Can the Lakers Win Games Early While Keeping LeBron, Davis Fresh? Plus, Rich Paul Nixed LeBron to Warriors?

The Lakers have a bit of a challenge to start the year. They need to get off to a good start, in part because the second half of the season features some difficult stretches, and they'd really like to avoid having to go full tilt in, say, early February just to make sure they get into the postseason. That wears down the battery of the LeBron James/Anthony Davis duo before the playoffs start, which shrinks the team's ability to advance. 

So a little wiggle room would be nice, which they can get from a high-end start to the year. 

On the other hand... James and Davis are coming off the Olympics, and A.D. admitted they might need to ease into things a little. What does that mean? Hard to say, but at the least it implies the team will have to moderate what Davis and James are doing early in the season, whether in training camp, or in the first couple of weeks. What kind of impact will that have? 

It gets to the tricky nature of this Lakers season, one where every bit of upside needs to be leveraged effectively in order for the team to reach it's maximum potential and have a shot with the most elite teams in the league. So how do the Lakers manage this? Is it really a LeBron/AD question, or something more related to the supporting cast? Rui Hachimura taking another step. Austin Reaves avoiding the slow start that plagued him last year. Dalton Knecht making an impact as a rookie, Max Christie stepping up after signing a new contract, and of course D'Angelo Russell playing like the guy who is hard to trade (because he's playing too well). 

Meanwhile, how did a flicker of talks between the Lakers and Warriors around LeBron get shut down? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Keeping the stars fresh while getting off to a good start. 

SEGMENT 2: How much pressure is on the supporting cast? 
 

SEGMENT 3: Ending LeBron-to-the-Warriors before it started. 

 

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