The Los Angeles Lakers had an eventful offseason bringing in Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and several other smaller players to fill out the roster, but NBA coaches and executives are not impressed, according to an ESPN survey.
The survey asked 20 executives, coaches and scouts who they thought would win the conference finals and NBA championship, along with several other interesting questions. Out of the 20 responses, zero predicted the Lakers to win the Western Conference. The Lakers also received zero votes to win the NBA Finals.
The team’s LA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, received 16 of the 20 votes to win the conference and 13 to win the NBA Finals. It seems that the Lakers are not being acknowledged as a powerhouse in the West like many analysts believe. (RELATED: Los Angeles Lakers Lead Latest NBA Title Odds After Trading For Anthony Davis)
It’s extremely surprising that the Lakers didn’t receive a single vote from anyone. Either the rest of the league is jealous of them or they believe the team will not be successful once they hit the court.
I mean come on, the Utah Jazz are not a greater threat to win the West than the Lakers. Superstars rule the league in today’s NBA and the Lakers have two of them.
LeBron James is not getting any younger and the Lakers have about a two-year window for an NBA championship. With Clippers owner Steve Ballmer happily bringing in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, LeBron will have his hands full.
It is setting up as an NBA season for the ages and I expect the Lakers to be somewhere near the top of the West, maybe a two or three seed. If they don’t live up to expectations, Magic Johnson’s legacy as president of basketball operations will look even more horrible.
