ATLANTA — 11Alive Sports offers a primer of expectations for Tuesday night's Lakers-Hawks game at State Farm Arena, with a lot of attention falling to LeBron James, and his quest to unify his Los Angeles teammates just one week after the club's futile attempt to land Anthony Davis in a pre-deadline trade.
1. The Lakers were likely at their dysfunctional peak this time last week
The NBA trade deadline passed last Thursday.
On that particular day, national pundits took turns excoriating LeBron, Lakers management (Magic Johnson, GM Rob Pelinka) and even the poor New Orleans Pelicans for coming up empty with all the Davis-to-L.A. rumors.
As if the Pelicans were ever beholden to the national media's timeline for consummating a blockbuster deal, especially since Davis (Year 4 of a mega-extension) would remain under team control through the end of the 2020 season.
Besides, if Davis truly covets to play with only four other teams (reportedly the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks, Clippers) ... why not have the Pelicans play the waiting game this summer, in terms of stalling to see if the Knicks land the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery?
Or perhaps biding enough time so the Clippers and their substantial cap space can finagle a three-team blockbuster, which might strengthen the Pelicans' resolve to let Davis venture to another market.
After all, if the Pelicans really wanted the Lakers' reported asset package of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and a bevy of future draft picks, doesn't it stand to reason New Orleans would have rushed to do the deed?
Fast forward to the present: The Lakers youngsters (mentioned above) have had a week to process the deflating acts of not being traded, and being creatively taunted by opposing fans.
So, whatever post-deadline resentment existed toward LeBron and/or Magic ... it has probably dissipated by now.
Plus, with the All-Star Break just a few hours away, the Lakers players will likely solider through tonight's clash with the Hawks in record time, without incident.
It's pure human nature to start one's vacation as fast as possible.
2. There are no indications that LeBron will miss tonight's outing, due to injury or rest purposes
Remember James' sudden absence from a Hawks-Cavs game in December 2014 (Philips Arena), coinciding with LeBron's 30th birthday?
I hold vivid recollections of Hawks fans being outraged by the last-second sitdown, since many might have skipped the game altogether, if they had prior knowledge of LeBron's plans.
Well, that doesn't seem to be the case on this night; and the NBA couldn't be happier, since this represents LeBron's only trip to Atlanta this season.
3. The Hawks are in danger of squandering the first half of this extra-long home stand
Nine days ago, Atlanta was riding high from a 4-3 road trip (Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Utah, Phoenix, Washington) and likely harboring private thoughts about challenging the East's expanding middle class for the No. 8 playoff seed.
Was this newfound feeling of hubris ambitious? Sure.
Was it completely out of the realm of possibility? Likely not, especially with a seven-game home stand – covering 16 full days – on the immediate horizon.
The Hawks were marginal, at best, during home defeats to the Raptors and Hornets; and on Sunday night, Atlanta lost by 16 points to mediocre Orlando ... a head-scratching deficit that was actually 24 to begin the fourth quarter.
In that sad sense, perhaps the Hawks will be sky-high for the Lakers.
At 18-38, Atlanta could use a significant challenge to get the competitive juices flowing once more.
4. James has flirted with a triple-double in each of his four games, since returning from injury
For what it's worth, all four outings took place on the road, with LeBron averaging 24.5 points, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists during this prolific span.
The shooting volume also runs consistent to before the injury, with James averaging nearly 18 shots per contest and roughly 50 percent from the field.
Put it all together, and it's hard to envision LeBron struggling after the All-Star break.
In fact, he'll likely be called upon for a greater workload, perhaps averaging 38-40 minutes per game, covering the final two months of the season.
Which brings us to this: The NBA All-Star Game hardly represents the midpoint level of the regular season. After tonight, the Lakers and Hawks will be 57 games into the season ... or 70 percent through the schedule.
5. The Lakers would be out of the championship chase, if the Western Conference playoffs began today
If you count LeBron's "load management" rationalization from two weeks ago against the Warriors, the Lakers went 7-11 during James' 18-game absence.
This long absence, accounting for 22 percent of the regular season, partially explains why Los Angeles currently doesn't have a grip on one of the West's eight playoff seeds.
On the plus side, the Lakers (28-28 overall) only trail the Kings (30-26) or Clippers (31-27) by two games, in the battle for the No. 8 postseason slot.
So, it's not like Los Angeles – presuming reasonably full health from this point forward – would have to play .600 basketball to end up in the playoffs.
A modest uptick could possibly do the trick.
Of course, earning the final playoff spot shouldn't be a goal for any team in the West, with the possible exception of the Kings, who haven't reached the postseason in 13 years.
(The likely reward: A super-quick series defeat against the three-time champion Warriors.)
With their young core of burgeoning talent (De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanović), only the Kings would get a major confidence boost from squeezing into the playoff picture ... if only to be cannon fodder during Round 1.