NBA Power Rankings Week 14: Trade deadline recap

Last Week: Lost to Phoenix Suns 111-94, Lost to New Orleans Pelicans 128-111, Lost to Philadelphia 76ers 109-101, Beat Cleveland Cavaliers 100-86

This Week: 3/28 vs. Orlando Magic, 3/31 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 4/2 at Sacramento Kings

As was to be expected, the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled mightily without their top two stars on the court. They had lost four in a row until knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers to end the week. Furthermore, they were not able to get a deal done for Kyle Lowry.

It was reported that the asking price for Lowry was Dennis Schroeder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Talen Horton-Tucker and the Lakers balked at including Horton-Tucker in the deal. Time will tell if this was the right choice for a Laker team needing to weather the storm until LeBron James and Anthony Davis return to health. At this point, it is not about seeding. The only thing that matters is getting in and getting healthy.

There are also reports that the Lakers are the front runners to bring in newly bought out big man Andre Drummond to fortify their front line. Drummond has been miscast in seasons past as the second option on offense but playing alongside Davis and James will give him a chance to finally play with something he has sorely needed: an elite pick-and-roll playmaker who will throw him lobs and let him excel at what he was made to do. Drummond is not a rim protector or a defensive juggernaut, but he disrupts passing lanes well and is the best rebounder of his generation.