The Los Angeles Lakers are buzzing again.
In related news, grass is green, the sky is blue and everyone’s favorite day of the week is Taco Tuesday.
The Purple and Gold are on their own, seemingly endless news cycle. Everything around this franchise has a way of reverberating across the basketball world.
The latest blurbs revolve around the newest All-Star to join the Lakers and another that could have in free agency.
Anthony Davis Skipping FIBA World Cup To Focus on Lakers
Team USA’s loss could be the Lakers’ big gain.
The Americans won’t have Anthony Davis for September’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, as he will not participate in the USA Basketball training camp and will remove his name from consideration for the World Cup roster, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
While Haynes’ sources said Davis remains committed to participating in the 2020 Olympics, his rationale for skipping this section should excite his new club.
“Davis, 26, wants to utilize the bulk of his offseason to prepare for a championship run with his new team,” Haynes wrote.
Davis has been waiting for this opportunity for a while.
He requested a trade away from the New Orleans Pelicans in late January and had that wish officially granted earlier this month. While the Pels were rarely relevant for non-Davis reasons—they made just two playoff trips over his seven-year tenure—the Lakers rarely stray from the national spotlight.
With Davis and LeBron James, L.A. arguably has the strongest tandem in the Association. That’s enough to put this club on a short list of legitimate 2020 championship contenders, and even if it wasn’t, the additions of supporting players like Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley and Quinn Cook would’ve solidified that standing.
In other words, Davis is approaching a season unlike anything he has experienced at this level. No one should blame him for wanting to maximize his preparation process.
L.A. Threat Convinced Warriors To Give Klay Thompson Full Max
The Lakers helped make the Golden State Warriors even more expensive this summer.
Comments
