Anthony Davis

Lakers Notes: Draft Picks, LeBron, Walker, Davis, Brown, Schröder

January 5th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Chris Mannix of SI.com on The Crossover NBA Show, SI.com’s Howard Beck observes that the Lakers‘ front office vowed after LeBron James signed an offseason extension to upgrade its 2022/23 roster, but now seems less inclined to trade the team’s 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for win-now pieces.

“I’ve heard rumblings, and these are only rumblings, I don’t want people to go too far with this or go crazy with the aggregation,” Beck said. “But a couple people around the league have told me in recent weeks that they believe that the front office has essentially been told not to trade the picks. That they’re guarding those.

“If that’s the case, that speaks to a couple things. One, you’re feeling pretty insecure about your future, post-LeBron. You think those picks are going to be so valuable in 2027 and 2029 that giving them up would be catastrophic for you. You’re also showing a lack of faith in your ability to trade those picks and find another way to rebuild in whatever the post-LeBron years are.

“You’re also indicating — again, if it’s true that they are just completely unwilling to put those picks on the table, then that means you’re also, by definition, willing to flush this season, because those are your best tools… for improving in the immediate term.”

Reports in recent months have indicated that the Lakers are only interested in moving both of those future first-round picks if there’s a deal that significantly improves their title chances. Anthony Davis‘ foot injury also reportedly lowered the chances that the club will trade one or both picks in a major trade, though if L.A. can stay in the play-in mix in the coming weeks and Davis returns later this month, perhaps the club will reconsider that stance at the February 9 trade deadline.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Head coach Darvin Ham said on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect either James (non-COVID illness) or Lonnie Walker (left knee soreness) to be out much longer, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Ham stated that LeBron is dealing with a “common cold,” while Walker has “a little bit of tendonitis.”
Ham also shared a minor update on Davis’ recovery, indicating that everything is “going right according to plan,” Goon adds. The Lakers have been conducting continuous MRIs on Davis’ injured foot and he hasn’t experienced any setbacks in his recovery process.
Lakers wing Troy Brown left Wednesday’s game due to a left quad strain and didn’t return, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The club has yet to issue an update on Brown’s status going forward, so it’s unclear whether he’ll miss additional time.
With the Lakers already shorthanded due to injuries, Dennis Schröder was determined to stay in Wednesday’s game after rolling his right ankle in the fourth quarter, McMenamin writes for ESPN.com. Schröder not only finished the game — he scored a season-high 32 points and helped lead the Lakers to an improbable win over Miami. “I just try to be there for my teammates,” he said. “I felt pretty good after (turning the ankle). Of course, it was sore, and it hurt. But I know my limits.”
Schröder was one of several Lakers on minimum-salary contracts to play a major role in the victory, alongside Thomas Bryant (21 points, nine rebounds), Austin Reaves (11 points), and Wenyen Gabriel (10 points). “I just think different guys are settling into their roles, getting more comfortable with more reps, more minutes,” Ham said, per McMenamin. “When we do get our big dogs back, whether it’s Bron, AD, both of them back — Lonnie, as well — it just makes us that much stronger, that much deeper, because now guys have confidence. They have the ultimate confidence because they’ve gotten the reps.”

Anthony Davis Discusses Foot Injury, Recovery

December 31st, 2022 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

After head coach Darvin Ham spoke to reporters on Friday about Anthony Davis‘ foot injury, the Lakers big man held his own media session for the first time since being sidelined, echoing Ham’s optimism about how the recovery is progressing.

“Feeling a lot better, pain has subsided tremendously,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I think the next step is (the foot) healing right now. I don’t want to use timetables because that’s a whole different thing, but it’s healing pretty quickly. So when we get back to L.A., we’ll do another image of the foot, and see how far it’s healed.”

According to Davis, the injury initially felt like a nine out of 10 in terms of pain, but that number has decreased to a one or two within the last couple weeks. He’s dealing with a bone spur fractured off the navicular bone in his right foot, as well as a stress reaction in that same bone.

“The stress reaction (can lead to) a stress fracture, and that’s a whole different ballgame,” Davis said in explaining why he and the Lakers are being careful with his recovery process.

