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Los Angeles Lakers: Can Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis co-exist?

By Ronald Agers

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 03: Rajon Rondo #9 of the New Orleans Pelicans talks to DeMarcus Cousins #0 and Anthony Davis #23 during a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center on October 3, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 03: Rajon Rondo #9 of the New Orleans Pelicans talks to DeMarcus Cousins #0 and Anthony Davis #23 during a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center on October 3, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

All eyes will be on Anthony Davis this season. Will these three be able to handle it?

David Grubb:

"Rondo has been used to attention his entire career. He is unfazed by it. I haven’t seen many more players who care less about what anyone outside of the locker room thinks. He doesn’t work that way. He consumes basketball. If you ask DeMarcus, the spotlight follows him no matter what he does, and to extent that has been true. He will continue to take a “me against the world” approach externally. AD is the question mark. He’s courted attention. He wants to be recognized. I’m not sure if he understands how much Los Angeles is going to be different from New Orleans. He was protected here. There was never a tremendous amount of scrutiny for Anthony over seven seasons. The bar for him was low. He’s going to a place where championships are not an expectation for great players, they are a requirement. Elgin Baylor is the only Laker who had his jersey retired without winning a title and I’m guessing neither LeBron James nor Davis wants to be the second. So, it will be an adjustment to go from having people overlook losing, to questioning every perceived misstep."

Anthony Davis has already gone on record stating not winning a title will be considered a failure in his eyes. That’s good because this franchise is a different situation from the “Big Easy”. The fans, NBA experts and Lakers greats that have put up banners will give you the message made famous by the late great Al Davis, “Just Win Baby”.

On the outside looking in, LeBron James might have miscalculated the passion of the fans wanting this franchise back to playoff status last year. LeBron can definitely guide Davis through the pitfalls that he fell into at times last year.

If AD doesn’t believe me, well if he doesn’t get his mind right, this rant by Stephen A. Smith at LeBron James last year will feature Davis this year.

When DeMarcus Cousins and Davis were teamed up, Cousins career was in a totally different space, to say the least. Then he was a star, now he’s fighting to stay in the league.

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