"This Team Will Be In Cancun Before Luka Gets Back": Jim Rome Brutally Takes Down Lakers' Playoff Chances

News of Luka Dončić returning to Spain hit social media this week, but fans knew fully well that it wasn’t for some sentimental reunion with his old Real Madrid team. The reality is, Dončić is seeking medical attention to speed up his recovery from a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

While this was viewed by some as a laudable move to improve Dončić’s chances of competing in the playoffs, one commentator apparently doesn’t think much of the Slovenian star’s sojourn in Spain. As a matter of fact, Jim Rome views it as a complete waste of time and money.

“No need to send Luka to Europe for his hammie,” Rome said on his radio show this week. “The whole team is going to be in Cancun before you know it!”

While Rome’s witty insult could come across as mean-spirited, he insisted that the scramble to get Dončić in time for the playoffs (which begin next Saturday) was impractical, given the injury's severity. “If he can’t get the help that he needs here [in the U.S.], and he has to go to some undisclosed location to get it, that’s actually probably a freaking terrible sign,” the veteran radio host added.

Of course, it’s in the best interest of the Lakers to facilitate the recovery of their star player. However, the typical recovery time for Grade 2 hamstring injuries is four to eight weeks. To Rome’s point, if the Lakers are sent packing by their first-round opponent in just four or five games, the rush to get Dončić to 100% (or somewhere close to it) would be in vain.

At the moment, the Lakers (50-29) hold the no. 4 spot as they won the season series with the Houston Rockets, who have an identical record. The Denver Nuggets (51-28), meanwhile, recently overtook them to get to no. 3. Depending on the outcomes of these teams’ last three regular season games, the Lakers can finish anywhere between third and fifth in the Western Conference standings.

Winning a seven-game series against either the Rockets or no. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (their playoff tormentors last year) would be a tall task for the Lakers, who have neither Dončić nor Austin Reaves in their lineup for the next few weeks. In the end, Rome may be vindicated with his proclamation that Dončić’s trip to Spain isn’t quite worth it.