Expectations are mixed for the 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers, but everyone agrees that the team will be under the microscope after the addition of LeBron James. Not every offseason move executed by Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka was lauded but, in managing to land James, the Lakers invigorated an already rabid fan base and immediately launched the franchise back into the national conversation on a daily basis.
By contrast, the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors aren’t receiving quite as much attention as you may think, particularly after the general hysteria subsided in the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins signing. Still, the stars are now aligned for a potentially interesting rivalry in the Pacific Division and, in short, a few members of the Warriors organization are excited about it.
Head coach Steve Kerr, who has seen just about everything in the NBA as a player, coach and executive, shed light on the situation and indicated that this might be the first time that both sides are in this position at the same time.
“This is probably the first time it’s lined up,” Kerr said on Tuesday, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “Did Sleepy Floyd get his 29 against the Lakers in one quarter? That would probably be the biggest moment. So for Warriors fans that’s probably the biggest moment of the Laker-Warrior rivalry. I’m sure the Lakers never really looked at it as a rivalry all those years when they were dominating, but this will be fun. We’re in the same division, obviously both teams have a lot of talent and the atmosphere is going to be great. Even in the preseason, I think people are going to be really looking forward to it.”
It has to be noted that, well, the Lakers aren’t quite in the same stratosphere as the Warriors at the moment. Yes, Los Angeles will be alive on a nightly basis with James at the helm of it all but, barring a real surprise, Golden State will be the league’s best team while the Lakers are attempting to jockey for position as a full-fledged playoff entity in the Western Conference.
Still, Klay Thompson took note of the potential rivalry implications and he has an interesting perspective. Golden State’s sharp-shooting wing is the son of a former Lakers standout and, as a result, Thompson spent a lot of time in Southern California, drawing geographic parallels along the way.
Thompson told ESPN that the “Bay-L.A. in any sport is always great” and that the rivalry “will definitely carry over to basketball” given the situation. The 28-year-old then shared his belief that the new vigor in Los Angeles is “pretty cool” after LeBron arrived in town and that it is clearly “adding a ton of interest in the league.”
Unfortunately, NBA fans will have to wait until Christmas Day for the first match-up between the Lakers and Warriors this season but, in some ways, that feels perfect. The holiday is often the best showcase of the NBA season and having the eyes of the entire basketball world on the contest just feels fitting given all of the build-up that is already happening.
