Locked on Lakers

Phil Jackson was up to his usual mischief again, this time mentioning how long he thought about trading Kobe Bryant for Grant Hill. Because it's basically still August (it's actually September), Anthony and Harrison react to the Phil's thought process. Then, they try to think of potential hypothetical targets if the #Lakers had actually traded #Kobe. Silver Screen & Roll finished its 'Lakers Rank' series, so the guys debate who topped the list.

The Los Angeles Lakers are fairly guard heavy as the regular season inches closer by the day. The team currently has D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, Jose Calderon, and Marcelo Huertas in the backcourt, which is a lot of guys to split minutes between. In that group, there is only one logical candidate to be moved. Clarkson and Russell are not going anywhere, Huertas wouldn’t seem to have much trade value, and the Lakers just got two second round picks for taking on Calderon. Williams, however, has a reasonable contract and would seem to be a better fit giving some contender scoring off of the bench rather than plying his trade for the lottery bound Lakers. Those factors have made the always efficient former Sixth Man of the Year a popular theoretical trade candidate among Lakers fans, but host Anthony Irwin doesn’t think the Lakers should necessarily be looking to move Lou just yet. He talked about why, as well as answering listener questions about Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance, Jr., Julius Randle, and much more in the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Most of the buzz around the NBA during recent weeks in August has centered on NBA 2K’s various ratings for players, and several more leaked on Tuesday. Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers already knew how D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Jr. rated, but the Tuesday leak revealed the ratings of wings Luol Deng and Brandon Ingram as well. That reveal, combined with Ingram’s fellow rookies voting him as the most likely to have the best career got us thinking: how much will Ingram be ready to contribute right away? To discuss this, host Harrison Faigen spoke with Gary Kester of Silver Screen and Roll and Lakers Outsiders, and they gave their thoughts on how much Ingram can bring to the team this year. Additionally, the two discussed Clarkson’s improvements, players they think the Lakers should or shouldn’t bring to training camp, and Ivica Zubac’s enjoyable Twitter presence.

The Los Angeles Lakers (reportedly) have 16 players on a roster they’ll have to trim down to at most 15 before the start of the season, meaning the team is highly unlikely to make any further veteran additions in free agency. Jason Terry also agreed to terms with the Milawaukee Bucks earlier this month, which made it all the more bizarre when he went on the radio and talked about how Luke Walton and the Los Angeles Lakers shot down his request to join them in free agency this week. Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin tried (and failed) to keep straight faces while talking about the most random news of August on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Later, the two broke down their thoughts on the #LakersRank series at this site, as well as which of the young Lakers would be most fun to play with in 2K, which led to possibly the hottest "Harrison's Hot Takes" segment yet.

Harrison was out today, but Anthony catches up with Time Warner Cable Sports' Daniel Buerge to talk about the Lakers' bright future. Why does D'Angelo Russell seem to resonate with the fanbase and might it be connected to the criticism he seems to attract? How does this young group compare to prior eras and what does it say about the fan base that the rebuild has been bought into as it has? Then, the conversation made its way to his time as Editor-in-Chief of LakersNation. The site has an interesting history the guys go through, and speculate on the future of online content based on what's succeeded through the years. What might be next? Finally, to wrap the show, Daniel takes us through his hopes and expectations for this young team. He and Anthony are on the same page.

The Los Angeles Lakers recently hired several former Los Angeles D-Fenders staffers to join the parent team. Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin wanted to talk about the additions, and were fortunate enough to be joined by D-Fenders guard Andre Ingram on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. The three discussed the atmosphere with the D-Fenders under Casey Owens last season, Ingram’s most memorable Luke Walton story, how much benefit he sees from the D-Fenders’ side of the team’s one-to-one affiliation with the Lakers, and how the D-League has changed during Ingram’s eight years in the league. Later, Ingram discussed his preparation process, what it’s like raising a family while continuing to pursue his NBA dream, and much more.

