The NBA is in a hell of a pinch going into next season and the Los Angeles Lakers sit by waiting. Last week they discussed a myriad of options, including opening night on December 22nd down from the anticipated January 18th start on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This would leave the Lakers with a little over two months of rest compared to the usual four that spans across the off-season.
Many of the players, including our own in Danny Green and Jared Dudley are rightfully wary. Green made an appearance on The Ringer NBA Show and gave his perspective on what he anticipates the Lakers and LeBron James will do:
Lakers guard Danny Green on the proposed Dec. 22 start to next season:
"If we start in December, I think most guys [are like] 'I'm not going to be there… to have that quick of a restart, I wouldn't expect [LeBron] to be there for the 1st month of the season." pic.twitter.com/NYqNxzNEmZ
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) October 26, 2020
Dudley joined in on Twitter with his outlook:
The show will go on, just don’t cry a river when stars sit out TV games… esp Top teams that played a longer full season … https://t.co/sCw5NmhBLp
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) October 26, 2020
It should be noted here that Green later claimed he was joking about Lakers teammate LeBron James sitting out the beginning of the season.
Fair feelings from both veterans. Teams like the Lakers and Heat just played a year under the most unusual circumstances in sports history. And like it or not, they’re in desperate need of decompression and settling into their lives outside of the Orlando bubble. There’s almost an expectation that the Lakers will monitor their veteran’s minutes this season. Trying to defend a title requires laser-focus on playing deep into the year. The NBA wants to make their money, but they’ll have to respect the players for preserving the very tools that net those profits.
