The chill that went down Frank Vogel’s back before Tuesday’s game against the Timberwolves had nothing to do with Anthony Davis being sidelined and everything to do with the Lakers coach sitting so close to the loading dock on a frigid Minneapolis night.
Any worries about Davis had been mostly erased with the worst-case scenario, a ruptured Achilles tendon, being ruled out, leaving Vogel and the Lakers not with a problem but with an opportunity.
Barring some miraculous recovery, for at least the next three weeks, the Lakers will have to figure things out minus Davis, a chore that could pay long-term dividends beyond a healthier and rested forward returning to the lineup for the second half of the season.