LeBron's Incredible Longevity, NBA's Flopping Fiasco, Lakers' Depth

LeBron James Makes All-NBA Third Team: Why It Raises Tough Questions for the Lakers: LeBron James has made the All-NBA Third Team. On the one hand, it's a remarkable achievement, given his age and mileage. The level of play he put out this year was pretty remarkable, even before considering how long he's been at it. There isn't much, if any, precedent. On the other hand, the reason James made the third team and not first or second? 56 games. That's how many he played, and it's the third year he's missed a significant number of games since joining the Lakers. So on the one hand, LeBron James is still demonstrably excellent. On the other, it's getting harder and harder to rely on James to be on the court to demonstrate that excellence. So what do the Lakers do? When it comes to figuring out how "in" to go with a James-led team, whether "all" or something more conservative, balancing the paradox of James is a real pickle. Can the Lakers make enough improvements around him (and presumably by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

29 min listen

Should LeBron James Shut It Down for the Season? Plus, the Return of Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope!: The Lakers are in a bad space. The odds of this thing turning out well, or even close, are increasingly slim. Through it all, LeBron James is playing on a bum knee and what appears to be a more finite amount of time to be LeBron James. Setting aside totally understandable personal priorities like catching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all time leading scorer, is James really gaining much playing in the last 20% of the season? Are the Lakers? Is discretion the better part of valor, even though James says he'll play unless his body says he can't? What signal does it send if he stops playing when he could continue? Even if it comes with pain? How is it linked to the conversation about heart from Thursday's show? Finally, Friday night marks the first game for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma since being traded away by the Lakers for Russell Westbrook. Both players by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

LeBron James Carries the Lakers Past Rockets. How Long Before Anthony Davis Returns to Help?: Watching LeBron James these days is, from a basketball standpoint, a blessing. Seeing any player, let alone a 38-year old, post the kind of numbers he has over the last month or so is genuine fun. You can't love watching the NBA and appreciate incredible athletic achievement without finding this run incredible. For Lakers fans, though, it's also a little uncomfortable. Because he is, unquestionably, putting out a tremendous amount of effort for the Lakers to to tread water while Anthony Davis remains sidelined. (The Lakers are currently 9-8 since Davis went down, which is pretty impressive given the other injuries the team has faced.) Is there a limit to this? At some point, does he hit a wall, where the production can't be sustained at this level? Does the body break down? If so, where exactly does that leave the team? The same context that makes his play so engaging is what makes it unsettli by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Los Angeles Lakers Season In Review 2018/19 | Has LeBron's Decline Begun? - Locked On Fantasy Basketball - 05/15/19: Josh looks at the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018-19 NBA season, including their upcoming offseason, hopes for the future, cap prospects and whether LeBron James' decline has begun and whether Lonzo Ball is a buy-low. The Locked On Fantasy Basketball Podcast is brought to you by Basketball Monster. Intro Music by KVKA Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Fantasy Basketball – Daily NBA Fantasy Basketball Podcast

32 min listen

NBA GM Poll Reflects Anthony Davis's Reputation Dropping Around the NBA. (LeBron Still Respected!): Every year, NBA.com produces the GM poll, asking execs around the league all sorts of questions about players, teams, coaches and beyond. In most years, the Lakers and Lakers players are well represented, given their high profile, high expectations, star power and so on. This year, however, when it comes to the Lakers the results are notable mostly because the Lakers are an afterthought. LeBron James pops up in a couple of categories, Darvin Ham in another. The Lakers are expected to finish around 8th in the conference, which makes sense and certainly isn't unfair. Most notable, though, is the near-total absence of Anthony Davis, who doesn't get mentioned among the best defensive players, centers, power forwards, MVP candidates and so on and so on and so on. One place he does pop up? Breakout candidate, a place usually reserved for much younger players. In total, it shows the massive rep by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

Is It a Given The Lakers Should Offer LeBron James a Contract Extension? Plus, more on Westbrook's Take on Media/Fans: Nothing is easy about this season for the Lakers, and nothing will be easy about this offseason for them, either. Tons of huge decisions to be made. Now, that includes the future of LeBron James. Not just from the POV of what James wants, but also whether the Lakers would be wise to commit to a core comprised of James and Anthony Davis, since now neither guy can be considered reliable from a health/availability standpoint. Then again, what exactly are the alternatives? Trading James? Trading James and AD? Letting LeBron walk? The team is in a tight spot, because doing better than that core will be hard, but it's reasonable to ask now if that core is enough to win more titles without a stronger supporting cast... something the Lakers don't have much ability to build. On the other hand, there may not be a team in the league with more obstacles in front of them for a tota by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

Do Stars Have Too Much Power?, Lakers Summer Of Decisions, Signings & More: The Lakers have a lot to work on... by Lakers Nation Podcast

69 min listen

LOCKED ON NBA -- 7/6/18 -- Could the Lakers miss the playoffs even with LeBron James?: In part two of this week's crossover podcast between this show and Locked on Lakers, we get into where the Lakers rank in the grand scheme of the NBA now that LeBron James has agreed to sign. We also go through the various scenarios given how different the league might look by the time the season rolls around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On NBA – Daily Podcast On The National Basketball Association

