2018-19 NBA Power Rankings: Lakers, Pelicans flounder in Week 18

In Week 18 of NBA Power Rankings for the 2018-19 campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans are in serious need of a break.

NBA All-Star Weekend is typically a much-needed break for most teams, providing relief from the strain of an 82-game schedule, time to heal from injuries or simply a distraction from losing streaks for weary fanbases that are already looking ahead to the upcoming draft.

This year is no different, with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans — two teams who have been linked nonstop in recent weeks — leading the charge for opposite yet somehow related reasons.

For the Lakers, they’re now below .500 at the latest point in a LeBron James season since his rookie year. They’ve lost five of their last seven games, and the team chemistry has never been worse after half the roster was rumored to be available at the trade deadline for Anthony Davis. This doesn’t look like the team that was once fourth in the West before the King was sidelined.

As for the Pelicans, their decision to wait until the summer for an Anthony Davis trade was probably the wisest one, since more suitors can enter the fray at that point, but it also comes with its fair share of pitfalls. AD has to play to avoid league fines against outright tanking, but doing so risks his health, and therefore, the potential return for a franchise that has no choice but to move its MVP to another team.

Players should have say in their NBA destinies, but teams should also be able to determine how they manage their players, especially those who don’t want to be there and allow that information to leak publicly.

It’s an ugly power struggle for both teams, but heading into the All-Star break, which other teams need a reprieve? And which are heating up at the right time, with a lengthy break to recharge before the home stretch? To sort it all out, here are the latest NBA Power Rankings.