The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the season with the highest expectations they’ve had in what feels like a decade — but is actually only like five years — thanks to the arrival of LeBron James in free agency, but they also still aren’t quite considered true title contenders because of the existence of the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors’ presence looms over the entire NBA, with the seemingly unstoppable superteam’s reign not looking set to come to an end any time soon.
That reality seemed to hang over a recent comment from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who wasn’t asked about the Warriors expressly, but it’s hard not to believe she might have made a more confident prediction about her team if Golden State didn’t exist.