The Los Angeles Lakers are coming out of the NBA All-Star break reeling. They are 27-31, in ninth place in the Western Conference. Lakers superstar Anthony Davis recently seriously injured his ankle, leaving the future bleak for Los Angeles. Yet, Boston Celtics fan Bill Simmons is not counting out the Lakers.

Simmons, while on the “Bill Simmons Podcast” Tuesday, stated his case for Los Angeles to still come out of the west. He pointed out that Suns' Chris Paul is already out for the next eight weeks, which is essentially the rest of the regular season. He could very easily re-injure his thumb, costing him time in the postseason.

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He then took his attention to the rest of the west. Simmons doesn't trust the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, etc. “After Memphis, I don't like any of the other teams. I think they are all flawed. You go Dallas, you go Denver, you go Utah, anybody else… I don't want to see LeBron (James) and Davis. I don't even care who they are playing with.”

Those sentiments are justified, as the middle of the west all appear inconsistent at times. But Davis is not even healthy right now. It's already been shown that James cannot carry this roster to wins by himself consistently. The Lakers, assuming they make the play-in tournament, will have a tough time just to qualify for the postseason. Never mind defeat the likes of the Suns, Warriors or Grizzlies.