As McMenamin details, the plan is for Davis to undergo another MRI on the injury next week — if it comes back clear, he’ll begin to undergo treatment on the injury, including shockwave and bone stimulation therapy.

When Davis first underwent an MRI on the injury earlier in the month, the Lakers shared the results with five different doctors and foot specialists in an effort to determine a recovery plan, McMenamin writes. Undergoing a procedure to remove the bone spur was one option presented, but Davis doesn’t view the bone spur as the most pressing issue in the short term, explaining that he hopes to avoid surgery for now, though he’s open to going under the knife after the season.

“Something to consider, in the offseason, to remove (the bone spur),” he said. “I think the biggest thing is the stress reaction though, just monitoring that. Because that can definitely lead to six, seven, eight months out — I would rather take four weeks than seven months. I’m not saying I’ll be back in four weeks — but hopefully.”

Davis was playing some of the best basketball of his career prior to suffering the injury on December 16 vs. the Nuggets. In his last 12 full games, he had averaged an eye-popping 35.0 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals on 64.1% shooting.

The 29-year-old admits that it has been “tough mentally” to deal with this ailment just as he was rounding into peak form, but expressed confidence that he’ll be able to pick up where he left off once he returns.

“I’m just really excited to get back on the floor,” Davis said. “(It) hasn’t been a ‘Man, it’s going to take me X amount of games to get back in rhythm,’ or, ‘Might not be the same.’ That’s not even been a thought in my mind. My thought has been, ‘Whenever that day is, it’s go time.'”

Ham On Anthony Davis: “His Pain Has Just About Dissipated”

December 30th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham provided an encouraging update on the status of injured star Anthony Davis on Friday, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).

“The biggest thing is, his pain has just about dissipated,” Ham said, adding that Davis was trending in a positive direction as far as a possible ramp-up to return to action.

According to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link), Davis told reporters that he has multiple injuries in his foot, including a bone spur and a stress reaction, but the latter is what has been causing him pain and it has been healing well with rest. Davis added that he has been encouraged by the recovery process, tweets McMenamin.

Davis also said he would “probably” have the bone spur surgically repaired in the offseason, Goon notes (via Twitter).

The 29-year-old big man sustained the stress reaction in a win over Denver on November 16.

There were mixed reports as far as possible timetable for Davis’ return in the aftermath of the injury. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote that he would be out for at least a month, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said the Lakers planned to reevaluate Davis in a week-to-10 days because his pain was subsiding. That was seven days ago.

While the updates from Ham and Davis are certainly positive, it has already been two weeks since he last played, and it’s hard to say how much additional time he’ll miss. The Lakers were vague in their initial press release regarding the injury and there wasn’t even a rough timetable given today.

The Lakers’ season basically hinges on how quickly Davis can recover. They have gone 2-5 since he went down and now hold a 14-21 record, trailing the Warriors by three-and-a-half games for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Davis was having an outstanding season prior to his latest injury, averaging 27.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG and 2.1 BPG while shooting a career-high 59.4% from the field and 82.6% from the charity stripe. His impact is felt on both ends of the court, but the team’s defense in particular has absolutely cratered without the eight-time All-Star.

Lakers Say Anthony Davis Has Stress Injury, Out Indefinitely

December 23rd, 2022 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly a week after Anthony Davis left suffered a right foot injury, the Lakers have issued an official update on Davis’ status, announcing on Friday that he has a stress injury in his foot and has been ruled out indefinitely (Twitter link).

According to the club, the diagnosis was reached after “extensive consultation with Lakers team physicians and outside specialists.” Further updates will be provided when appropriate, the Lakers added in their statement.

Although we waited several days for official word from the Lakers, their announcement doesn’t provide much additional clarity on Davis’ injury or his potential recovery timeline. As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweets, a “stress injury” could mean a stress reaction or a stress fracture, and it’s difficult to assess the severity of the ailment without knowing which bone is affected.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported five days ago that Davis was expected to be sidelined for at least a month, but it sounds like the big man and the Lakers aren’t prepared to go that far. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the pain in Davis’ foot has subsided in recent days and the plan is to rest it for another seven-to-10 days before having it reevaluated to see if he can return to the court.

