The Lakers quest to repeat as NBA Champions has officially hit its first official road block.

And this one’s a real doozy.

Anthony Davis had previously missed a few games with a sore right Achilles tendon, and shortly after returning to action, re-aggravated it in Sunday night’s loss to Denver. Lakers Nation held their breaths for a potential season-crippling Woj report that confirmed an Achilles tear, but we were able to partially exhale when it was just a strain.

The strain isn’t a saving grace, though. The Lakers’ staff estimated 2-3 weeks of recovery before a re-evaluation, so I would tack on another week and half minimum before you can concretely map out when he’ll be back.

For me, its the Achilles, and Lakers fans and I are no strangers to their playoff hopes being gutted by an Achilles tear, so I say baby the absolute hell out of this thing and don’t rush Davis back in any way, shape, or form. We’re not going to fall that far in the standings with LeBron James and the depth of this roster.

Even if we fall towards the mid 4-6 seeds, getting into the playoffs fully healthy should be the ultimate goal. We’ve seen that these games without fans are still very much bubble-ish, meaning the home court advantage isn’t very prominent, if at all. As long as the Lakers are healthy, I’m not worried about any series opponent in the West not named the Clippers (yes, Utah still doesn’t scare me). So nurse AD like the most delicate flower in the garden, and make sure he’s ready and in game-shape come postseason and we’re good.

That being said, the Lakers can’t burn out their other superstar while the one is a spectator for the next month or so. Again, the Lakers should not fear a slight seeding dip because of these fan-less contests, meaning LeBron’s minutes should continue to be heavily monitored. It also means in situations where Frank Vogel and the Lakers could play LeBron 38-40 minutes and go for a quasi-meaningless regular season game win, or cut him off around 34-36 and take a tough loss, they should take the loss more often than not.

Again, it’s about getting into the playoffs completely healthy. Despite his endless supply of water he’s garnered from the fountain of youth, he’s 36. Taxing LeBron for regular season games at this point would be unwise, especially without AD to pick up the slack. I’m aware James is eyeing an MVP to bolster his resume against Jordan in the GOAT debate, but I think he and us fans would take another ‘chip every day, and twice on Sunday, over the MVP.

So yeah, let’s regain and maintain our health and not worry too much about regular season. Who knows, maybe they’ll even reinstate the Orlando bubble and the Lakers can display their bubble dominance again.

Now, in regards to how life without AD will effect the rest of the roster…

Anyone who’s been clamoring to see the Kyle Kuzma they saw in his first two seasons, your time has come. Kuz is the shoe in to start in place of Davis, meaning his days of 15-field goal attempts a game are imminent. Kuz has made strides in filling his reserve role as a slasher and hustle-rebounder, but now he’ll be asked once again to shoot at a high clip and be more involved as a 2nd or 3rd scorer. I doubt he’ll shy away from the opportunity for more shots, but whether or not he can hit them consistently is the question.

The likes of Dennis Schröder and Montrezl Harrell will also benefit from Davis’s absence in terms of more offensive chances, both of whom are accustomed to taking more shots than they have been thus far. But it appears the key is once again Kyle Kuzma. His offensive versatility most matches that of AD, so the Lakers will now lean heavily on their young forward to cover the spread.

I’m going to enjoy the aforementioned Schröder getting more looks as well. He was runner-up for the 6th Man of the Year for a reason, and aside from a few nice games, really hasn’t completely found his groove with the purple and gold. Having a bulk of would be-Davis shots going to him either instead of or split with Kuz isn’t a terrible place to be in.

I think the Lakers are plenty covered offensively without AD, but his defensive impact is the one that’s unlikely to be replaced effectively.

Marc Gasol has done well in his role in place of the departed Javale McGee and Dwight Howard with his excellent passing from the center spot and his savvy, experienced defense on the block. However, he is no where near the shot blocker and paint presence as the other two, and without Davis masking that aspect, teams will look to punish the Lakers inside.

