When Anthony Davis is rolling he is as good as any big man in the league — and he was rolling Monday night in Charlotte. Going against what's left of the Hornets' big man core, Davis was getting to the rim at will,

By not giving him what he wants, the Lakers risk alienating Davis and thus jeopardizing their future stability.

Davis hasn't just given the front office a directionless mandate to improve the team — he has ideas on how it should be done, namely that the Lakers trade for a center so that he can slide to the 4, which he has long stated is his preferred position. Rob Pelinka, I hope you're listening.

The Lakers currently hold the 5th seed in the West. Defensive specialist Jared Vanderbilt is back in the lineup, while the team has also received help on both ends of the floor and undeniable energy from Dorian Finney-Smith, who they acquired in a recent deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Davis outscores and outrebounds Charlotte by himself in the first quarter on his way to a dominant night (42 points, 23 rebounds), but things tighten up late before the Lakers secure their sixth

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Mond