Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron James Sits out All-Star Game to Rest Foot, Ankle... Should the Lakers Worry?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everybody. Welcome to Locked-on Lakers for Monday. Brian Kaminetsky, Andy Kaminetsky. I at least got exactly what I wanted out of Sunday's All-Star game. What was it? I'll explain next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday no matter how or where you get your podcast. This one's always free, never behind Paywall Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where around 32,000 subscribers, Andy, from all over the planet, people joining from every stretch of our planet Earth. Then they're all talking about in one way, shape, or form what happened on Sunday with

Starting point is 00:00:55 the All-Star game and the festivities there, which we'll get to in a second. Do you want to tell you that today's episode, I should say, is brought to you by Fandual. Right now, Fandual customers can get $150. bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. I'll also get into Adam Silver's comments on the Mark Williams trade and some other things happening as the Lakers start to ramp back up for games this week. But I'll tell you what, Andy, my highlight of All-Star weekend came, what was it, around 3.30 or so, when we learned that LeBron wasn't going to play.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Because in year 22, I am far more. concern about anything that might keep him from being able to finish the season healthy, particularly with the Lakers looking like they might have something to play for now going into the spring. If his ankle and his foot's feeling a little squishy, sit down. I do not need to watch him play the All-Star game. The league doesn't need it. Nobody needs it.

Starting point is 00:01:58 I was super excited to see that he wasn't playing other than, I guess, residual concern that he might be injured. That's what I was going to say. I am only about 90% of the way with you, 80 to 90%. I get what you are saying conceptually. However, the whole reason he's not playing isn't because, for pragmatic reasons, even if LeBron was perfectly healthy, there's really no reason that somebody who's 40,

Starting point is 00:02:27 season 22 should be in this game at all. There was a tangible reason he was sitting out. the ankle that keeps causing him periodic problems. This season and connected to issues over the last few seasons was acting up. Like, that does put a bit of a damper on the excitement or pleasure that you were experiencing from this. And I do think it is worth acknowledging LeBron didn't just make a decision because he came to Jesus and realized, like, what the hell are we doing? This was, I don't think I can get through it. or I'm worried or I could get through it but I'm really worried about how I feel the next few days.

Starting point is 00:03:10 I think it's much more the latter like I could do this like if this was you know the if the all-star game was a playoff game I'm sure he could be playing it would mean more people would watch I shouldn't be doing this I don't need to be doing this doing this is counterproductive to the larger goal of and you know and well I mean we'll get deeper into some of this stuff and just the reaction to the format. But when you talk about the All-Star game generally, one of the things I think that de-emphasizes it for players is the fact that nobody cares about All-Star games.

Starting point is 00:03:47 I mean, Laker fans are obviously have great memories of Kobe's All-Star MVP games and stuff like that. But broadly speaking, nobody cares or remembers anything about All-Star games. And this is a, you know, all that matters is how far you go in the playoffs and whatever, if you're somebody in the league, the Count the Rings culture is such that, you know, okay, if all that matters are titles, then everybody who's, you know,

Starting point is 00:04:16 Anthony Edwards apparently had a bad groin and sat out. Like, nobody should play in this game if they're feeling, because we're just going to bleep on them as a basketball culture if they don't win titles or they get hurt. And nobody's going to be like, you know what, but Anthony Edwards or LeBron played in that, All-Star game when they were feeling a little under the weather. Well, this is also the push pull that comes with the idea of what is good for the league

Starting point is 00:04:40 and it would be great for the league if we'll get into some of the formatting and whatnot and the All-Star weekend in general. But obviously, in a vacuum, it would be great for the league if the All-Star weekend carried a lot of cachet. But what really is great for the league is when the playoffs are awesome for multiple rounds. And it means much more, forget just to LeBron and his legacy and to the Lakers, it means more to the league when guys like LeBron are playing in the playoffs. It also, too, and this is something no owner will ever admit publicly, but I guarantee they all think privately. They care much more about their players being available for the playoffs when they're paying these guys anywhere from 30 to 50 to 60 or whatever million dollars a season.