Markieff Morris will undoubtedly see more time now as well, and he, like Gasol, provides muscle inside, but not much rim protection. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers utilize Keef in an enlarged role, likely similar to that of the one he played so seamlessly in the bubble and in last year’s playoffs.

I don’t think the Lakers will be involved in the Kevin Love or Andre Drummond trade sweepstakes, but will remain a player in the buyout market for another big that can protect the rim. A McGee return would make a lot of sense if he’s bought out by Cleveland or the potential team he’s traded to along with Drummond, as he knows the Lakers system well and has made a living as a shot blocker. But only time will tell who is available via buyout, and whether or not said dude fits into the Lakers schemes.

An interesting option is Blake Griffin. Most people forgot he’s even in the league anymore, but before he had another major injury a few seasons ago, Blake was really a potent offensive weapon in Detroit. The Pistons are once again hapless this season, and the former Clipper superstar has looked as hobbled as he’s ever looked. But, if bought out relatively quickly, I don’t see why the Lakers would have any reason not to take a flyer out on him.

He doesn’t solve the rim protection issue, he is broken beyond comprehension, and may not be a great candidate to tell, “Hey, you’re going to come off our bench now, sorry you’re not a star anymore.”

However, he would serve as a fill in option at power forward if Kuzma fizzles out or cannot consistently be effective as a starter while Anthony Davis sits. Once AD returns, having him off the bench as a playmaking big that can help the Lakers go a little smaller in a playoff series instead of using Gasol could also be intruging. He would have a limited role in about 15-20 minutes of action either way, and he shouldn’t be all that expensive on a vet-minimum that only a lunatic who’s rapidly declining and in need of a ring would turn down.

Lastly, with the Lakers once again on a collision-course to see their Staples Center roommates in the Conference Finals again, barring another classic Clipper choke job, there is a revenge factor I would love to entertain. Imagine Blake being effective against the team that wronged him after all he did for them, knocking them out of the postseason, AND being the first lob-city member to get a ring (or play in a Finals?!); it’s potential poetry in motion, and I’m all in if it’s truly the cheap, low-risk high-reward option it’s shaping up to be.

I know he’s looked terrible, but people scoffed at a Dwight return, and when it was all over, no one would dare claim the Lakers would’ve won it all without him. Blake could feast on backups in limited minutes and provide even more scoring punch to any already solid bench squad.

Am I crazy? Probably.

Blake would be quirky, but I think the Lakers are likely to stand pat rather than seek help from an outside source. And if they do, it’ll likely be a true center that’ll tighten the lid on the basket.

Of course, there’s the nightmare scenario where Davis’s injury sidelines him for longer than expected, and he comes back hobbled and/or injures it AGAIN and is lost completely. And without Davis, it’s tough to conceive the team getting past a Clipper squad, let alone seeing Philly or Brooklyn in the Finals, any of whom would likely mop the floor with a Brow-less Laker bunch.

Again, this is worst case scenario, and if it came to fruition, I would fall into a great state of hibernation and despair. But alas…

Anthony Davis is a top-5 player in the league, and losing him for an extended period of time is never ideal. And with the injury involving sports’ most sentencing area of the body, the Lakers’ title chances ride heavily on how they cope with this, on all fronts. But Rob Pelinka built this team to be even deeper than last year’s champions, and the Lakers have plenty of options to successfully tread water while they wait for the rescue boat.

Let’s just hope that boat stays on course.

So there’s my impromptu rant on the Lakers and AD.

Sorry the lack of posts, the misses and I moved into an apartment a week or so ago, and we’ve finally settled in…mostly. We’re on our way though, and the road ahead is looking real exciting.

Shout out Tom Brady, the conversation is over, Montana stans.

Look for the Giants offseason post along the line, but probably an NBA All-Star break report on things not Lakers for once first. Going to talk about some of the cool stories across the league, and try not to turn it into a post of me just drooling over LaMelo.

But no promises.

Cheers.