The hope is that Davis will be able to avoid undergoing a procedure on his injured foot, Wojnarowski adds.

With Davis on the shelf, Thomas Bryant has been promoted to the Lakers’ starting five and has played well, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG on .622/.636/.583 shooting in his last four games (28.5 MPG). However, Los Angeles’ defense has struggled without Davis manning the middle, giving up between 117 and 134 points in the three games since his injury. The Lakers’ defensive rating during that time ranks 29th in the NBA.

L.A. Notes: Batum, Kennard, Westbrook, LeBron, Reaves

December 23rd, 2022 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran wing Nicolas Batum has continued to play a regular role off the bench for the Clippers this season, but he’s not taking it for granted. Before being bought out by Charlotte during the 2020 offseason, Batum had been relegated to a bench role and believed his playing days were nearing an end, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

“Two years ago, I didn’t think I would be in that spot today still playing major minutes, have a role for a contending team, no,” Batum said. “I was more about retirement.”

Batum quickly caught on with the Clippers in 2020 once he became a free agent and has since signed two new contracts with the team, including a two-year, $22.6MM deal this past summer. Now 34 years old, he doesn’t envision retiring anytime soon.

“After what happened to me in Charlotte I promised myself, especially with the French national team, I’m like … ‘I’m going to do everything so I will retire the way I want,'” Batum said. “That’s the attitude I have now. Going to keep working and I mean, they’re going to have to kick me out. Good luck with that.”

Here are a few more notes on the NBA’s two Los Angeles-based teams:

Clippers sharpshooter Luke Kennard is leading the NBA with a career-best .489 3PT%, but is only tied for 106th in the league in three-point makes, since he attempts just 4.2 per game. Janis Carr of The Southern California News Group explores whether Kennard should be more aggressive in seeking out his shot.
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, who has missed the team’s last two games due to left foot soreness, is listed as probable to return on Friday vs. Charlotte, tweets Marc Stein. LeBron James, who sat out Monday’s game in Phoenix with left ankle soreness and returned on Wednesday in Sacramento, has also been designated as probable.
Like Westbook, Lakers guard Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) has been sidelined for the last two games, but he also has a chance to return on Friday. He has been listed as questionable, per Stein.
Although Thomas Bryant has played well at center in Anthony Davis‘ stead, the Lakers have no adequate substitute on defense for their injured star, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Since Davis went down last week with a foot injury, the club has the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA (124.5). “We’re already a team without a lot of length and not a lot of size,” James said. “And you lose a 6-11 guy with a 7-6 wingspan, 7-7 wingspan, I mean, it’s self-explanatory, so it’s not like it’s rocket science.”

Pacific Notes: Ayton, Williams, Suns Sale, Warriors, Davis

December 21st, 2022 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tempers ran high for the Suns in Tuesday’s loss to the Wizards and there was a heated exchange between Deandre Ayton and head coach Monty Williams, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. They were seen yelling at each other during a time out with 43.4 seconds left to play (video link), but Williams said the incident wasn’t just between him and Ayton.

“It was the whole team in those moments,” Williams explained. “It wasn’t just Deandre, it was the whole group out there not executing properly. It was a bit of frustration, but that happens. That was not an isolated one-person or one-player thing.”

The exchange is notable because Williams benched Ayton during Game 7 of last season’s playoff loss to the Mavericks, and Ayton revealed in training camp that he hadn’t talked to his coach since that happened. Ayton, a restricted free agent, signed a four-year, $133MM offer sheet with the Pacers in July, but the Suns quickly matched it, with general manager James Jones saying Ayton is “vital” to the team’s future.

Ayton also downplayed Tuesday’s incident, saying he and Williams were “intensified in the moment.”

