When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers, the state of the union isn't strong.

Should you have been unaccountably myopic and mentally moribund, causing you to drift to the New England Patriots Super Bowl celebrations, you may not know that the Los Angeles Lakers have been torn asunder of late.

Strong rumors have it that the Lakers are prepared to trade anyone and everyone not named LeBron James to the New Orleans Pelicans in order to secure the haughty services of Anthony Davis.

Imagine, please, being one of the players whom the Lakers were prepared to trade.

Every day, you're reading about your alleged inclusion in the trade.

Every day, you're supposed to play on a team that includes the superstar who, so rumors have it, is orchestrating your trade away from the glamour of Los Angeles to the relative basketball backwater of New Orleans.

You might think that James, like a fine, manipulative, self-regarding corporate citizen, would try and at least pretend he was a good team player.

And then, on Tuesday, the Lakers went out and gave an abject performance on the road in Indianapolis.