"I don't think Monty Williams and the Suns are like, 'Yes, we got the Lakers'" - Kevin Wildes predicts that the LA Lakers will be able to hold their own in the postseason
Although the LA Lakers find themselves in an unexpected position as they occupy the ninth seed in the Western Conference, NBA experts believe a healthy duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis could lead Los Angeles to an NBA title.
Touted as one of the best teams coming into the season, the 2020 NBA champions have a lot of problems to address and obstacles to face if they hope to turn their season around.
Kevin Wildes and David Jacoby joined Bill Simmons on The BS Podcast and spoke about the Lakers' chances of taking on the Phoenix Suns. Especially how they might fare with a healthy combo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
"If they get in the play-in, and the Lakers have to play the Suns, I don't think Monty Williams and the Suns are like, 'Yes, we've got the Lakers.' I think they still have a puncher's chance."
Wildes then went on to say that he still believes the Lakers have a "puncher's chance" this year to go on and win an NBA championship.
"In a weird way, I think that this-this is a hot take I got. I pulled this from the hot take lava chamber. I was like, Anthony Davis: super durable. It's a hot take, don't get me wrong. Injured often, but guess what? Always comes back. He always comes back. I was like, you know what, he's gonna come back and be awesome, and this is gonna be like a ramp-up. So, a puncher's chance, I still believe in the Lakers a little bit."
Do the Lakers still have a puncher's chance at winning the title? With a healthy AD and LeBron, @kevinwildes thinks so.
@BillSimmons, @djacoby, and Kevin discuss this on the #BSPodcast: https://t.co/Z2pGhzuALP
While Wildes' comments were initially received with some laughter, the group seemed to align with the idea as they dissected the make-up of the Western Conference.
Although the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors lead the West, both teams feature injuries to key players who may be out for an extended period of time.
With Chris Paul's recent thumb injury and Draymond Green's back problems, the top two teams in the West are in a rather vulnerable position on the back of the All-Star break.
Chris Paul has a fractured right thumb and will be out for 6-8 weeks
He will still play a few minutes in tonight’s All-Star Game https://t.co/2qMamMVRVv
Warriors star Draymond Green is hoping to be back in 3-4 weeks.
clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-…
With Simmons additionally addressing the flawed rosters' of teams behind the third-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, the panel had to come to the conclusion that the LA Lakers would have a fighting chance with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor.
Could the LA Lakers win the title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis?
Although the LA Lakers appeared to have all the right pieces in place ahead of the season-opener, it now looks like the criticisms surrounding the roster continue to ring true, especially when one considers their current 27-31 record.
A lot of the moves made in the offseason didn't work out the way the Lakers would have hoped (case in point: Russell Westbrook). While also factoring in the injuries suffered by Anthony Davis and LeBron James at different points in the season. The Purple and Gold have simply struggled to rack up wins on a regular-basis.
Even after the tough season they've had and the inconsistencies in their performances, it's still hard to count out the Lakers. Especially with the championship pedigree they possess in their ranks.
In the NBA, when you win at the rim, you usually win the game.
In this @LakersReporter + @LakerFilmRoom collaboration, we take a look at how the domination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the cylinder made the Lakers so difficult to beat in 2019-20: https://t.co/LWd8FNgxbd
Factoring in the duo's championship pedigree along with the relatively uncertain status of the Suns and Warriors. Saying that Lakeshow has an outside chance in the playoffs seems to be a fairly reasonable assessment.
However, with a number of other obstacles in the way, both internal and external, the championship dream feels quite distant as they fight to remain in play-in contention.