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The MRI the Lakers did on Anthony Davis on Monday revealed that he has calf strain near his already aggravated Achilles tendon, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Davis will miss at least two to three weeks before being re-evaluated.
Davis underwent an MRI today, which revealed a re-aggrevation near his Achilles. Lakers and Davis will be conservative on a return to play, which could be sometime after the All-Star Break running March 5 to 10, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/8touT9FkIf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 15, 2021
Anthony Davis got his MRI in Denver earlier today instead of waiting until flying to Minneapolis. https://t.co/pABQXwWdqu
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 15, 2021
Anthony Davis' MRI revealed a calf strain and a re-aggravation of the right Achilles tendonosis, source said. Once Davis returns to Los Angeles, he'll immediately get another evaluation there. It is extremely unlikely Davis returns to lineup prior to ASG break ending March 10.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 15, 2021
Even prior to MRI today, conversation among GM Rob Pelinka, Anthony Davis and agent Rich Paul of @KlutchSports has been to take their time on AD's return to lineup, sources tell ESPN. They'll take another look in two-to-three weeks, yes, but "conservative" is the operative word.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 15, 2021
Asked a team source how the Lakers are processing the Anthony Davis news: “Long haul. Long season. Take as long as he needs.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 15, 2021
Anthony Davis' agent, Rich Paul, said Davis plans to stay with the team for its game in Minnesota. From then, Davis will spend most of his time resting before being reevaluated in three weeks.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 15, 2021
Lakers next 9 games pic.twitter.com/xbXw21vUMU
— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) February 15, 2021
A couple of key dates for the Los Angeles Lakers:
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 15, 2021
Feb. 23- 10 Day contracts can be signed
Feb. 24- The contract of Quinn Cook becomes guaranteed.
Feb. 24- The Lakers can sign a player to a rest of the season guaranteed contract.
They are currently $913K below the hard cap.
The Lakers later released a statement on Davis’ MRI:
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis underwent an MRI today. The results showed no rupture of the right Achilles tendon. Davis will miss tomorrow’s game vs. Minnesota, and will be further evaluated by team doctors upon his return to Los Angeles.
Davis previously missed two games last week with Achilles tendinosis before returning to play a full game (with soreness) against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and then having to leave the Lakers’ most recent game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in the second quarter with what the team termed an Achilles strain.
After Sunday’s game, Davis spoke to the media for around seven minutes, almost all of it spent detailing the state of his Achilles. He said that he’s been getting treatment on the tendon three times a day, wearing inserts in his shoes during games and a sleeve on his leg at night, all in the interest of helping his Achilles get to the point that he could play. But there were also signs that for as much as Davis clearly wants to get on the floor, he’s also ready to take this threat more seriously after this scare.
“This injury is a little different. Because it is the Achilles and you definitely want to make sure it doesn’t lead to anything worse,” Davis said as part of his longer (and mostly subdued) remarks on Sunday night. “This one is a little different that I feel like I have to be smarter with, and don’t want to go out there and try to be Superman and risk it for the long-term.”
With Davis missing time, expect two-way player Devontae Cacok to be activated as an emergency big man for the next several games, and for starting center Marc Gasol to play a bigger role as the team’s only seven-footer. Montrezl Harrell will also likely see an uptick in minutes and offensive role, while Kyle Kuzma can likely be expected to start in Davis’ place, given that he’s started nearly every time Davis has had to sit, including in the second half against Denver.
But all of that is less important than Davis’ health moving forward. The Lakers have to take whatever measures they can to make sure he’s healthy by the postseason, even if it means sacrificing their record in the short term. Given that they’re 21-7 — the second best record in the Western Conference — they also aren’t in danger of falling out of the playoff hunt, so they can afford to take things slow. Especially because, as we covered on both our latest podcast and in writing, if Davis is not healthy, none of this really matters. Expect some extra caution moving forward as a result.
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