data-mm-id=”_7w896knhu”>Anthony Davis has been phenomenal to open the 2019-20 season and his arrival has vaulted the Los Angeles Lakers to the top of the Western Conference. But it's not all sunshine and roses. Davis is dealing with a shoulder injury and if it gets worse, it could derail the Lakers' season.Davis' right shoulder has been bothering him for weeks and he tweaked it again on Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors. He has claimed there isn't a single play where he doesn't notice the shoulder pain and that's he's just playing through it. That's not good. It's clearly something that's not getting better. Through nine games this season, Davis has been flat out phenomenal. He's sixth in the NBA in scoring (26.6 points per game), 12th in rebounds (10.2 per game), first in blocks (3.1 per game) and 10th in PER (28.16). Remember, those scoring and rebounding numbers are coming while playing next to LeBron James. Davis is also third in defensive rating (93.2), sixth in win shares (1.7) and second in defensive win shares (0.9).So yeah, he's wildly important to what the Lakers are doing. The team can't afford for him to miss any length of time in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. The issue here is Davis' track record. He's never played a full season and that should concern the Lakers. He checked in at 75 games played twice (2016-17 and 2017-18), but other than that has played in 64, 67, 61 and 56. He's dealt with numerous lingering injuries over the years, everything from back and shoulder injuries to ankle, hand and knee issues. It's a legitimate issue. Davis is obviously a top five player in the NBA when he's healthy, but can he stay on the court? The Lakers are built to win now. Their supporting cast has been better than expected, especially on the defensive end. Once Kyle Kuzma is fully up to speed, they could be the favorites out west. As far as playoff positioning is concerned, wins in November are just as valuable as wins in March. But the Lakers need to be wary of Davis' shoulder and determine whether or not some time off could allow it to heal. They'll need him more in the postseason than they do now.
Related Posts
data-mm-id=”_3zx4phofc”>Taysom Hill had a breakout season for the Saints, acting as their gimmicky Swiss army knife with blades that work at wide receiver, running back, quarterback and special teams. Apparently after that success, Hill now thinks he's morphed into a deadly machete capable of singlehandedly slicing and dicing up defenses from a singular position under center. Unfortunately for him and his bank account, he's wrong. After a season in which he completed all of three passes for the Saints, Hill, a restricted free agent, came out and said he views himself as a franchise quarterback and is willing to leave the Saints for the right opportunity. For a guy who will turn 30 before the season starts, and has thrown a total of zero touchdowns and one interception in his …
data-mm-id=”_pc0nou8o6″>The Philadelphia Eagles' selection of Jalen Hurts in the second round raised eyebrows. It also revealed how the franchise feels about Carson Wentz, who has had trouble staying on the field when it matters most. Fair or otherwise, that's the reality. They'll now go into a win-now season with Hurts as a backup plan. The fellas at Speak For Yourself discussed the addition yesterday and Marcellus Wiley made the salient point that it's not Wentz's ability that's in question, it's his reliability. And while it sucks that an objectively dirty hit from Jadeveon Clowney is being held against quarterback, it would be irresponsible of the Eagles to ignore the trend.The Eagles have lost confidence in Carson Wentz."The Philadelphia Eag…
data-mm-id=”_g6g1qrep7″>Nobody knows what goes on in the mind of Aaron Rodgers, but it would be easy to understand if he still wasn't over the Green Bay Packers selecting Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Packers are still a very good team with Rodgers at the helm, and picking up a quarterback in the first round (and one who needs years of development at that) does not serve the goal of winning a Super Bowl while Rodgers is still in a Packers uniform. The Get Up crew discussed this very matter on Wednesday morning, and Adam Schefter declared the selection was a big ol' slap in the face to Green Bay's franchise quarterback. Not a regular slap in the face, mind you, but the rare triple slap. He has a point. Not only did the Packers not draft a player who could help th…
data-mm-id=”_4qfuhpjuq”>After photos emerged of Dwayne Haskins partying in a strip club without a mask on earlier this week, Washington considered releasing him, according to Peter Schrager. Now, just six days later, Haskins is starting at quarterback as Washington continues to fight for its playoff life. Funny how quickly things change isn't it? The Washington Football team reportedly considered releasing Haskins after his partying pictures surfaced. @PSchrags with the latest on that and more: pic.twitter.com/oJOXu3uvmN— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 27, 2020Washington starting quarterback Alex Smith is still battling a calf injury, which will keep him out of his second straight game. Haskins started against the Seahawks last week and passed for 295 yards with 1 touchdow…