Starting point is 00:05:30 you commit to those guys because you want them available in the postseason. Frankly, none of these owners, if you gave them truth serum, gives a rat's ass if their players are in this event because they know nobody remembers. And then in the meantime, LeBron, in providing the explanation, said that he, quote, was hoping it would, it being his ankle would feel a lot better this morning, but it is not where I wanted it to be. With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the Wild Wild Wild West, it felt like it was very important for me to take care of. of myself and understand what's coming, you know, down the stretch. This, the only thing I guess I would be critical of towards LeBron, if at all, would be if he's wondered for a few days. Because I think, I imagine LeBron takes similar to Kobe, similar to Jordan, guys before him,

Starting point is 00:06:25 takes his stature seriously. Oh, he said, this is the, just. staggering statistic here for a moment. First All-Star game since 2004 that LeBron didn't play. First since 2004 that the man didn't play. And his reaction to that was, I hated it. Like the idea of him not playing. And he said, like this was, you know, I won't, it's a quote from LeBron. I won't say it's maintenance, but it is maintenance. At the same time, I have to look out for myself when it comes to this injury that I've been dealing with for years. And he's coming back and he's rehabbing in LA today.

Starting point is 00:07:00 Like so like it's it's it's it's not a maintenance thing but it's a maintenance thing like no. Yeah, I mean depending on how long he has been feeling about this even understanding he feels a responsibility if he can to participate. It would have been nice to decide this with enough time for somebody like say norm Powell who I think was having an all-star caliber year for the clipper. and this is likely, or quite possibly at the very least, Norm Powell's best shot at making an all-star team. So for someone like Norm Powell,

Starting point is 00:07:40 it could have meant a lot to be a part of that game because his likelihood of being this strongly in the running again is small. I remember when we covered the Kobe Powell teams, there was a year where there was the year that Lamar Odom ultimately won six-man of the year. But he was having such a strong year, even off the bench, that he was considered a dark horse candidate that year 2011 to make an All-Star team. And I remember you and I, in particular, very openly advocating for him, because we thought, A, he deserved it, but B, we recognized, and Lamar even talked about this. He didn't likely going to get another shot.

Starting point is 00:08:20 And this means something to Lamar or Norm Powell that's different to a guy like LeBron, even if LeBron, I'm sure, appreciates it. And that's why he waited this long to ultimately make a decision. That's maybe the only thing I would criticize of LeBron's without knowing all of the details. Otherwise, 100% behind him. Yeah. I mean, which thing is more important? I mean, you mentioned it before.

Starting point is 00:08:48 But like, which thing is more? One is more important to the league. And I think it's fair to say that LeBron James of the course of 20, 20 plus years has been a very strong advocate for the league. He has understood the bigger picture. He has seen, you know, what is, you know, nobody's perfect. You know, there's this stuff about China a few years ago, but like, whatever. In the end, like, if the league could get every star in every generation to be as much of a team player for the promotion of the league,

Starting point is 00:09:27 as LeBron has been for the NBA, then they'd be thrilled. And so I think he probably figured he could get out there and do it, and whatever woke up on Sunday. And it was like, yeah, but you're right. But like this, talk about this. Mildly critical. Mildly. And I think this is another thing where the league ought to be able to like,

Starting point is 00:09:49 need more players on this team? It's like, I understand they have injury replacements. I understand in a normal format with like a normal game. it is hard to get 15 players in and make it look like a real game. But at the same time... It's the least of the formats problems. Right. And it's like baseball gets through this with the All-Star game.

Starting point is 00:10:09 And it's kind of dumb, but everybody plays and it's whatever. They need to make the rosters bigger. And there should be a little more consideration for guys like Norm Powell. Because ultimately, there are legacy stars that make it because that's what people want to see. And both things can be true at the same time, which is a problem with All-Star Games. Anyway, let's get to more of this stuff next. Plus, Adam Silver, comments on Williamsgate. Locked-on Lakers is brought to you by Hungry Route.

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Starting point is 00:12:34 and he, of course, didn't play. But Dalton Connect managed to be on the Rising Stars team that worked its way through into, I guess, what you would call the big All-Star tournament. And he did lead his team or tie his team in scoring with eight points. It was like a good little showcase for Dalton Connect. It's kind of cool. He's had a bad week. Like the guy deserved, you know, a rough 10 days.

Starting point is 00:12:59 He deserved like a cool outlet like that. So I will say I was happy for Dalton Connect to have a nice showing on All-Star weekend. It was very difficult for me to figure out when Dalton Connect was going to be playing or why. Me too, I know he did. That's all he's. No, no, but I'm just saying like, you know, complaining about the All-Star game and formats has become in vogue and it's going to seem weird that you and I are setting up for a conversation about stop eff and complaining about it. But I will say your format should not require looking back

Starting point is 00:13:38 and forward, looking back and forward, double checking to make sure you understand if a guy is or is not going to be playing in the future. That's not a good way to get people excited about it, like making them read more. Nobody likes reading more. It really, it was genuinely confusing. It was and and I very convoluted this new format. Well, and then the the TV broadcast made it worse. You know, they're stopping to do like a Mr. Beast contest and then there's like a concert and then there's a trip. He's a part owner of a team now.

