KAT’s meniscus injury ‘changes landscape of the West’ if he’s OUT + concern for LeBron? | First Take

KAT’s meniscus injury ‘changes landscape of the West’ if he’s OUT + concern for LeBron? | First Take

Anthony towns has a miniscus injury in his left knee and his evaluating options sources confirmed to our Adrian wowski and Brian wior so Wendy I’m going to start with you on this one how concerned are you about cat and the Timberwolves pretty concerned because the you know I think the thing about

Meniscus injuries is there’s a huge wide range that can happen and so I think the most important thing is not to jump to any conclusions today that you know there he he may be able to avoid surgery at least in the short term and continue to play he may have to have surgery

That’s being determined by experts in this period here but either way he’s hurt and there’s a possibility that exists he could miss time and the wolves um you know they’re in first place right now by half a game I I do believe in the Wolves because of their defense and

Their defense can travel and and they give Denver it’s a real matchup uh situation for Denver and so I am a believer in the Wolves even though they really haven’t advanced in the playoffs literally in 20 years I mean I’ve said Anthony Edwards was basically in diapers

The last time this team won a playoff series so they need to be at full power and this is a significant injury so um we will know more in the next few days the wolves do have terrific depth at Big Man Nas Reed is arguably the best big

Man off the bench in the NBA or at least one of the best and so if towns has to miss time they have that other option but Carl towns adds a level of spacing and scoring from that four spot that you almost can’t find anywhere in the league

Especially with a defensive player like Rudy goar so this is a very concerning development for the Timberwolves and if I’m the Western Conference especially that top four where they’re all tightly bet uh bet bound up I’m talking the Thunder are half game back the the nuggets are a game back going into

Tonight’s big game with the Celtics I am watching very closely for how this towns injury ends up playing out because it could have a huge impact on on the wolf’s ability to finish the season season strong Yeah Wendy I’m I’m in 100% agreeance uh this is a huge loss uh

Obviously we don’t know the severity of the injury I’m hoping that cat can come back and be fully healthy we don’t know if it’s an actual tear we don’t know what type of injury it is to the meniscus but if we’re talking about you know worst case scenario if this guy is

Out this is a huge piece we’re not talking about a uh you know a role player here we’re talking about an NBA All-Star uh this is a guy who people questioned last year fitting in with Rudy goar or Rudy fitting in with him they they solved that problem they had

The number one defense in the league they have size and when we talk about teams that can contend against Denver Nuggets we always bring up Minnesota due to their size they have multiple big men who they can throw at a guy like Joker and cause problems not to mention the

Two-man game that he has with ant Carl provides spacing he provides scoring he’s upu his defense he’s upu his leadership role there he’s fitting in like and obviously he’s been there long term but in terms of the chemistry of him and ant that’s really a Batman Robin

Situation I mean that’s like us talking about the Bucks and you’re taking your second best player way that’d be like us taking Damen Lillard out of the picture now we’re talking about a whole different team here so you know and I love Nas Reed Nas re is the best uh uh

Backup big in the NBA by the way wheny you got that 100% right but Carl Anthony towns is an All-Star and for them to compete if we’re talking about a serious run them getting to the Conference Finals which I hope for the city of Minnesota which would be really dope I

Mean the last time we saw this or this team have that level of success was all the way back when ticket was there so you know I hope he gets back but this is this is a big big deal man this changes the landscape of the West if he’s

Out for sure and it’s it’s unfortunate for the timber woods and car Anthony towns the the first thing that I’mma say is is that I want to make sure car Anthony towns know to do the best for car Anthony towns not the team not big perk not Austin not Wendy not the fans

Like do the best for call Anthony towns and make sure that you’re healthy that’s number one number two Austin NS Reed has been balling right but I think Bobby Porter would like a little you know would have a say in this conversation for his best bigs coming in off the

Bench but here’s here’s another thing right when I look at the Minnesota timberwoods with car Anthony towns I I really believe that they’re legit threat of coming out of the Western Conference and I strongly believe that without call Anthony towns without call Anthony towns I feel like they could reach the second

Round second round is their Silling in the Western Conference but you know this this completely changed the whole landscape of everything and also I know you can’t quote unquote try to work and see who you could play against or try to go against a certain team or or sied

Your way into the postseason but you know if you’re the teams at the bottom you kind of want this smoke with the Minnesota timberwoods right now how concerned are you about LeBron’s health no more more concerned than I have been on this injury for the last six eight weeks he has been questionable

Every game for weeks he will remain questionable probably until the end of the season we’ll see uh it’s tendonitis and with tendonitis anybody who’s had it knows that it you know it gets on you and the best thing to do would be to take a couple of weeks off but he can’t

