Locked on Lakers

Whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers should try to make a major splash this offseason is one of the biggest debates surrounding the team right now. Should the Lakers trade for Paul George, or should they wait and hope to recruit him in free agency the following summer? Until Thursday, the team’s thoughts on the matter could mostly only be gleaned from anonymously sourced reports, but now Lakers president Magic Johnson has weighed in, saying he wants to keep cap space for the summer of 2018 (when George just so happens to be a free agent). Co-hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin gave their thoughts on this latest development, as well as the most recent comments from LaVar Ball, on the newest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers have had an active start to their offseason, expanding their analytics staff as well as overhauling the rest of their scouting department, and co-hosts Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen argued that they might be the most important additions the team makes this offseason on the latest Locked on Lakers. After that, Harrison spoke with Isaac Gabai, better known as the guy who (maybe) got crossed up by Jordan Clarkson in a video that went viral Monday. The two talked about what it was like to go viral, his family’s reaction and why he thinks the video wasn’t as bad as it looked. Finally, Harrison let Anthony back onto the show to discuss the latest report about who the Lakers want to draft and whether it changes the calculus over their oft-rumored intent to pursue Paul George in a trade this summer.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a busy offseason ahead of them. That much is obvious, but what’s less clear is just how they should go about it attacking it. What types of players should they target in free agency or in trades? Who should they draft if they keep their top-three protected lottery pick? To discuss all that and more, host Harrison Faigen kicked Anthony Irwin off the show and brought on Bryant Freese of Silver Screen and Roll. Their chat also included a plan for how Magic Johnson could get a second statue in front of Staples Center and a Lonzo Ball/LaVar Ball/Markelle Fultz conspiracy theory.

On a day where Lonzo Ball released a $500 basketball shoe, you just knew the show was going to be kind of a weird one. First, as front offices changes continue to roll in, Harrison and I expanded on the conversation we started last show. It’s pretty clear at this point that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka want their people holding the jobs previously filled by Jim Buss or Mitch Kupchak hires. Then, after the break, we answer a couple questions from you, the listeners. Seeing as you can’t hear much about Lakers trade rumors without at some point seeing Paul George’s name come up, it is pretty fair to wonder how it would work if the Lakers are able to acquire him without giving up Brandon Ingram. In short, you just kind of have to make it work when you can get a talent of George’s level. The second question asked pertained to Chris Paul, who neither Harrison nor I believe is going anywhere, but we did expand on the topic to discuss how the Lakers should handle free agency this year. We’re sure both topics will come up again sooner rather than later.

Jimmy Butler wanted so badly to move on from the past that he removed the rearview mirrors from his car. Now, that might be a little far (and probably illegal if not at the very least thoroughly unsafe), but the Los Angeles Lakers and those who follow them could learn something from the attempt. The analysis surrounding the young Lakers always seems to harken back to the days of, well, a couple years ago, when Kobe Bryant was leading the Lakers to some of the worst seasons in franchise history greatness. “Look at the roster,” they’ll say. “The Lakers don’t think they have their next Kobe Bryant.” Well, no. And that’s perfectly fine. So, with this as background, Harrison and I discuss how it’s time to let Kobe live his life post-basketball and let the kids pursue their dreams in the NBA without Kobe’s shadow looming over every missed jumper. You know, because he never did such a thing or absolutely didn’t do so at the greatest pace the NBA has ever seen. At the top of the show, we also discuss Tim DiFrancesco’s resignation, and what might be behind that. It was purely speculative, but there are some interesting theories at work there.

The first round of the NBA Playoffs are officially a thing of the past. The Los Angeles Clippers end their season with exactly as many playoff series wins as the Los Angeles Lakers. Had Paul George forced his way to the Lakers at the trade deadline, turns out he would’ve won exactly as many playoff games as he did this year. This might have something to do with the most recent (and oddly familiar) rumor, regarding his interest on returning to Southern California. Harrison is back for this week of shows and, after taking us through the amazingness that was his “vacation,” we talk about how seriously we should be taking these continued reports. Then, seeing as the Lakers aren’t playing any basketball of their own, we tried to figure out what this first round means for the Lakers. A few teams are at a crossroads, so can (or will) Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka take advantage?

With the first round of the NBA Playoffs basically behind us, what better time to utilize that context to try to compare where the Los Angeles Lakers currently stand with those whose seasons ran at least a couple weeks longer. To do just that, I brought on Darius Soriano of Forum Blue & Gold and the Laker Film Room Podcast. Seeing as this was the first time in quite some time we’d spoken and there was so much to catch up on, we figured we’d give just a little more content for everyone to enjoy as we head into the weekend. We start by looking back on the season that was and, specifically, what we saw from the kids. There was a lot to like, while also conceding how much better they could have been and will hopefully become. From there, we examine what the ideal offseason might look like. Darius went about defining that in an interesting way that most have probably not considered. Finally, the show comes full circle as we look at how close the Lakers are from contending with the teams that legitimately made noise in this first round.

