Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Every year, ESPN breaks out its Future Rankings, looking at the prospects every team in the league has going forward, based on things like roster quality, draft capital, financial flexibility, quality of management and quality of market.
Last year, the Lakers were 8th. This year, they're 13th.
Why the downgrade? Mostly because the financial flexibility and draft capital they had last summer was used this summer. So they fell in those categories. Thankfully, they did rise in roster quality, but the overall effect is a downgrade. So what comes next? On the one hand, 13th isn't bad. To the extent you think these types of evaluations are revealing, you'd want to be higher. But it's not bad. And meanwhile, 13th in the NBA actually translates to fourth in the Western Conference, meaning many of the team's competitors seem to have equally murky future prospects, or worse. And these are the teams the Lakers have to compete against.
As in all things, the wisdom of these rankings will likely be revealed based on this season, and learning whether or not the extensive list of moves made by Rob Pelinka in the offseason play out the way he hopes. If Rob is right, the future looks a lot brighter. If he's not?
Don't ask.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are 13th in the Future Rankings.

SEGMENT 2: The categories that matter...

SEGMENT 3: Context is king. Where LA fits with the rest of the conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: William Liang-Imagn Images

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Tuesday at the NBA's league meetings, Adam Silver spoke to the media for the first time since dropping Adam's Silver Hammer on Steve Ballmer and the Clippers.
He had a few things to say about the LAC, but of greater interest here were his comments about Mark Walter and the impending Lakers sale. Did the league have any inkling as to Walter's potential financial issues and the existence of a federal investigation when it approved the sale from the Buss fam? Silver says no, and it's certainly believable. He also says he didn't know about the deal between Kushner/Iger and Walter until the handshake was done.
That's perhaps a little tougher to believe, but also doesn't really matter that much, assuming the NBA didn't tap Kushner/Iger on the shoulder (their ownership group was looking at an expansion team) and suggest he give Walter a call.
No surprise, there wasn't any talk of the impending sale for LA. Too many impending deals.
Meanwhile, it's expected the salary cap is going to be a couple mil higher next offeason. Doesn't sound like all that mich given the size of payrolls, but for a team like the Lakers, hoping to preserve the ability to use a full non-taxpayer midlevel, this sort of thing matters. And from there, it's a a reminder too that one way the Lakers can improve is by creatively inserting themselves into trades that require multiple teams, whether to stash draft capital or players they like, ideally without giving up all that much. You want talked coming in, but not going out.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: League meetings. Folllowing Walter's money?

SEGMENT 2: How ownership is changing.

SEGMENT 3: Salary cap help is coming.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Last week, the big news for the Lakers was an assistant GM, but the team didn't stop there. On Friday, the squad also filled out the sports science staff, adding Keith D'Amelio as their new sports performance guy. (Director of Integrated Performance Systems, technically speaking.)
This isn't necessarily a *new* new position—the Lakers have struggled for years to maintain a consistent sports medicine and sports performance department (the evolution of the training/sports science/performance space is a story in itself...). D'Amelio appears to be a new cog in that machine. But it still feels like they're building it out, and hopefully this hire can bring some stability to this part of their operation. Because it's a big factor in how free agents, when presented with opportunities to choose between good franchises, ultimately make decisions.
Jeanie Buss meanwhile is representing the Lakers at league meetings, which shouldn't surprise anyone. It's obviously too quick for the Lakers ownership to get a vote from the rest of the league. Josh Kushner still needs to sell his shares of the Miami Heat, and reports suggest the group still needs to add a few more investors. So when will the league be ready to go here? Hard to say, but given that the Lakers can't for a variety of reasons make many big personnel moves for a few months (we explain) and that they seem to be carrying on with hiring, it's not such a big deal.
Finally, ESPN is again previewing the West. The Lakers are bunched in with last year's 3-6 teams, in the "flawed" W.C. contenders category. Fair?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: More hires in the basketball department!
SEGMENT 2: The Lakers are still repped by Jeanie, which is fine!
SEGMENT 3: "Flawed" is fair?

Photo Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Ziaire Williams gave a little more insight in to the trip he and the rest of his teammates, speaking to Sports Illustrated. While the Lakers played some ball, Williams says most of the important stuff from the trip came off the floor, in all the team bonding and team meals, and obviously the window into the world of Luka Donćić.
That kind of thing is important for a team that is, for all intents and purposes, starting from scratch. And while teams like Minnesota have had a ton of turnover, the top teams in the conference, and a squad like Houston, still have a lot of continuity. So LA is playing catchup in that regard. Every bit helps.
But meanwhile, is Williams potentially the best option for the lakers at the remaining forward spot? There's certainly a strong argument to be made.
And from one Williams to another, the Lakers may have dodged a bullet when they rescinded their deal with the Hornets for Mark Williams. The (now) Suns center, who missed 22 games last year, is now going to miss months after undergoing shoulder surgery. There's still not a ton of insight out there about the details that got the Lakers to back out of that deal following Williams's physical?
Who cares? Point is, he's not here, and that's good for the Lakers.
And finally, Steve Ballmer made a lot of noise after the league handed down its punishment, threatening lawsuits and more. Well, Sunday he folded.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Ziaire Williams on the trip. Plus, is he the right guy to start?

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers dodged a bullet!

SEGMENT 3: Ballmer capitulates.

Photo Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images

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The Lakers are giving away a lot of bobbleheads this season. Like, a lot. Both for established stars like Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, and fan favorites from days gone by, like Kurt Rambis, Norm Nixon and even Paul Westhead.
The Lakers have done the bobblehead thing before, but not in this quantity during the season. And it's a reflection of how fan service and promotion are changing in the wake of the squad's Dodgerification (which is either continuing, or at the least, is continuing with plans already in progress, despite the upcoming sale).
And the Dodgers do the bobblehead thing a lot. Because they're incredibly popular, and a fun way to highlight players, both current and historical, as well as popular moments. They're a great way for the Lakers to honor players that can't get jerseys retired or statues out front. And more importantly, it naturally can get a person looking ahead to the next ownership era. Will they have the same respect for history as the Buss family has always had? That sort of attention to cultural history has always been a strong suit for the franchise, and appreciated by fans. So will the new guys be worthy successors in that regard?
Finally, earlier in the week we discussed Walker Kessler as someone who many are quite bullish on when it comes to performance this season. The range of reaction on the show's YouTube page was significant, from people believing Kessler is going to put up big numbers, and others that think the hype falls short.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The importance of Bobbleheads.

SEGMENT 2: Will new ownership honor team history?

SEGMENT 3: Expectations fair for Kessler?

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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