Do that so he has to manage it dayto day that’s one of the reasons why at the All-Star break he took the extra time afterwards to try to uh get it to calm down and it did he was feeling better and now it’s back I I don’t know if

You’ll see LeBron play in backto backs the rest of the way and if he does it’s going to be really like a game time decision because you’re going to have to see how that ankle is feeling and its mobility and his ability to to play on

It the good news for the Lakers is I think they only have two back-to-backs left so um he will he will do what he has done with ongoing injuries throughout his career he will get treatment as aggressively as he can before the Lakers next game they’re in a

Fortunate part of their schedule here where there’s almost no travel for them so there’s no worry about as much worry about you know issues with the travel and the swelling and there’s more time to to treat it when he’s home but it’s not going away it’s going to be a

Nagging thing and if you look at just about every team in the league especially a whole bunch of teams in the East that are missing star players this is a reality in March in the NBA well the reality is is that the Lakers are done and I’m very very

Concerned about LeBron James when it comes to his health and rightfully so this man is 39 years old right and we talk about I’m talking about concern for his physical health and his mental health at this point he’s doing everything and more to carry and keep

This team alive just to be in the playin tournament like I don’t even want to think about what he’s going to have to go through or put his body through for them to even try to make the playoffs and then make a run in the postseason

And so it’s unfair for me to come on here and say that I expect big things out of Brun at the age of 39 which he’s already been giving us big things but to continue to carry carry this team and by the way where the hell is Anthony Davis

At right now like this is the time for him to step up and show you know why he should be a top five player in the league LeBron has tried to give him the keys to the car he only went around the corner like take a road trip ask carry

The load be a guy that that is in the middle of his Prime and go out there and do what you do best last night another prime example of sabonis giving him that work and that’s been over the last eight or nine games sabonis has owned this

Matchup like at some point we got to we got to you know take in consideration real consideration I’m with you on this Wendy 39 years of age LeBron James he finished the game last night with 31 with 13 at five what more can he do and I’m very concerned for the uh Lebron

James and his health physically and mentally yeah I I I agree with both Perkin and Wy I mean we have to be concerned if you’re a Lakers fan you have to be concerned LeBron James in year 21 39 years old uh he’s been dealing with this ankle issue before

All-Star break uh for the past couple of weeks you just said he’s going to be missing back-to-back games possibly uh and this is a team that is hoping to try to make another historic run like they did last year they’re behind the eight ball uh you know they’re they’re scaling

Backwards they’re in the playing game they can’t guard anybody this doesn’t really mold well for the Lakers if you’re looking long term you ask yourself even if LeBron James is able to fight through these injuries and if the Lakers are able to put another run together how much will

He even have going through the playoffs we all know the playoffs is a whole different season in a different level in terms of physicality and you know that’s just something that when you talk about with LeBron James and his health at his age is it even fair to ask him to you

Know Propel this team again like he did last year and to perk’s point you know they need ad to be a superstar if they have any chance to make a run and hold it down and to get into the plan and get into the playoffs they need ad to be

That guy 100% you have to be concerned perk you mentioned the fact that LeBron had 31 13 and five that’s his 99th 30o 10 assist game which is a third most in NBA history uh Wendy I’m going to ask you this are the Lakers still a threat after that

Loss I mean if you give me a laser point or a spread in a whiteboard I could build you a case that they could do something I mean one of the things about the western conference is it’s going to be very matchup dependent because um the way things have played out teams who

Have size can kind of manhandle teams that don’t have size we saw that with the Lakers this week against the Thunder the Lakers are three and one against the Thunder if the Lakers can get into the playoffs which is going to be hard at this point but if they can get through a

Play in tournament and get in and they’re and they’re facing Oklahoma City yeah they got a shot for sure Oklahoma City’s not experienced they the Lakers can win on the road I mean yeah but at the end of the day we are now in mid you

Know early to mid-march here they are in 10th place this was a very important game for them last night because the kings are one of the teams that they’ve got to try to crawl over to get out of the 910 spot in the play in that that

910 spot you can’t look at the seventh spot in the 10 spot is everybody’s in the playin the difference between N9 and 10 and seven and eight is so big because not only do you got to win two games but the second game is going to be on

The road you’re going to have to go on the road in a single game elimination situation and win it and that’s just a big ask and so this game was an opportunity for the Lakers on their home court and they’ve been playing well to get to the Kings and the Kings just

Slapped him down as perk said the Kings have owned the Lakers over the last two years it’s really traced to the ad damat sabonis uh matchup sabonis has pretty much owned ad now ad is having a good year he had his 50th double double uh last night but sabonis has owned him and