The Harrison-less streak continues with yet another great guest as Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, OC Register, and, well anywhere you can find Los Angeles Lakers content joins the show. We actually start the show pointing out how ridiculous it is that I’d for a second think people would know who I might be but not recognize Mark. Long story short, there are no such people. The actual Lakers conversation starts with a look back at the season. Most who have come on the show have said that their expectations for this team were met, but when others zig, Mark zags — but for good reason. We also talk about an immensely interesting offseason, Mitch Kupchak’s surprising dismissal, Rubik’s cubes and plenty more.

A topic of concern among the Los Angeles Lakers fan base is whether the front office will trade for (insert superstar X). More often than not, that superstar in question is Paul George and, given yet another early playoff disappointment, the chances seem pretty high something like this come true. This isn’t without risk, though. As they currently stand, the gap between the Lakers’ floor and ceiling is terrifyingly huge. If they make a trade for a star, they risk giving up the wrong piece, who could have more potentially than whoever they acquire. If they pass on trading one of the kids for George, and those prospects don’t live up to their potential, then they look pretty stupid for missing on that opportunity. To talk us through these scenarios and look at the overall direction of the organization, Matt Moore of CBS Sports hopped on the pod. He provided a larger-scale view of how the franchise is looked at across the league, which is certainly interesting. He also gave his thoughts on the young core and the new front office. Enjoy this one if, for no other reason than that Harrison missed the show.

Media exit interviews continue on Locked on Lakers, this time with ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet’s John Ireland, who joined for what is now his third show. Before he joined, we intro’d the show by covering some of the day’s topics, starting with Magic Johnson being so adamant about the Lakers’ conditioning. It also turns out I don’t know nearly enough about my wife’s education. Then, we’d be remiss not to mention the vitriol resulting from a column I wrote about the Lakers and Carmelo Anthony. Harrison gives his take on the potential trade as well. After the break, John joins to talk about how he feels about the season looking back, how surprised he was at Mitch Kupchak’s departure and how he thinks the off-season will shake out. He’s of the mind that this will be a very busy summer for the Lakers, and gives his thinking on why. To finish the show, John tells an absolutely incredible Mychal Thompson and Chick Hearn story. You won’t want to miss that.

First, Anthony and Harrison summarize D’Angelo Russell’s exit interview and a theme that ran consistently throughout the bulk of those pressers. Then, after a fun live read, Anthony is joined by Jared Dubin of Locked on Knicks to negotiate a Carmelo Anthony trade to the Lakers.

Chris McGee of Spectrum SportsNet joined to talk about this past season, look ahead to what he’d like to see this summer, detail what kind of deals the Los Angeles Lakers should be looking to make and give his best James Worthy story. And that was just half the podcast. We return from vacation in a big way this Monday afternoon, as the Lakers refuse to be boring. First, Mark Medina reported the front office doesn’t see any of the Lakers as untouchable so Harrison and I reacted to that, which spilled past the break and into the second segment. I wore a tinfoil hat and talked myself into Carmelo Anthony being a Laker as soon as this summer.

Exit interviews officially signaled the end of the Los Angeles Lakers season Thursday afternoon. Much of what is to be expected to be said made it’s way into the various microphones, but there was still plenty to talk about. Rob Pelinka’s time on the mic was always going to be an adventure, and it live up to that expectation. He didn’t mention Michelangelo this time, but he did say something about the current the Lakers are on and how it will help them recruit star players. We debate whether it’s was fair to go there quite yet, but for very different reasons. Then, we covered the effusive praise for both Luke Walton and Brandon Ingram and, conversely, the relative absence of kind words for D’Angelo Russell. Finally, Timofey Mozgov and Ivica Zubac semi-intentionally threw a couple jabs at each other regarding their playing time. Fun stuff.

The 2016-’17 Los Angeles Lakers season is over. It’s finally over. It ended on a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors that left very little to actually talk about afterward, but we certainly tried to find something. First, I took to Facebook to answer as many questions as I could. We spoke about the lottery implications of how this season turned out. The Lakers will go to the lottery with a slightly higher probability of losing their pick than keeping it, which won’t be good for the ol’ stress levels in just over a month. Then, the questions turned to the players currently on the roster. The Lakers have quite a few guys who’ve shown flashes, but they do have to ask themselves who can extend those flashes into legitimate NBA talent. The second half of the show, Harrison and I had a little bit of fun and held our own exit interviews. Thanks for tuning in all season! Onward and upward!

The Los Angeles Lakers entered Tuesday night with an excruciatingly tenuous hold on the chance of maybe tying the Phoenix Suns for the NBA’s second-worst record. Both teams’ games started at the same time. Those chances went out the window rather quickly. An hour and some change later, no one cared. Not even a little bit. Metta World Peace played what will probably (read: hopefully) be his last game at Staples Center in a Laker (read: NBA) uniform. This isn’t meant negatively, more that it’s hard to think of any more incredible scenario than we saw last night. I would’ve been remiss to not bring up the implications of last night’s outcomes. The Lakers are now firmly positioned in the third spot of the lottery with a 46.9 percent chance of keeping their pick. On one hand, it’s a bummer to increase the probability of losing the lottery pick we trudged through this season for. On the other, there could be a sense of freedom that comes with getting to watch a game and not care about the tanking results.