Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: The man in the middle for Cleveland Cavaliers west
By Ronald Agers
One can stay, but the other has to go
Both JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler played vital roles for the Los Angeles last season. JaVale McGee was well on his way to becoming a serious candidate for NBA’s Most Improved Player as the Lakers only inside defensive presence.
That was the problem. When he sat down, the Lakers opponents had virtual lay-up lines to the basket when he sat down.
That’s where Tyson Chandler comes in.
Remember when things were going so bad for the Lakers that LeBron James almost “cracked”? Think about how bad it would have been if the Suns hadn’t bought him out and fell in the Lakers laps.
The Lakers were 20-14 and 4th place on Christmas Day. That narrative has been run into the ground.
But what if the Lakers had lost to the Atlanta Hawks at home when LeBron blew the free throws? What if Tyson Chandler had not done this?
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1061846387476840448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1061846387476840448&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2F2018%2F11%2F12%2Flos-angeles-lakers-3-lessons-win-vs-atlanta-hawks%2F
We are looking at a totally different season for the Lakers. Tyson Chandler helped fill a serious void in low post area on defense. By the end of the season, however, back issues started creeping up and when he was playing, he could go games without scoring a basket.
That is why the Lakers need to move on from Chandler. He might want to play another year or two, but not with the Lakers.
As for JaVale McGee, the Lakers need to pick him up ASAP!
The LeBron James groin injury hurt the Lakers. So did Rajon Rondo‘s hand injuries. Lonzo Ball‘s ankle injury basically doomed the season. Many overlook JaVale’s serious bout with pneumonia.
After a stint in the hospital, JaVale dealt with understandable conditioning issues. After calling out Luke Walton‘s defensive schemes, he was benched for Ivica Zubac until Zubac was traded at the deadline.
The end of the season showed the dominance of JaVale McGee. He was a double-double machine. Especially against the Brooklyn Nets.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1109325091911823365
In a loss, he destroyed all of the Nets big men to the tune of 33 points and 20 rebounds. He will be perfect for a Lakers team that needs to push the pace with Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma.
Remember, Davis does not want to play the center spot. JaVale can team up with AD and provide the longest and most athletic rim protection in the NBA.
Let me put it this way. If the Warriors still had him on the roster, things could have really been different in the NBA Finals.
Now on to players that did not play for the Lakers last year.