There was some hope that the Lakers might get a little addition by subtraction Wednesday night in Denver, as the struggling Russell Westbrook was in street clothes thanks to a hamstring injury. Without Russ, the theory went, things would run more smoothly. The offense would improve. The Lakers might, you know, win.

Nope.

They looked essentially the same, and that's not a good thing. Still outrebounded, still outshot, still unable to mount anything resembling a credible NBA offense. LA's problems on that end run deep. Without Westbrook in the lineup, the shortcomings of Kendrick Nunn, off to a brutal start, were more apparent. Patrick Beverley has offered virtually nothing offensively, even relative to expectations. Lonnie Walker IV has put up points, but is shooting 17% from 3-point range on high volume.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is showing real signs of injury. The back that bugged him through the preseason flared up again Wednesday, and while AD, to his credit, didn't leave the game, his performance was diminished in the second half. This, as they say, is not an encouraging development.

Until the Lakers can figure out how to put the ball in the bucket, they'll be wasting what to this point has been a genuinely effective defensive output, and threaten to bury themselves in the West before things really have a chance to start. Eventually it should happen, but how much ground will they need to make up? And in what condition will Davis be at that point?

Finally, reports from across the NBA say that if Westbrook plays on Friday in Minnesota, he'll come off the bench. That's the move, right?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose in Denver, looking almost exactly as they did without Westbrook as they did in the three games where he played. Not great, Bob!

SEGMENT 2: How bad is L.A.'s offense, and why?

SEGMENT 3: AD is hurt, the team is struggling, and reportedly the Lakers are ready to pull the Band-Aid off moving Westbrook to the bench.

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