“We weren’t really exchanging words,” Ayton said. “We’re a family. He knows how to talk to his boys and his boys know how to just communicate. Obviously, the whole world see it, but it’s really all love and just getting us back to regroup and just take out the confusion.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Williams believes having a buyer in place will give the Suns more stability, especially heading into the trade deadline, Rankin adds in a separate story. Phoenix has been trying to move Jae Crowder since before the start of training camp.
The Warriors have struggled on their road trip with a depleted roster, but veterans and coaches are trying to make sure the team’s younger players aren’t blamed, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “It’s kind of tough to put them out there in the fourth quarter and expect them to play great when we haven’t, even the starters, we didn’t play great,” Kevon Looney said after Tuesday’s loss. “… They could play better. I feel like they’re making steps in the right direction. They’ve been playing good down there in Santa Cruz. Maybe some game experience is good for them. It’s tough to get thrown in the fire like this at the end of a trip.”
Five days after Anthony Davis hurt his right foot, the Lakers still haven’t provided an official statement on the injury, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Coach Darvin Ham explained the delay tonight, telling reporters, “He’s still going through the evaluation process. We’re still trying to see which course of action we should take, and you’ll know more in the coming days about that situation.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, Trade Market, LeBron, Bryant, Christie

December 21st, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The foot injury that Anthony Davis suffered last week has decreased the chances that the Lakers will gamble on a major trade, multiple sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. He adds that the only exception would be if the team can acquire a young star that it believes can succeed alongside Davis over the next few years.

Even before the Davis injury, the Lakers’ front office wasn’t confident that there was a trade available that would turn the team into contenders, Buha states. He suggests the most likely current scenario is a deal that would include some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a protected first-rounder in either 2027 or 2029 in exchange for a 3-and-D wing or a combo forward.

Along with the players who have already been linked to the Lakers in trade talks, Buha’s sources point to the Suns‘ Jae Crowder, the Rockets‘ Eric Gordon, the Pistons‘ Alec Burks, the Hornets‘ Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre Jr. and the Spurs‘ Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl as players to watch.

There’s more on the Lakers, all from Buha:

LeBron James has posted four straight 30-point games, but his playing time is starting to become a concern. He’s averaged 39.2 minutes over the past five games, and the Lakers need to be careful that they don’t rely too heavily on him. Buha notes that James, who will turn 38 next week, ranks sixth in minutes per game among players with at least 50 total games over the past two seasons.
The loss of Davis has been eased somewhat by the emergence of Thomas Bryant. Buha states that Bryant was considered “almost unplayable” before Davis got hurt, but he’s averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the last three games while shooting 61.1% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range. The 25-year-old center joined the Lakers during the offseason on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be a free agent again next summer.
Rookie shooting guard Max Christie recently moved into the rotation and may be playing well enough to stay there. The second-round pick provides a much-needed 3-and-D option for coach Darvin Ham, and he’s one of the best rebounders among the team’s guards.
The starting backcourt of Beverley and Dennis Schroder hasn’t performed well, and Buha wonders why Ham keeps playing them together. The Lakers are minus-50 in 161 minutes when they’re on the court at the same time, and their skills seem to be redundant.

Lakers Notes: Davis Injury, LeBron, Westbrook

December 19th, 2022 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers haven’t issued an official statement on the status of Anthony Davis, but a weekend report indicating he will miss at least a month with an injured right foot could alter the course of their season and their approach to the trade deadline, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Specialists were still evaluating Davis as of Sunday night, and coach Darvin Ham suggested the team may release more information on the injury on Monday. L.A. is 12th in the West at 13-16 and is entering a tough part of the schedule with seven of its next eight games on the road.

Davis’ injury and how it might affect management’s approach to upgrading the roster were among the topics at Sunday’s post-game press conference.

“Not a question for me,” LeBron James said. “I have no idea. When I’m playing, I show up, prepare, go to work and get my guys ready to go win a basketball game. I play the game, I’m not in the front office, so we’ll see. But I’m focused on the game and us trying to win basketball games, especially when I’m out on the floor.”

