The Los Angeles Lakers stayed very quiet at the trade deadline, failing to upgrade their roster and bolster it as the last leg of the regular season rolls on. Meanwhile, the noisy neighbors, the Los Angeles Clippers, managed to add a potent cog in Marcus Morris.
As some executives view it, the Lakers as currently constructed have no chance against a loaded Clippers team in a seven-game series.
“There's no way the Lakers beat the Clippers in a seven-game series,” an Eastern Conference executive told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
The Clippers' acquisition of Morris gives them a capable scorer who can shoot the lights out from deep when given the chance, able to fill in at either forward spot.
The Lakers were banking on the buyout market to provide a point guard solution, considering they resorted to playing LeBron James as the floor general due to their lack of depth at the position.
Rajon Rondo, who the team re-signed this past summer, hasn't been much of a factor. When he is, it's because other teams are focused on shutting everyone out but him.
“There's a reason Rondo dominated the Suns: They weren't guarding him,” said a former general manager. “Teams want him to shoot.”
The Lakers hoped to add retired point guard Darren Collison after the deadline, but the longtime floor general decided to remain retired after listening to calls from both LA teams.
“That's a blow,” said the GM. “I'm not sure the Lakers can find a better fit than Collison.”
The purple and gold will have to rely on James being healthy enough to take on heavy minutes in the playoffs, once again tasked with the ball-handling and play-creating duties with no other player who can give him a true rest.
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