Los Angeles Lakers: Did The Lakers Catch Clipper Curse?
By Marcus Bass
There’s no such thing as the “Clippers curse,” but if there were, it certainly looked contagious and for the first time officially caught by the Los Angeles Lakers on NBA opening night. When Lakers Rookie forward Julius Randle was carted off on a stretcher, for another moment it seemed as if the wrong team was being observed.
Kobe’s return to the hardwood and Byron Scott‘s re-emergence on the sideline was dwarfed instantly. And when the air was vacuumed out of Staples Center, the only noisy fan left in the building was the church mouse who paid for floor level seats and could be heard on the streets outside of Staples.
That’s how deafening and defining this moment was for the Lakers.
These freak injuries that arise and leave fans with a sense of despair were typically reserved for the other Los Angeles team, not the one that hangs 16 championship banners on game night. 19 year-old Lakers rookie forward and seventh overall draft pick Randle suffered a clean break of the tibia and was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne he’ll be out anywhere between four to six months.
In erie symmetry, Randle was the Lakers highest draft pick since landing James Worthy in 1982. Worthy also had his rookie season cut short due to a broken leg, however Worthy appeared in 77 games before his injury.
Regardless of Randle’s injury, this was (and still is) a rebuilding year for the Lakers. What was to be a season based on reality with moderate optimism, now stands as a 81-game model for frustration, displacement and more of the “us against the world” mentality. If the Lakers were counted out before, they’re definitely an afterthought now.
It’s a feeling the Clippers and their fans have known all too well.
After all, it’s been a saving grace to say Kobe’s still able to put up 20 a game while we wait for Randle to develop, and while the rookie wasn’t ready to be Kobe’s partner in western conference crime, once again it’s Bryant all alone on an island with a band of castaways. Their shortcomings are once again amplified.
Where’s the Lakers next big superstar? Where’s the (healthy) injection of youth the Lakers can build on in the next three-to-four years?
Hope for a return to glory faster than most rebuilding processes suffered a fracture last night as well. Kobe’s still got some game — it’s debatable as to how well his body will respond to the entire season and the majority of players on the roster are expendable.
There aren’t any in uniform that create a boastful situation for the Lakers front office. There are even less that are scheduled to be on the Lakers payroll in 2018-19.
Uncharacteristicly strange and definitely short on being “cursed”, however the Lakers current season will certainly wear a similar stench.