Lakers News: Frank Vogel, Staff Scouting Playoff Opponents During NBA Hiatus

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that members of his staff have been tasked with studying "potential playoff opponents, as if the regular season is over."

Vogel did not offer an opinion on how the NBA should handle the rest of the season, as the league has been on hiatus since March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first-year coach commented on how COVID-19 has directly affected the Lakers:

The Lakers announced Tuesday all players are symptom-free after a 14-day isolation. Two unnamed L.A. players had tested positive, the team announced earlier in March, but both were asymptomatic.

The 49-14 Lakers were one of four teams league-wide and the only Western Conference squad to clinch a postseason berth before the hiatus began. The others are the 53-12 Milwaukee Bucks, 46-18 Toronto Raptors and 43-21 Boston Celtics.

Lakers All-Star LeBron James spoke on the Road Trippin' podcast about the NBA hiatus and what he would prefer the NBA to do (h/t Sports Illustrated's Melissa Rohlin):

"One thing you can't just do is go straight to the playoffs. Because it discredits the 60-plus games that guys had fighting for that position.

"I think maybe one and a half, two weeks of a little mini training camp, and then maybe five to 10 games to get ready for the playoffs. If we're talking about just finishing the regular season, then you don't need that much. You could do a week of training camp and then get back into it."

The New York Post's Marc Berman reported NBA executives are "very determined" to crown a champion and are exploring several options to salvage the rest of this season.