29 min listen

Embiid's Back to Back MVP Case + Best Free Agent Signing Draft + Lakers Win First NBA Cup by You Know Ball: A (Mostly) Sixers Podcast

112 min listen

NBA Free Agency Buzz, Boston Parade: NBA Free Agency Buzz, Boston Parade by NBA Today

49 min listen

Is It Possible LeBron James Wouldn't Sign an Extension With the Lakers?: LeBron James has spent a great deal of his time in Los Angeles fighting significant injuries. He's been told to stay off that bad ankle this spring/summer for at least a month, probably more. So with all that in mind, and his advancing age and tremendous NBA mileage, it's at least worth contemplating the risks of offering him a $90-plus million extension this summer. But this week, Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote an interesting story that asks the other side of the same question: Would LeBron automatically accept an offer from the Lakers (as everyone assumes the organization will do)? What are the reasons LeBron might turn them down? What might have changed about his perception of the franchise? Is it really any different now than it was when he signed with them originally? When he signed his first extension with the team? Finally, everyone (James included) poked fun at the Timberwolves for, let's call it an extre by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

38 Special by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

47 min listen

Should Lebron James Have Signed An Extension With the Los Angeles Lakers & NBA Schedule Release 2023: Lebron James signed a 2-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers to make him the highest-paid player in NBA History, but should he have committed to the Lakers for the next 3 seasons? Then the 2022-23 NBA Schedule was released with a full list of National TV games, Rivals Week, and more. Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit, Locked On Mavs) & PatTheDesigner (@PatTheDeisgner, Locked On Bulls) discuss Lebron James signing an extension with the Lakers. Then they dive into the NBA Schedule with a round of COUNT IT UP. What counts as a 'National TV' game? Which matchups in the NBA's Rivals Weeks are actually rvials? And more. 0:00 Lebron James Lakers Extension 12:30 NBA Schedule Rivals Week 22:40 NBA Schedule National TV Games ? Follow Every Locked On NBA Show: Linktree.com/LockedOnNBA Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers Built Bar — by Locked On NBA – Daily Podcast On The National Basketball Association

32 min listen

Celebrating LeBron's Contribution: Through truly unprecedented circumstances, LeBron James put together one of the great Lakers seasons we have ever seen, culminating in an NBA championship. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss how the combination of LeBron's leadership and on-court play propelled the Lakers to the title and why they see no signs of him slowing down anytime soon. by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

69 min listen

A New King by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

45 min listen

Is Anthony Davis Ready to be the Lakers' Best Player, Even When LeBron Return?: For the last two seasons, pundits, team officials and Lakers players alike have all agreed that the key to the team's success is Anthony Davis. He needs to be their most dominant player on a night in, night out basis. The difference between All Star AD and MVP caliber AD is the thing that can elevate the Lakers more than any other personnel move that's available to them. The last three games for the Lakers, all wins, have shown what that looks like, as Davis has thrashed the competition. But that's without LeBron James in the lineup, and against subpar competition. So what has to happen for this version of Davis to be the one the Lakers see even when James is back? When the schedule toughens up, and teams game play for even more heavily than they already do? Is it James that has to change? He's been the team's leading scorer in fourth quarters every year they've played together, including the 2020 title yea by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

30 min listen

LeBron James Gives an Injury Update (Sort of), D'Angelo Russell Opens Up about his Lakers Future: Updates about LeBron James and his injured foot have come out in drips and drabs, and have almost always been couched in very vague language that promises nothing and leaves only a sort of broad, general impression about what might maybe happen, perhaps with a week left in the season or maybe four days or possibly eight or maybe none. Point being, nobody has been saying anything even a little bit definitive. But perhaps it's still been too definitive for James, who put out his own update on social media, which let folks know what he's been up to and also did the SMH at "sources" out there. Granted, LeBron's update was equally fuzzy as anything else that's been reported, and didn't even really refute anything. So what was the point of putting it out there? Time to read some tea leaves! From there, the length of James's absence, combined with the quality of play from Austin Reaves, has some by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

How Will LeBron James' Return Impact a Red-Hot Anthony Davis? Plus, Patrick Beverley suspended!: The Lakers kick off a critical back-to-back Friday in San Antonio, and presumably LeBron James will be on the floor, hopefully for both ends. In his absence, the Lakers have found a little rhythm offensively (albeit against weaker competition) and Anthony Davis has gone bananas, in terms of his overall production. So the question for the team becomes figuring out ways to keep Davis in the space he's in with James back on the floor. Because the overall numbers for LeBron this year, offensively speaking, aren't great. His rating isn't high, relative to teammates. The team has performed better in his absence, with a lot more efficiency. Is that all on James? No, but his personal numbers speak to that type of inefficiency, as well. And overall, the all just seems to have been a lot less sticky over the last week-plus. Players are moving more, and are being rewarded for it. In a perfect world, a by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Lebron James Is The NBA GOAT, End Of Discussion | Chill w/ Chill by Players Choice

