Los Angeles Lakers
This isn’t ESPN, so no, I didn’t lead with the Los Angeles Lakers. As exciting as the potential is for this Lakers roster to come together is, it’s also super possible that come November 30th, the Lakers will be in like 11th place while seven teams are tied for 8th.
And you know what Laker fans/the media are definitely not going to do in such a scenario? CHILL. They will go bat-, even if they’re half a game behind someone like Houston or Utah. Rondo is washed. JaVale and Boogie are both useless in crunch time. LeBron missed three games and we lost two of them…. FIRE PELINKA! I don’t think anyone outside L.A. sees the names that are 3-10 on this roster and thinks, “yeah, that’s championship material.”
But that #1 and that #2 – that’s special. Maybe we’ve become spoiled as basketball fans, but another year without LeBron in the playoffs would be a bummer (especially for the ratings). No matter if the Lakers are 1st or 15th come December, expect them to make some moves to batten down the hatches and prepare for what they hope to be a deep playoff run.
Disclaimer: The Lakers are a +525 to NOT make the playoffs, and I may or may not be going back and forth on risking it to get the biscuit on the 5.25-to-1 payout.