As James left the media session, Buha adds, he told a reporter, “Go ask (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) those questions.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

The Lakers are already facing inflated prices on the trade market as rival teams understand they’re under pressure to make a deal, reports Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. As an example, he states that the Jazz asked L.A. for a first-round pick in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic before the season began, but ultimately traded him to Detroit without getting a first-rounder in return. Pincus notes that the Lakers were “conflicted internally” about risking their future on any trade that didn’t make them an obvious contender, even before the Davis injury. If Davis is lost for an extended stretch, Pincus suggests L.A. might focus on smaller moves such as adding a free agent center (maybe DeMarcus Cousins) and seeing what it can get for Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and second-round picks.
James’ situation is unprecedented for a player of his age and talent, per Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated. Although he’s still performing at an all-NBA level as he nears his 38th birthday, James faces the prospect of another non-playoff season.
While Davis is sidelined, James will likely see some time at center, which was effective last season, according to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. There will also be an increased focus on James’ pairing with Russell Westbrook, as Goon notes that with Westbrook’s move to a reserve role they have shared the court for just 17.2 minutes per game this season.

Anthony Davis Expected To Miss At Least One Month

December 18th, 2022 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are preparing to be without Anthony Davis indefinitely, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), who reports that the big man is expected to miss at least one month after suffering a right foot injury during Friday’s win over Denver.

There’s still no official word yet from the Lakers on Davis’ specific diagnosis or a possible recovery timetable. With both Charania and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) reporting that Davis’ absence will be indefinite, the team may use similar phrasing when it makes its own announcement, declining to offer a set timeline for his potential return.

Davis’ injury occurred when he went up for a layup against Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and his lower leg collided with Jokic’s leg in midair. The Lakers star had already been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to right foot “soreness” and there was an expectation that he’d undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

It’s a brutal turn of events for a Los Angeles team that appeared to be making some headway in the standings after a disastrous start. The Lakers had gone 10-6 since losing 10 of their first 12 games and seemed more inclined to pursue a trade to upgrade the rotation — it’s unclear how those plans may be affected by Davis’ absence.

It’s also an unfortunate development for Davis, who was enjoying perhaps the best stretch of his career before getting hurt on Friday. In his last 12 full games, he had averaged an eye-popping 35.0 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals on 64.1% shooting.

This will be the third straight season that Davis has been seriously hampered by the injury bug. He appeared in only 36 regular season games of 72 in 2020/21 and just 40 of 82 last season. He had managed to stay relatively healthy this year up until now, having appeared in 25 of L.A.’s first 28 contests.

With Davis sidelined, backup center Thomas Bryant is expected to move into the Lakers’ starting lineup.

Pacific Notes: Davis, Bryant, Clippers, M. Brown, Warriors

December 17th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers haven’t released any information on Anthony Davis, who was expected to have an MRI on his right foot, but he has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with the Wizards due to foot soreness, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.

Davis didn’t play in the second half Friday after tweaking his foot in a collision with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. While there’s no official word on Davis’ condition, there’s obviously concern after he missed more than a month with a sprained foot last season.

While Davis is sidelined, L.A. will rely on center Thomas Bryant, who is settling into his role after thumb surgery forced him to miss the first month of the season. Goon notes that Bryant replaced Davis on Friday and outscored Jokic, 16-13, in the second half.

“He came out and a really, really huge effort against a two-time MVP,” coach Darvin Ham said. “Really helped us on both sides of the basketball, just his energy and activity. His no-quit mentality. We needed that. He was a huge burst for us.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers‘ ups and downs continued this week as Kawhi Leonard delivered his best game since his ACL injury in a win over Boston, but half the team sat out a loss to Phoenix, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The Clippers may have enough talent to contend for an NBA title, but it’s hard to maintain any rhythm when their stars are in and out of the lineup. “It’s disappointing because we can’t stay healthy,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “… You hate to see it but if it’s gonna happen, I’d rather it happen early than late.”
Kings coach Mike Brown, who got ejected from a game in Toronto this week for arguing with officials, believes it’s part of the fight for respect for an organization with a long history of losing, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. The incident cost Brown $25K, but his players were happy to see him do it. “Great, man, just knowing your coach has your back through thick and thin,” De’Aaron Fox said. “It starts at the top, goes from top to bottom, when trying to build a culture.”
Andre Snellings of ESPN looks at which Warriors might increase their production while Stephen Curry is sidelined with a shoulder injury.

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