Lakers "Lost Themselves" Over Anthony Davis Rumors, Says Caldwell-Pope

BYAlexander Cole2.2K Views
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Lakers struggled to win games after the trade deadline.

With the NBA playoffs starting tomorrow, you'll probably notice the absence of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite being ranked fourth in the Western Conference at Christmas, the team quickly slipped down the standings, all the way into tenth place. One of the theories as to why this happened is because of the lack of chemistry that was created when rumors of an Anthony Davis trade to the Lakers, plagued the team's young stars. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of the players on the team who believes this to be true.

"At the trade deadline, everybody kind of lost themselves," Caldwell-Pope said, via ESPN. "That's all they were worried about. … And I feel like after that, everybody kind of relaxed calmed down and just started playing basketball and not worrying about the outside talk."

Lakers "Lost Themselves" Over Anthony Davis Rumors, Says Caldwell-Pope
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Tyson Chandler also commented on the team's play this season, saying a lot of it could be chalked up to the fact that the team wasn't healthy.

"It was injuries and then the trade rumors," Chandler said. "I wouldn't be honest if I was sitting up here not saying the same. It was one of the huge factors in the season. The injuries were tough for us because we were already a young unit. ... Having those injuries and not being able to get used to one another I think really affected us."

The Lakers finished the season with a record of 37-45 and finished 10th in the Western Conference.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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