The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Portland Trailblazers in their last game of the 2018-2019 season 104-101 on a buzzer beating shot by guard Mo Harkless. The Lakers finished with a 37-45 win-loss record, only a two game improvement from last year’s team.
What was once a season full of optimism and hope that the Lakers will finally reclaim lost vestige and glory with the signing of one of the best basketball players in history in LeBron James turned into an abysmal one thanks in part to injuries and internal turmoil brought about by trade talks and rumors.
Here’s a quick summary of how the Lakers’ season went.
- Drafted Moe Wagner, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Isaac Bonga in the NBA Draft in June 2018.
- Signed LeBron in July, after getting spurned by the player most people thought was signing with the Lakers, Paul George.
- Let go of Julius Randle in free agenncy, then signed a menagerie of… interesting characters in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and Michael Beasley.
- Struggled during the first few games of the regular season.
- Brandon Ingram and Rondo were suspended for fighting with Chris Paul and other Houston Rockets players in the second game of the season.
- Signed Tyson Chandler after he got bought out by the Phoenix Suns.
- Started to play as a cohesive unit, thereby winning more games, with a revitalized Chandler anchoring the defense.
- LeBron was still LeBron while Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball thrived with him. Ingram struggled at this time.
- Beasley misses time to take care of his mother who had cancer.
- McGee misses some games due to pneumonia and takes a while for him to return to form after starting out hot early in the season.
- Ivica Zubac was unleashed against the New Orleans Pelicans, establishing himself as a solid young center.
- Blows out the Golden State Warriors in Oakland on Christmas Day but lost LeBron to a groin injury that sidelines him for 17 straight games, the most games he’s missed in his 14-year career.
- Rondo gets injured.
- Ingram starts hitting his stride and looks like a superstar in the making.
- Hart gets injured.
- Ball sprains an ankle that led to bone bruise, ending his season.
- Anthony Davis demands the Pelicans to trade him, preferably to the Lakers. Rumors fly and affected the Lakers’ team chemistry as the young core’s names kept getting involved in hypothetical trades.
- Dysfunction starts to show as the Lakers kept losing games.
- Mykhailiuk gets traded to the Detroit Pistons for Reggie Bullock.
- In a move that enraged fans, Zubac was traded to cross court rivals LA Clippers for Mike Muscala. Zubac at this point showed he was a starting caliber center and was playing his best basketball in his young career. Muscala would go on to miss most of his three pointers as a Laker.
- LeBron returns but is not 💯 healed yet.
- Kyle Kuzma gets injured.
- Brandon Ingram was found to have blood clots in his shoulder and was shut down for the season as a precaution.
- The Lakers call on Alex Caruso, Johnathon Williams, Andre Ingram, Scott Machado, Jemerrio Jones from their G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers to fill in for the injured players.
- The losses kept piling up like dead bodies in Game of Thrones.
- The Lakers get eliminated from playoff contention by the Brooklyn Nets, lead by the Lakers’ former young core member and current All-Star D’Angelo Russell.
- Caldwell-Pope starts playing his best basketball ~after ~ the Lakers were already eliminated because of course.
- The Lakers started to win again, and beat solid teams ~after~ they got eliminated because, again, of course.
- Magic Johnson resigns as President of Basketball Operations before the Lakers’ last game of the year against Portland.
It’s been one hell of a ride, and “disappointed” is the mildest description I could think of to describe how I feel. Regardless, there is still hope that the Lakers are going to correct this atrocity next seaso. The kids will probably continue their strong play and most likely will improve even further. Cap space abounds, and top-tier free agents are ripe for the picking. Oh and we still have LeBron James.
Now, of course things can still go from bad to worse in a blink of an eye, but that’s not something I’d like to think about.
Regardless, we still bleed Purple and Gold. We stick with the team in good times and in bad times. We will get back to glory, and we will win another championship.
Special shout out to Lakers Twitter people, both old and new, whom I’ve interacted with/provided valuable Lakers and basketball knowledge (AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ALL THE MEMES) the past season:
Harrison (@hmfaigen), Pete (@LakerFilmRoom), Anthony (@anthonyirwinla), Darius (@forumbluegold), Ben Rosales (@brosales), Daman (@damanr), Brian H (@runthejules), Grant (@grantgolberg), Christian (@RadRivas), Cranjis (@t1m_nba), Raj (@unwrittenrul3s) Ry (@justrycole), the @LakersOutsiders dudes Honi (@honiahm), Jacob (@JacobRude), and Gary (@garykester), Sten (@StenBender), David (@chiapet47) and many many more.
And course shouts to our very own Lakers Nation PH (@LakersNation_PH), the FB chatroom is always lit when stuff happens. Sir JL, Carlo, Frisco, Ron, Sam, Sir JC Ansis, Sir JC Barrera, Kassius Clay and John Looie.
We back in October.
patrickkennan.com 