Anthony is excited not just about the #Lakers' coaching staff, but what it says about the direction the entire organization might be going in based on the crew they put together. He and Harrison discuss that and make an exciting announcement about the entire Locked On network and our show specifically. That, plus, they briefly cover the latest addition to the Lakers' training camp: Zach Auguste.

We may have no idea how much his contract is going to be worth, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ signing Yi Jianlian appears to be all but an inevitability at this point. The former sixth overall pick was the third-leading scorer at the Olympics, but it remains to be seen how he’ll fare in his return to the United States. Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin try to make sense of the Jianlian signing, as well as debating whether or not his highly incentive-based contract could be a problem in the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Later, the two discussed what Jianlian’s signing means for Tarik Black, and whether or not they agree with the results of Silver Screen and Roll’s #LakersRank so far.

The Los Angeles Lakers made some puzzling news on Tuesday night when Marc Stein reported the team was attempting to bring Yi Jianlian to the NBA, presumably to play for their team. This news unfortunately broke right after hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin has finished recording the latest episode of Locked on Lakers, but they came back and tried to figure out what the team might be thinking with this potential move, and if they think Yi will make his triumphant NBA return in purple and gold. Before they get there, the two discussed whether they thought Nick Young would remain on the Lakers’ roster after his attempt to mend fences with D’Angelo Russell, as well as what they thought of Kobe Bryant’s comments about Luke Walton, championship basketball, and the team’s young core.

Ivica Zubac was awesome for the #Lakers during Las Vegas Summer League. The 19-year old center ranked second in blocked shots at 2.6 per game and looked much less raw than most expected. Zubac’s high-level of production has many Lakers fans just as high on him moving forward, but could he really step in right now if Timofey Mozgov’s injuries pile up? Hosts Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen discussed how ready they think Zubac is on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Then, since Mozgov’s injury is really the only Lakers news of note, the two got into their thoughts on Team USA’s play at the Olympics so far.

The #NBA schedule was released Thursday afternoon and while Anthony isn't particularly thrilled to dive all too deeply into the breakdowns, Harrison entices him with some pretty great categories of games we should look forward to. Which game are the #Lakers guaranteed to win? Which game will almost definitely make fans cry? Which game might the Lakers win and convince the opposing team to fire their coach? We ask the important questions around here. Also, Robert Sacre received a training camp invite with the New Orleans Pelicans, so the guys wish him well and look back on his time in Los Angeles.

When Russell Westbrook agreed to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, many painted it as yet another loss for the Los Angeles Lakers in a year full of them. Supposedly, the Lakers had missed out on another major target. But could Westbrook’s new deal actually be a good thing for Los Angeles? Host Anthony Irwin is back from his vacation, and re-joins co-host Harrison Faigen to discuss their thoughts on why this turn of events may ultimately benefit the Lakers, and how trading for him this year may have been a shortsighted decision from the front office in the first place.

ESPN made some headlines (as is usually the goal with arbitrary rankings) by projecting the Los Angeles Lakers to finish with the third-worst record in the NBA, and worst overall in the Western Conference. Many fans disagreed, and so did a few Lakers, according to Larry Nance, Jr. Could the Lakers really be better than people think? Host Harrison Faigen is joined by Gary Kester of Lakers Outsiders to discuss their thoughts on where the Lakers will end up in the standings, and whether or not they are being overlooked.

Anthony and Harrison decided to take a walk down memory lane in the latest episode of Locked on Lakers, discussing their enduring memories of Kobe Bryant’s time at the Olympics, the impact he had on the roster, and how much of the team’s recent success is due to his influence. Later in the show, they also debated whether or not they would have liked to see Bryant head down to Rio as his basketball finale, or if they think the way he ended things in a Lakers jersey was better.

D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram may have practiced against Team USA as part of the select team, but there are no members of the Los Angeles Lakers on the team that will represent the United States in Rio. But could any #FutureLakers be on the roster? Anthony and Harrison debate. Plus, the latest edition of #HarrisonsHotTakes