data-mm-id=”_134zacjr3″>Kendrick Perkins appeared on SportsCenter on Tuesday night to talk about the NBA. While discussing the Golden State Warriors, Perkins casually mentioned that "from reports I'm hearing that Jonathan Kuminga is now seven-two." This is, of course, not true.Kendrick Perkins fell for the viral Twitter joke that 6'7" Jonathan Kuminga has sprouted to 7'2". 💀 pic.twitter.com/frW5W9gLTx— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 21, 2023Kuminga, still listed at 6-foot-7, averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20-minutes per game last season. At just 20-years old, it's possible he might grow some more, but another seven inches since we last saw him in the playoffs five weeks ago? Where did that come from? Twitter, of…
data-mm-id=”_7crmm1j2b”>One of college basketball's greatest rivalries is set to resume and I personally had to check if Hell had frozen over. Indiana and Kentucky will restart their annual rivalry series during the 2025-26 season, 14 years after they last played during the regular season. It's about damn time. NEWS: Indiana and Kentucky have finalized the game sites of their four-year series, which will begin during the 2025-26 season, according to a source.2025-26: Rupp Arena2026-27: Lucas Oil Stadium 2027-28: Rupp Arena2028-29: Assembly Hallhttps://t.co/1usrfTmNYW— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 3, 2023The last time the teams played led to one of the most enduring images college basketball has seen in the last 15 years, as Indiana's Christian Watford hit a 3-…
data-mm-id=”_0au7e8c6l”>The Kansas City Chiefs have suffered a number of injuries against the Green Bay Packers Sunday night, but safety Bryan Cook got the worst of it. While attempting to make a tackle on Packers running back A.J. Dillon, Cook's left ankle appeared to get caught in the grass. The cart came out immediately. Here's the play in question, you can see Cook's left leg get pinned underneath him and Dillon bowls him over. Chiefs player Cook with an injury as his foot goes under him. #KCvsGB pic.twitter.com/I8fCJm4UK0— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 4, 2023I'm not a doctor but that looks really bad. Like, really bad. Here's our weekly reminder that the NFL is an incredibly violent, brutal league and a lot of bad things happen to players…
data-mm-id=”_hsyn7othz”>The Chicago Bears' attention has been turned to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for over a month now and reports are beginning to suggest the franchise has made their decision– to trade Justin Fields and pick a quarterback first overall. That quarterback will probably be Caleb Williams, although there's plenty of time for them to change their minds on that front. Which means Fields will be on the trade block, and teams are already calling. Per Albert Breer, from Monday: Such is the case with the Bears and Justin Fields—with the team having gotten a little insight into what his trade value may be. Chicago staffers got inquiries from other teams on Fields in Mobile. And while the Bears haven’t shopped Fields, those conversations did all…
data-mm-id=”_guw9uosr4″>Kendrick Perkins has again waded into the MVP debate take pool. A season after Perkins faced criticism for saying Nikola Jokic was again the MVP front-runner because he was white – a take so bad that they literally apologized for it on First Take the next day – he went on NBA Today and attempted to make a case for Domantas Sabonis as MVP.Kendrick Perkins says a case can be made for Domantas Sabonis for NBA MVP pic.twitter.com/xtJUnRtvVN— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 28, 2024Now, to be fair, Sabonis is having a very good season, but even suggesting he should be part of the discuss flies in the face of the criteria under which Perkins says he votes for MVP, which is the best player with the best record. And you don't need to go far to find t…
data-mm-id=”_00xg28j7n”>Who will win Offensive Rookie of the Year: Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels? Can any team in the AFC dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs? Will the Detroit Lions really win the NFC? And how likely is a Chiefs Super Bowl three-peat?The start of the NFL season always brings excitement and anticipation, but answers to the above questions won't begin to emerge until the 18-week regular season is complete and the business end of the postseason begins.Until then, the sportsbooks contain some hints on who will reach — and win — Super Bowl LIX and who will walk away with the individual season awards.Below are the consensus betting favorites before the NFL kicks off its 105th season on Thursday night with the league's season opener between the Baltimore Ravens…