- The NBA is heading into its stretch run with the NBA All-Star Weekend now over.
- Several topics, from conversations with those in the league to media day questions and player answers, kept coming up.
- A few of the big storylines include the tight MVP race, the Anthony Davis trade saga, the top-heavy Eastern Conference, Lakers intrigue, and Warriors pessimism.
- Follow all of Business Insider's 2019 NBA All-Star coverage here >
With the NBA All-Star Weekend in the rearview, the NBA regular season will begin its stretch run.
While in Charlotte, North Carolina, for All-Star, we tried to gauge what interested people, from conversations with those in the league, what was asked at media sessions, what got players talking, and what made the rounds on talk shows.
A few themes and storylines emerged. The Anthony Davis trade saga is not going away. People are anxious to see if the Lakers can make a playoff push, and who will come out on top of the East. The MVP race is a true race. And, of course, the NBA world is pessimistic about the league's chances of upsetting the Warriors.
Check out what other topics were popular below:
The Anthony Davis trade saga continues.
No one topic was bigger in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break and over All-Star Weekend itself.
Despite Davis not being traded at the deadline, the drama has continued, with an awkward dynamic over whether the New Orleans Pelicans should be forced to play the 25-year-old big man, who will almost surely be gone this summer.
It didn't help matters that the team fired GM Dell Demps on Friday, the first day of All-Star activities. Throughout the weekend, players, from Davis himself to other All-Stars, were asked if Davis was in the right to request a trade.
Davis can't be traded until the offseason now. There will be two huge factors to watch going forward: who gets the No. 1 pick in the draft, and thus, an excellent trade chip for Davis, and how the Boston Celtics fair in the playoffs. What, exactly, would the Celtics part with to land Davis, who could also be key to re-signing Kyrie Irving?
One league source told Business Insider that, even with trade talks dead for now, the topic is still dominant in league circles, and that it could even hold up other major transactions until it's resolved.
LeBron James and the Lakers' playoff push.
This goes hand-in-hand with the Davis topic.
The Lakers obviously pushed to land Davis and were unsuccessful. The trade talk seemed to create a genuine distraction for the team, one that was already struggling with James returning from month-long injury absence.
Now, at 28-29, there are no major reinforcements coming. James will have to rally the troops, summon an MVP-like effort, and try to get back into the playoff mix.
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma noted at his All-Star media availability that the Lakers have rarely had their full squad healthy, and thus, the record isn't a proper indication of their talent.
After Sunday's All-Star Game, James told reporters that his sole focus will be carrying the Lakers into the postseason.
On Thursday, from TNT's media session, Shaquille O'Neal told reporters that James will have a one-year "grace" period with the Lakers.
If James and co. miss the playoffs this year, pressure will mount to get James help and to turn things around quickly.
The race for the top of the Eastern Conference.
Three of the Eastern Conference's top four teams made big moves at the trade deadline to beef up their squads. The Boston Celtics remain perhaps the most well-rounded team if they can jell on time for the postseason.
A case could be made for each of the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Celtics as the best team in the conference. Just as you land on one, a convincing case is made for another team.
Several players were asked about who they think could win the conference, and answers varied.
The Bucks, currently, the No. 1 team in the NBA, aren't looking over their shoulders, however. GM Jon Horst told Business Insider that they are "really good" and feel they can compete for a championship.
Each team has several big-name free agents — the Bucks with Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Brook Lopez; the Raptors with Kawhi Leonard; the Celtics with Kyrie Irving; the 76ers with Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. Only two of those four teams will make the Eastern Conference Finals, rendering the season a disappointment for two other teams. That could have a huge impact on free agency. This is a race that truly matters.
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