What a shortened season means for the Los Angeles Lakers
The NBA is facing the challenge of an interruption due to the spreading of coronavirus. Many possibilities have been mentioned in order to save the season, but every team, including the Los Angeles Lakers, will have to deal with the outcomes of this situation.
The coronavirus has arrived in the NBA. Multiple players and team staffers have tested positive for COVID-19. Adam Silver reacted promptly putting the league on hiatus indefinitely and inviting all players to self-quarantine in their homes. It is the recent news that the league also shut down all practice facilities, as contact between any member of organizations must be avoided as far as possible.
The hope is that the crisis will be overcome in time to allow the league to postpone the season, and not force them to cancel it. Reducing to a minimum of 70 games has already been considered and a shortened season seems now inevitable if not even a direct jump to the playoffs if things precipitate and the shut down prolongs beyond a reasonable time.
In the meantime, players find themselves in a tough spot. They are now understandably prohibited from going to team facilities. Those who have gyms at their homes can keep working out to maintain at least some shape, but those who do not are already incurring in major problems, risking a long abstention from any activity.
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Hoping for the best, what will shortened season mean for the Los Angeles Lakers? What are the pros and cons?
The regular season has been paused with the Lakers standing first in the Western Conference and trailing the Milwaukee Bucks just four wins for the best record in the league. LA was coming from the best weekend of the season beating the Bucks and city rivals Los Angeles Clippers in a row, making massive use of LeBron James who unsurprisingly led the team to both wins.
He was questionable for the following games for a sore groin, the one that forced him to miss 17 consecutive games. The hiatus will be a good opportunity for James, who refused to load managed, like many of his star peers, throughout the season. The same applies to Anthony Davis, who has been battling some injuries but has kept playing through them.
Unfortunately, the positives finish here.
Players will risk getting out of shape without the availability of facilities for conditioning workouts. Bad habits are fast to grow on one another and neglecting conditioning could lead to neglecting strength workouts and developing even bad eating habits.
Obviously, this is just a worst-case scenario, but it was a fact in 2011 after the lockout. We hope that Lakers players are responsible and diligent enough to understand that the season is not over and that the chance to win a championship is at stake.
Basketball workouts are another issue that may arise, as such skills as shooting might suffer a decrease for a lack of practicing.
An extending period of time separated will also affect team chemistry. The team had just reached a point where things had started to click and it was reaching its ceiling in view of the playoffs. Without the chance to scrimmage together and even interact directly, a regression could transition to the court.
Especially new additions Markieff Morris, who has just played 8 games for the Lakers, and Dion Waiters, who has not had the chance yet to share the floor with his new teammates.
Their integration and comfort in the system will be delayed by this undesired interruption. That is a major issue, as expectations were to have them integrated by playoffs and now they might have limited time to find their role and provide the proper contribution.
Obviously, all other 29 teams will face the same problems the Los Angeles Lakers will, so, in the end, it will be a fair fight. But great expectations rest on Lakers’ shoulders this year and this setback is seen as an undesired obstacle on their road to success.
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For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.