Julius Randle Injury Shifts Los Angeles Lakers’ Focus

By Anthony F. Irwin @AnthonyIrwinNBA on October 29, 2014

Regardless of situation, it’s impossible not to get excited for a new season. Fans can talk themselves into the what-ifs that make or break seasons. As the team is introduced amid the cheers pouring down on them, anything seems within reach. That was the case for the Los Angeles Lakers — until the game was played.

Look, I might be among the more pessimistic of Laker fans, but even those who considered the playoffs a possibility have to admit Tuesday night was nothing short of unmitigated disaster. There were periods of decent basketball — at one point in the third quarter the game was within single digits — but it all came crashing down as Julius Randle took off from the right block on his right leg and could only get up with the help of several teammates.

There went the Lakers’ hope for the future. The good news: The injury is fully recoverable. The bad: This season isn’t.

Ask yourself this: What good does the No. 8 seed actually do the franchise? They’d lose their draft pick only to be annihilated by whoever ends the season with the best record in the brutal Western Conference. It’s in the Lakers’ best interests to turn all desired assets (Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and maybe Jeremy Lin) into as many draft picks and cap space as possible to revamp the roster from the ground up.

The first step: ensuring they keep this year’s first-round pick. Should the Lakers wind up with anything worse than the fifth overall selection (trust me, it’s more than in the realm of possibility they could be that bad) it would go to the Phoenix Suns as part of that fateful Steve Nash trade. Given how poorly the Lakers have looked in stretches of the preseason and at times Tuesday night, I’d say this is almost a lock.

From there, the attention shifts to potential free agent pickups in the upcoming offseason. Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge highlight a decent free agent pool and would all garner plenty of attention throughout the league. As Nash and Lin come off the books, it would appear the Lakers would have plenty to offer any potential target. My choice would be Gasol, but that’s just me.

Trades would also be another avenue through which Los Angeles could improve their roster after this season. Again, as the Lakers would have plenty of cap room, they’d be able to trade for players from other teams without worrying about matching salary. This would be especially interesting should the 2015 draft class disappoint.

One thing’s for sure; while there are still 81 games to play this year, the top priority will be understanding who is worth keeping around as the Lakers continue to rebuild. In this sense, Randle’s injury might be a blessing in disguise. We all know he’ll be a Laker for a long time. Get well soon, kid.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .