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Lakers are ‘excited’ for the NBA season to come back, are willing to accept new rules because it means they can finish their title chase

Lakers coaches, players and staffers couldn’t be more thrilled that the NBA is set to come back.

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Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Basketball is (almost) officially back, with the news that the NBA Board of Governor’s voted to approve a plan to finish out the season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Until then, the Lakers have a few next steps to take before they play again, and from the sound of things, they’re (like probably everyone else reading a Lakers blog during an unprecedented coronavirus stoppage) just excited to get going again.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN summed up the atmosphere around the team on SportsCenter, and reported some details on just how ready this team is to go (emphasis mine):

“I was just on the phone with a Lakers team source who was telling me ‘we’re all excited that the NBA figured out a conclusion to the season, because it means we have a title to play for.’ I also was in contact with a Lakers player who told me that ‘no one is going to have any problems with the stipulations that have been ratified with this vote because we get a chance to play.’ And a member of the Lakers coaching staff just texted me back ‘let’s roll, baby.’

“There is certainly a level of excitement to get this thing going, and of course there’s the idea that they’re going to have to wait five weeks or so before they play games, but they’re feeling pretty good right now.”

First of all, I am devastated that Frank Vogel was unwilling to attach his name to “let’s roll, baby,” because that would be an instantly iconic rallying cry and 1000% sounds like something he would say, so I’m choosing to believe it was him until we’re told otherwise.

Secondly, that bolded part is huge, because while everyone (including this site) has already started celebrating the season’s return, it still technically has to be approved by the National Basketball Players Association, and some details will clearly need to be ironed out and negotiated before that can happen:

There is also the matter of finalizing a health protocol for everyone to agree on:

Still, the Lakers player in McMenamin’s report above saying that the team is willing to agree to basically whatever is big, because it likely (to some degree) captures the mindset of most of the players with something to play for heading to Orlando. It at the very least is another indication that this is unlikely to turn into a big, ugly, dragged out and public negotiation between the union and league, ala the MLB.

Beyond that, this isn’t much of a surprise, but it is encouraging. The Lakers are on a mission to get LeBron James another ring, to get Anthony Davis his first, and to raise the franchise’s NBA-high-tying 17th championship banner. They have a real chance to do it with how good they’ve been this season, so of course they’re just as excited to get the chance as all of us are to watch them go for it.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.

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