Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Preseason odds for postseason awards don't necessarily say everything about a team's chances, but they can be instructive. So for the Lakers, who aren't expected to move mountains this year when it comes to the Western Conference standings, where players land on some of the preseason betting lists is worth a look.
And thankfully, our friends at Fanduel Sportsbook have their numbers up for view!
No surprise, Luka Dončić has the fourth best odds in the NBA to win MVP, which is a testament to the respect he gets as a player, because MVP almost always comes from a team at or near the top of a conference. That's not where the Lakers are expected to be. Meanwhile, who else appears on different lists? Is Austin Reaves seen as a real candidate to contend for an All-NBA slot? What about Walker Kessler for Defensive Player of the Year? Or Most Improved?
What does having two players (Sexton, Mamu) in the conversation for Sixth Man mean for the team this year? Especially considering how poor the bench has performed over the last couple of seasons?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Who is on the board for postseason awards?

SEGMENT 2: What about Kessler?

SEGMENT 3: Why 6MOY is a key race to watch in terms of Lakers success this season.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

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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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