In the words of Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, when speaking on the cacophony of trade rumors that engulfed the Lakers season for a few weeks, you can’t escape these things. On Saturday, the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans will have to revisit the demons of the past deadline when the two teams meet in New Orleans on Saturday.
It’s the first of two meetings the Lakers and Pelicans will have in the next week and things are evidently different for both teams after Anthony Davis’ trade demand. The Pelicans fired general manager Dell Demps, vowed to change their ownership structure and the Lakers look like a group with renewed energy after Thursday’s win over the Rockets.
Saturday night will be a great test for LeBron to see how much he can rally these young Lakers to truly move past what might have been and live in the reality that they are the team they are now.
Anthony Davis is expected to play, even though it would be in the best interest of the Pelicans not to subject him to a potential injury. So the Lakers won’t catch any breaks in terms of injuries, no matter how close Rich Paul and Anthony Davis Sr. appear to be.
The Pelicans are clearly outside of the playoff race, but being in it has not been a prerequisite for beating the Lakers this season. If the Lakers really want to show they are the team they say they want to be, road games against the Pelicans are the exact kind of game they must win.
