Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are expected to be good this season... but not good in a way people need to pay much attention to, according to the pundits and assorted tastemakers.
So in some ways, the fact that they're a brand new group that will, like all new groups, need time to gel is actually kind of beneficial. When you're not expected to come out hot, it's ok if you don't. Gives the team a little time to build things up. Underpromise and overdeliver. And one of the things that might help the Lakers prove some doubters wrong? Chemistry. It's hard to quantify, but for a team that needs to find every avenue to maxing out its talent, chemistry is a potential helpful tool. How quickly can the Lakers look like a group that has played some ball together?
That's one way the Slovenia trip can make a difference. It obviously won't put the Lakers on the same level continuity wise as some of their competitors, but it can get the a little further ahead than they otherwise might have been. Maybe the good vibes help the team pull things together a few weeks faster than they otherwise might. And it'll help them mesh faster with Luka's leadership, which makes a difference. Slovenia was a chance for them to learn about the guy who will be leading them this season, which is critical.
And finally, which newcomers have the potential to make the most impact this year? Former Lakers champ Danny Green has thoughts.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: A leadership boost for Luka?

SEGMENT 2: Why chemistry can matter.

SEGMENT 3: Difference makers?

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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There were people, very likely including Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who didn't think Adam Silver had the stones to do it. Those people were wrong.
The NBA on Wednesday dropped the hammer on the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer, stripping five first round picks from the team, fining Ballmer $30 million and suspending him for a year, and handing down other suspensions to team executives. Uncle Dennis (i.e. Dennis Robertson) was banned for five years from NBA activity.
Only Kawhi Leonard got off basically unpunished by the league (a $750K fine, but in the grand scheme of things that doesn't amount to much given how severe the punishement could have been). And that is by design. Because by letting Kawhi walk with a slap on the wrist, the NBA avoids any sort of arbitration process that could hold up NBA business. And if the goal is to punish the behavior and prevent it in the future, the best way to do it is to punish the teams, not the players.
So what now? Where do the Clips, and the league, go from here?
And how could this have been the Lakers, had they chosen a different path?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The NBA drops the hammer.

SEGMENT 2: Why was the punishment so severe (for Ballmer, not Kawhi).

SEGMENT 3: Good on the Lakers for not being the team at the wrong end of this.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Four spots in the starting lineup for the Lakers seem pretty settled. Obvously starting with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, and from there Quentin Grimes seems like a pretty safe bet.

But what about that fifth guy?

The hole comes at forward, but because Luka performs as a point guard offensively but absolutely doesn't on the other end, so what the Lakers really need is someone who can defend a few positions, allowing them to lighten Luka's load on that side as much as possible. Could that be Adou Thiero? Or is he too raw after playing so little as a rookie? How about Jake LaRavia? Underwhelming as an option, no question, but also perhaps the easiest answer if the goal is to have a starter-in-name-only type setup. What about Mamu? The Lakers invested a lot of money in him. And while he was a later add and is only on a minimum deal, Ziaire Williams makes a lot of sense, too.

So much depends on what JJ Redick and the coaching staff decide they want to do schematically, especially on defense.

We break down the options.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



SEGMENT 1: The Lakers need a fifth starter.



SEGMENT 2: Who makes the most sense?



SEGMENT 3: Is Ziaire Williams worth an extended look?



Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images



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It'll be a while before we know if the new ownership group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger will be a net positive or a net negative for the Lakers. We don't know how they'll spend money, or what they'll prioritize.

But what we did know was that ownership upheaval had a chance to completely undermine a buildout of the basketball operations department that was already going a lot slower than Lakers fans had hoped for when the Buss family sold to Mark Walter a year and a half ago. Dan Woike at The Athletic made it clear in a report on Monday that the Lakers, who have already been turned down for a couple front office positions by potential hires, have essentially gone into a hiring freeze.

There's just not any action, whether higher up in the department, or in things like scouting.

So what does that mean?

Well, it's not good. But there is one silver lining — there's only so much the Lakers can do over the next few months, anyway. So if there was ever a time to be hamstrung, this might be it. But the longer this goes on, the more problematic it gets. So what kind of timeline are we looking at?



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers front office is at a standstill.



SEGMENT 2: What does this mean for LA going forward?



SEGMENT 3: How long will all of this take?



Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images



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The Lakers lost out on Jonathan Kuminga last week (or dodged a bullet, depending on your POV) when the free agent forward went to Minnesota. But that doesn't mean they've stopped trying to fill out the roster. Jake Fischer, in his reporting for Bleacher Report, links LA to veteran guard/forward Bruce Brown, who was in Denver last year.

Would he be a good fit with the Lakers next year? Just as critically, if he's not a great fit, would he be a better fit than anyone else they could find? And just as critically (again) would he be more valuable than the second player they'd have to jettison from the roster to make room for him? Keeping in mind that they already need to free up a spot as it is.

And it will have to come by either trade or release, because the waive'n'stretch deadline came and went this weekend without the Lakers making a move.

And then, who are the Lakers going to let go? The most obvious candidates are Bronny James, Jaden Hardy and Dalton Knecht. Jarred Vanderbilt may not a favorite of JJ Redick, but he would be a lot of money to eat, is an important salary ballast in a potential trade, and -- this matters -- is one of the only power forwards on the roster.

So who is first to go? Who would be next, if the Lakers need to cut two players, not just one?



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers reportedly have interest in Bruce Brown.



SEGMENT 2: Would Brown be a good fit?



SEGMENT 3: Who should the Lakers let go when the time comes?



Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images



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