So you’re asking me to to paint you a picture of the Lakers making a run well what happens if they have a playin situation where they have to go to Sacramento who I think is seven and one against them the last two years and sabonis is 9-0 in his career against ad

Am I going to sit here and tell you that I like their chances in that game I can’t and this is an example of why it’s just I can’t rule it out but it’s hard to build a real case for the Lakers to do what they did last year

You know when when people ask this question about you know are the Lakers a real threat all I hear is you know maybe I mean if if if was a fifth we’ll all be drunk and the answer to this question is hell no they’re not a threat in the

Western Conference they are not like we need to stop saying that not stop thinking that no one in no one in in the top tier or that that’s in the playoffs in the play playoff hunt in the playoff picture or the play in tournament is worried about the Los Angeles Lakers

They can’t guard a park car they’re struggling to find an identity on both sides of the floor consistently doin ham don’t know what lineups he want to throw out there on a night toight basis you know and and so they’re all over the place and when I think about you know

Teams like the the the Clippers the nuggets the Kings the Warriors right now the Warriors are better than the Lakers if they was to match up in the playin tournament I would actually take Steph Curry Jonathan kaminga and the Golden State Warriors the way that they’re

Playing right now so at the end of the day it’s going to come down this come down to this for the Lakers you’re going to finish up strong they’re going to be in the playin tournament they’re probably they’re Silling as a first round exit in my opinion the way that

They’re looking right now and then they got to look into the offseason and see what what you know Big Time started they could go in the track you know maybe trade for it like a trade Young young guard Donovan Mitchell I think the question here is a threat to what you

Know I mean is it is it a threat to to make the playoffs is it a threat to make the you know Conference Finals if we’re talking about the playoffs and yeah sure they could be a threat we saw this last year a lot of people counted the Lakers

Out and then LeBron James made that run I I’ve leared a lesson throughout my NBA career and just watching basketball you don’t ever count out LeBron James especially with a guy like Anthony Davis next to him obviously ad had a poor game last night but he actually has had a

Pretty solid season DLo has a late as well had a bad game last night but he has been turning it up and playing his best in basketball arguably of his career they have the the pieces there in terms of role play I mean look you look at this spreadsheet man they got guys

Scoring uh uh 23 31 29 so the issue right now for me is if we’re going to talk about the negative with the Lakers is they cannot guard the ball they have issues guarding the ball so we talk about them being a 10 seed and possibly

Playing uh an OKC first who was guarding Shay Alexander I saw dearen Fox last night cut up this team man 44 points they had no answer for him and I love Austin Reeves he’s a good offensive player but he’s not a guy that we look to as a defensive stopper I love Toran

Prince I love DLo these guys are Shooters guys who could space of floor but they’re not defensive Stoppers they don’t really have perimeter defense which is my issue so we’re asking LeBron James and Anthony Davis to overcome a lot especially with the injuries that LeBron is fighting through right now

It’s going to be tough for them I don’t see them making a run to the Conference Finals again so I don’t know if it’s that level of a threat but are they a threat to where they could play one of these younger teams and cause problems maybe sure but they have some issues

That they got to address they got to find a consistent lineup that they believe in that they can build some type of continuity in which is going to be tough with 18 games left and they got to find a way to keep the ball in front so so Austin are you are you

Telling us and telling America that you officially losing faith in the Los Angeles Lakers or have lost faith because about two or three weeks ago two or three weeks ago or NBA today now you was going back and forth with me about this same situation top about the Lakers being threat you

Telling me you jumping it’s okay now because we all the ankle the ankle issue the ankle issue is is is alarming I mean he’s he’s leaving games and now we’re questioning whether he’s going to be able to play back toback games I mean that’s that’s a big deal so I mean that

That changes and Alters some things perk but I’m glad you taking notes on my on my T got the receipts I’m I’m going start taking some receipts with you perk I mean that’s what we doing you know cuz you got some takes too brother no I’m just saying I’m just saying I do

You know what I’m saying and I hold myself accountable but damn it I got to hold you accountable too I just Ask

On First Take, Kendrick Perkins, Austin Rivers and Brian Windhorst join Christine Williamson to react to the breaking news that Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a meniscus injury, discuss their concerns over LeBron James’ left ankle and if the Los Angeles Lakers are still a threat in the Western Conference.

0:00 Karl-Anthony Towns suffers meniscus injury
5:00 Reaction to LeBron James’ left ankle injury
9:00 Are the Lakers still a threat?

#espn #nba #lakers #lebron #karlanthonytowns #timberwolves

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