Starting point is 00:14:10 I feel like they are a sponsor with the Hornets. No, I understand that. They're under Mr. Beast's thumb. Beholding to his billions. I and look, my kids love Mr. Beast. Like it's like, I don't have a problem with Mr. Beast necessarily.

Starting point is 00:14:24 But we, we got to. As LeBron likes to say, he's kind of a sicko, if I'm being honest. He's a bit of a sicko. He is. He likes to play God, Mr. Beast. There's levels. There's layers and levels to this. The chocolate bar he sells at 7-Eleven.

Starting point is 00:14:40 It's pretty tasty. You don't know about that. But like, you know, it's, as LeBron likes to say, you got to keep the main thing, the main thing. And I think the main thing was not the main thing on Sunday. There was lots of other things. things that weren't the main thing that made it very difficult to tell when the main thing was happening. But the one thing that I do know is very clear and certainly following along.

Starting point is 00:15:03 You and I have said, and going into the All-Star game, we said, we're not, we're not the target anymore. Like, you know, if it's not like a big deal for the Lakers, things are happening, it's one of the rare weekends where, you know, you and I can kind of not, like, be neck deep in basketball all the time. and they go do stuff with your family and your kids and whatever. That said, it's like I do watch the reaction. I find the reaction to all this stuff more interesting.

Starting point is 00:15:33 And it continues to be you saw Dremont on Sunday ripping the product on live TV. Like it's not, you want to get it. It's not really working. The NBA needs to stop putting people on TV who are going to rip the product. They must stop because that's, it is the most hyper online league of all of them. And none of this helps anybody. And I, as a basketball fan, am really tired of it. Nicola Yokic, I'm reading a quote from Dan Wojke,

Starting point is 00:16:05 who covers the Lakers for the LA Times. Dan asked Yokic if it's possible to stage a competitive All-Star game. And Yolkich said, I don't know. I think it's not a question for me. I don't know. I think maybe we should just focus on some other things and then All-Star. I think it's always going to be like this, so we should accept it. Thank you.

Starting point is 00:16:26 because I know I've been saying this for like a couple years at least. The problem with the All-Star game or any All-Star game, because you see it across sports, it's not that today's players are too spoiled and they make too much money and they're too buddy-buddy from AAU and they don't want to kill each other. The problem is the games don't serve the same function. All-Star games no longer serve the same function that they used to, which was marketing opportunities that players often did not get other than in situations like this, because the ones that were in smaller or medium-sized markets or even big markets that their team happened to be lousy,

Starting point is 00:17:07 they were not on what used to be national TV, the only place you would see these games other than like once a week on TNT. Now between the NBA package and social media and constant highlights everywhere and replays of the games everywhere, and half these players have in an and podcast, you don't need it anymore. So it's never going to matter to players in a way that's going to get them to bust their ass for reasons that we discussed before. It's more important that they be available and fresh for the final 30 games of a season that affect the playoffs, which all we're told is all that matters rings culture. Just go back to East versus West and then log off Twitter if you're the NBA League office.

Starting point is 00:17:57 Stop listening to people complain. That's all people do is complain. It is what it is or scrap it. Just scrap the damn thing. Have them do some type of horse competition or whatever the guys would actually care about and they don't have to worry about getting hurt. But either way, stop trying to reinvent the wheel. It's not going to happen.

Starting point is 00:18:20 Figure out a way to celebrate the league. celebrate the players. I don't care if they actually play a game. No. Like the least important part of what is supposed to be a celebrate. Like, you know, you can make Chris Paul and Victor Wembe, you're trying to find loopholes notwithstanding. I love that so much. It's so Chris Paul. He said it was Wemby's idea. But even then I kind of respect like Wemby's competitive. It is it's like Wembe's this is his first one. It's like he's like getting into like trying to figure

Starting point is 00:18:51 out he's a very competitive guy and trying to figure out ways to win. And certainly CP didn't stop him. That's for sure. He's like, that's my boy. I've only been here half a season, but I can tell you right now, I'm getting through this kid. I got it. My work here is done.

