When the NBA resumes the season at the end of the month in Orlando, it will have been four and a half months without any real form of organized basketball. Translation: there’s going to be plenty of rust to shake off, ideally in the small handful of exhibition games prior to the eight-game slate that will determine playoff seeding.
During this time, we also realized that many of us were under the false impression that all NBA players have regulation basketball courts and world-class workout facilities at their homes, after learning that Steph Curry and others had to order (and assemble) basketball hoops online just so they could safely get some shots up.
Nevertheless, it’s hard not to imagine that some of the older players or those recovering from injuries might actually benefit from all this time off. That’s what Anthony Davis thinks, at least. As he, LeBron, and other teammates reconvened at the practice facility in preparation for Orlando, Davis speculated that the Lakers may have increased their chances of winning the title this year, thanks to the additional rest.
Via Mark Medina of USA Today Sports:
“Obviously we’re missing a key piece in AB, but I think our chances are the same,” Davis said. “Our chances are higher just because we’re all rested and we’re all ready to go. If anything, our chances got higher and it’s going to be about just who wants it more. Everybody kind of had a decompression of the season and obviously with stuff going on, but it’s about what team wants it more and which team can stay healthy.”
The A.B. he’s referring to Avery Bradley, who has opted against making the trip to Florida because of his son’s respiratory issues. The organization is also unsure whether Dwight Howard will participate, as he was among those who voiced concerns about the games distracting from the Black Lives Matter movement.
To bolster their roster, they recently added J.R. Smith, a former teammate of LeBron on the Cavs, as well as Dion Waiters and Markieff Morris. When the season shut down, the Lakers held the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, 5.5 games ahead of the second-place Clippers.
