If there’s anything the Lakers showed in their marquee matchup against the Warriors yesterday, it’s that they possess the potential to both contend and confound. Heading into the set-to, they knew top dog LeBron James wasn’t suiting up, and yet they remained confident of their chances. After all, they emerged victorious against the defending champions on Christmas Day even though the 16-time All-Star had to leave in the middle of the third quarter due to a groin strain. They were an uneven but optimistic bunch, cognizant of their propensity to make mistakes but steadfast in their belief that their talents would ultimately see them through.
As things turned out, the Lakers were right. They did commit their fair share of errors: their tally stood at 15 when the final buzzer sounded, right at their season average. And they did produce their fair share of highlights, enabling them to claw back from an early double-digit deficit en route to a double-digit advantage in the penultimate period. In the end, though, they proved unable to take the measure of the clearly superior Warriors, losing by — what else — double digits. For all their resolve, they were undone by ill-advised hero-ball ventures and adventures under extreme pressure.
Which, in a nutshell, is why the Lakers’ top brass have seen fit to abandon their hitherto-avowed pledge to develop their draft choices on the way to reclaiming their place among the National Basketball Association’s best. And rightly so; with perennial Most Valuable Player candidate Anthony Davis available for the taking, they should make everyone but James available to the Pelicans. Initial reports have them putting forth underwhelming offers, but, make no mistake, they’re doing a slow dance towards the inevitable. When the trade deadline draws near later this week, they’ll aim to give the Pelicans everything outside of the King, including the proverbial kitchen sink.
The Lakers will, in all likelihood, be spurned by the Pelicans regardless of the value of their best proposal. The latter cannot but wait for the inevitable involvement of the Celtics in the Davis sweepstakes in order to see the price drive up. That said, they’re compelled to try. As yesterday’s outing underscored, the Warriors continue to be the gold standard, and they’re a long, long way away. Davis can get them closer, and they know it. The question is how.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
