CHICAGO - After losing Anthony Davis to a calf strain, the LA Lakers looked like a wealthy family that had lost a chunk of its assets but are still well-off enough to keep a nice house, wear fine clothes and have steaks for dinner.
Losing LeBron James paints a more acute, hairy scenario.
They now appear totally out on their luck.
Decrepit. Homeless. Penniless.
On the first night without their twin towers, the Lakers' glitzy purple-and-gold aura was covered by the black and blue bruises it sustained from the beating they took while on a road trip to the Arizona desert.
The janitor's closet must be locked because the Suns used the Lakers to mop the floor. Phoenix 111. L.A. 94.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma, who each received $40 million in contract extensions late last year, appeared spectacularly overpaid and flunked their first test to shine while left to their own devices.
They combined for just 20 points on 7-of-23 shooting from the field and 3-of-12 from 3.
Management must be thinking: Refunds?
Without James and Davis, the Lakers got outrebounded 58-51 and managed just 46 points in the paint against the Suns' 52. They also lost the assists battle, 30-20, and trailed by as many as 18 in a wire-to-wire defeat.
Montrezl Harrell pulled down 10 boards and infused the offense with 23 points. But if he's going to be their go-to-guy moving forward, Lord have mercy,
Minus LeBron and A.D., the Lakers are missing out on a combined 47.9 points, 16.3 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.4 blocks per game.
But the real pain comes from the loss of leadership, guidance and peace of mind.
Absence really makes the heart grow fonder. It also makes us appreciate LeBron more. His greatness was such that it can exhume dying careers and turn it into champs last season.
Just ask Dwight Howard and Jared Dudley.
WITHOUT LEBRON, LAKER NATION WAVES ITS MEEK FLAG AT HALF STAFF.
And as the losses start to pile up in the coming days, the defending NBA champions will soon find out what happens when they're dancing without the stars.
So close your eyes, boys and girls, things are going to get ugly pretty quick.
Exactly how dire is the situation?
Bad enough for both the faithful and fair-weather fans such as myself to continue to monitor our spiking blood pressure. And here's why.
Although the Lakers sport a 28-15 win-loss record and are ranked No.3 in the Western Conference, they are merely four games away from falling down all the way to a seventh seed.
What that means is they won't secure an outright playoffs berth and will instead take part in a play-in tournament where five teams battle for two postseason spots if that happens.
If getting disemboweled by the Suns was scary, the real horror begins on April 3 when the Lakers embark on a seven-game road trip which includes a tussle with inter-city rivals and a visit to Miami, Brooklyn, New York and Charlotte.
With LeBron still on the top of his game at age 36 and A.D. getting even better all-around, I clung to the Lakers' bandwagon this season.
I'm keeping the faith that good medicine plus a dollop of good fortune will nurse them back to health. Hopefully, long before the tires fall off.
But I still have to wonder.
Will the Clippers take me back?
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