No, it’s not the Lakers ‘fault that they just didn’t have a 71-day seizure, and a quick change could contribute to Davis’ right foot injury. He had no control over Solomon Hill diving on James’ ankle to try to steal the ball. They had no way of knowing their status as the favorites with James Harden’s former MVP were so short-lived that they were forced out of Houston to join Kevin Durant and Carrie Irving on some other offensive magicians on the Brooklyn net. As a claimant. They didn’t like picking a place in the schedule when James would be out, Smack Deb in the annoying stretch of eight games in 12 days.
That is the reality though. That’s where things stand, and that’s why this moment, less than 48 hours before Thursday’s trade deadline, has the same sentiment towards the Lakers as it did two days before the deadline two years ago.
There is a lot at stake.
“I expect to win games with this group, and I believe in the group I’m in,” Vogel said. “If nothing happens [at the trade deadline], We will win games and we will find ways to win games during this stretch, and it will benefit us in the long run. I’m not sure if we’ll see any change. … Most trade deadlines are a lot of negotiations that don’t result in anything, and that’s my expectation as a coach. “
For Kuzma, the only holdover with Alex Caruso, perhaps a few lessons, to stick with the young core a few years ago.
No matter what happens on the trade deadline, there is work to be done.
“I think we just kept looking at the drawing board, trusting each other, trying to play for each other on both sides of the ball,” Kuzma said. “I think if we can do that we give ourselves a chance every single night.
“This is the challenge we are facing. We just have to put it in the belt.”
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