93 min listen

Aggregators by Basketball Illuminati

69 min listen

Russell Westbrook Could Be A Laker Again Next Season. Plus, Going "Year to Year" with LeBron: After news that Phil Jackson was advising the Lakers on who to hire as the team's next head coach was a topic of conversation, reports that some people connected to the team might not be happy about it. Is it LeBron James/Rich Paul, who have clashed with Jackson before? Rob Pelinka? Agents? Other players? Why is it problematic that the Lakers seem to have so many important voices who aren't on the payroll? And oh, by the way, Jackson is reportedly a big Russell Westbrook fan. Might his involvement increase the chances Westbrook returns? Because Lakers fans should understand there's a very real possibility Westbrook could return next season. The Lakers might find it hard to move him in a deal that doesn't hurt them, first and foremost, and if he's back it makes sense (or could) to try and make things work on the court before just paying him to go away. Westbrook might have a vested interest in by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

29 min listen

LeBron Says He Wants to Retire (many years from now) as a Laker! Plus, the Lakers' Draft Needs.: As part of his Space Jam promotional tour, LeBron James appeared on the "Smartless" podcast with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, and among many subjects, touched on his basketball future. In a nutshell, he wants to play another several years, and all of them in a Laker uniform. What's crazy is how absolutely sane the notion of him playing well into his forties feels. LeBron also talked about his future in Hollywood, and what he could have in common with Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson and The Rock. From there, the Kamenetzkys break down what type of player the Lakers should target with the 22nd pick, assuming they keep it. Should they target a high ceiling, or a high floor? What skills should they covet? Is it even possible to find a multifaceted player late in the first round? Finally, Team USA lost what is ultimately an insignificant game against Nigeria, but basketball fans are by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

31 min listen

Year 19 by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

48 min listen

LeBron James Sends Message to Lakers: He Wants to Play for Championships... Or At Least Win Games.: The Lakers lost Wednesday in Miami, on the second night of a back-to-back. While they gave themselves a shot in the fourth, too much damage had already been done thanks to a massive amount of turnovers (26) and a massive disparity in second chance points. LeBron James played well, turnovers notwithstanding, and the Lakers got unexpected production from Juan Toscano-Anderson (back from injury) and Troy Brown Jr... but Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves were both scoreless, which helps explain why the team struggled offensively. So the Lakers lost a game that, with more focus, they could have won, but at the same time, seemed like a good candidate to lose heading in, given the context. What happened after, when LeBron met the media, was much more interesting. James, asked to reflect on turning 38 later this week, and what he sees as his basketball future, made it very clear that he still b by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

35 min listen

LeBron Creates Buzz About Future With Lakers After Loss To Heat: LeBron isn't happy with where the Lakers are currently.... by Lakers Nation Podcast

71 min listen

LeBron James Pledges Never to Miss the Playoffs Again! Plus, Russell Westbrook Scenarios!: He's on vacation, but LeBron James, serial watcher of basketball, is still glued to a television watching the NBA Playoffs play out without him, doesn't like it, and Tweeted that never again will he miss the playoffs. But while James didn't mention the specific team he'll be with, he presumably meant "with the Lakers. But all jokes(?) aside, it's a reminder of how much distance the Lakers have to travel before contention, even on the fringes, is a legit possibility. So with that in mind, is it an opportunity for the team to enter next season with a little more humility? Talk about building to something, and maybe turn down the heat on the season at the start? Because they'll definitely be sporting a brand new roster, and Lord knows a little time under the radar could be helpful. From there, a comment left on the Locked On Lakers YouTube page provided the inspiration for an entire show on Friday. by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

Hail to the King by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

45 min listen

What Do the Lakers Owe LeBron James? Is Rob Pelinka Not Keeping Promises?: The 2022-23 Lakers are in deep trouble, but are also, by all indications, in a holding pattern when it comes to making deals to try and rescue this season. As they head into Tuesday's tilt with Orlando seven games under .500 and staring down a long stretch without Anthony Davis, the prospect of another disaster of a season has people asking whether the Lakers are wasting the best/rest of LeBron James's career. What do they owe him? Did Rob Pelinka really make a commitment ahead of training camp to do anything to try and win while he's here? How big a commitment did James make to the Lakers, really? Yes, he signed an extension, but just for a year, plus an option. It's not like he created some sort of blood pact with the team. But all of this begs more questions. Are the Lakers correct in holding tight, even if it makes them look bad in the reflection of their own history, with Team James, and in some media circl by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Russell Westbrook's Trade Value, Anthony Davis IS That Guy, Can Lakers' Offense Adjust When LeBron Returns?: Anthony Davis has had himself a week... by Lakers Nation Podcast

28 min listen

THE LAKERS WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP: The extraordinary 2019-20 season culminated with the Lakers winning their 17th NBA championship. In this episode. Pete and Darius reflect the defensive masterpiece that was Game 6, LeBron and AD's special bond, and the brilliant leadership behind the Lakers' unforgettable season. by Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

117 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

LeBron's Incredible Longevity, NBA's Flopping Fiasco, Lakers' Depth

LeBron's Incredible Longevity, NBA's Flopping Fiasco, Lakers' Depth

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Lakers Nation Podcast

Related podcast episodes