Starting point is 00:19:08 My very, very tall son, Victor Webbenyama. Like, I just, it's like, just do stuff like that. Have them do skill stuff. Have them, you know, sing. I don't know. You suggested play cards, whatever, but I am much more concerned. Like, I'm happy Luca wasn't there. Not because, like, this would not have been a showcase for me to see what Luca can do against, like, Luca needed a break. And had he had to go play in this All-Star game, you know who that would have been bad for? The Lakers. And you know what I

Starting point is 00:19:43 care more than about than the All-Star game or whatever? I care about the Lakers and how far they're going to go in the playoffs. I care about how long. Luca Donchich is going to respond to this after a the one thing I will say because everybody was asked about this over the course of the weekend that if there was any any truthers out there who still think that this was like something that you know like LeBron made happen or like other people knew and had their approval like nobody knew what this was Adam Silver had no clue the players had no clue nobody had a clue this was going on and the you know seismic is the word that that Rob Polinka used it is a

Starting point is 00:20:19 completely appropriate. You could even use like Atomic. Like this was a bomb that was dropped on the league. And it made, it shook Andy players that weren't even involved because it's like, damn, if the Nugget of the Mavericks can just trade Luca, like none of us are safe. All of us can be traded. Well, except for Wembe, Yokic and Shay, but pretty much. Mark Williams, apparently can't be traded. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:20:45 Adam Silver, we'll get into some more of his comments about the. the Luca Tray, but also we had some thoughts about Mark Williams as well. So that's coming up next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Fandul when the game tips off. The NBA action is just getting started. There's no better place to get in on it than Fandle. America's number one sportsbook. With Fandul, you can place live bets throughout the game.

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Starting point is 00:22:08 Locked on Lakers is a newsletter now. It's not just a podcast. It's not just an audio cast. You can subscribe to this thing on YouTube. You can subscribe to it on Apple, iTunes or Spotify. It's a great way, obviously, to get it that way. but you can also get it in newsletter form.

Starting point is 00:22:25 You go to LockdownDaily.com, you click there, and then you click on Lockdown Lakers, and this show and lots of great analysis from around the network is delivered to you every single day. So Andy LaBron, we'll get to the Mark Williams and Adam Silver in a second here, but I just, you know, you've got Luca, you know, making it pretty clear he needed a break and then physically needs to kind of use the week to keep ramping himself back.

Starting point is 00:22:53 up, you've got LeBron skipping the game to make sure that he is in as good of condition as possible. It really speaks to like the priority that the Lakers need to have on making sure that their stars are ready to go, new star, old star, quite literally, and just the different context that they're in now. Like the last 30 games for, this team feels so much more like an opportunity. And we're going to talk about this much more as we get into the week. But I just like I feel like they feel like, no, this is going to, we got a lot more going on, a lot more to play for now than if we were really being

Starting point is 00:23:41 honest what we thought in game 30 of this season. I think the players recognize that. And this has got me excited for what's coming in the last 30 games. They definitely do. to me it's independent of the All-Star game just because Luca wasn't going to be in it no matter why. Sure. I just mean in terms of the part of it.

Starting point is 00:24:01 And LeBron's decision is, like we said, something we were hoping would happen no matter what, just because I get why he would want him to be in the game, the league would want him in the game. But from a practical standpoint, if you're going to bother having LeBron around for it on a team that wants to have playoffs aspirations, he more than anybody else needs a break.

Starting point is 00:24:23 But yeah, there's just been a general excitement around the Lakers, in part because nobody expects a player like Luca in his prime to get moved without at minimum requesting a trade or expressing some degree of unhappiness with his current set. Was even like in detention? Like, did he skip? Like, he didn't do any. Like, there wasn't even. He was too busy buying a second home to be getting a.

Starting point is 00:24:50 be getting into trouble. I mean, I guess maybe the, maybe the Mavericks thought he was too busy, you know, meeting with real estate agents than working out or, you know, he's at too many of these real estate meetings involved lunches or dinners. I don't know, but this was a trade that didn't just take the NBA fans and, you know, the NBA players, the NBA media by surprise. Adam Silver was asked about it and he said he had no idea that this was going to happen. He said that he understands why the fan base is mad.

Starting point is 00:25:24 He's empathetic towards them. You know, Dallas was a team in the finals. He said on a personal level that he likes Luca a lot. He's gotten to know him that he felt like Luca was genuinely stunned by this. But, you know, he wants to give the benefit of the doubt to the Mavericks management, you know, the front office. He also said that to the best of his knowledge or understanding, that this is not a precursor to moving the team to Las Vegas. The Adelson family is very much a gambling industry family.

Starting point is 00:26:01 And there's a lot of people playing four-dimensional chess that this is an intentional move beyond not wanting to commit money to Luca Donchich because old tubby won't be worth it. It's also the idea that you're trying to upset the Dallas fan base. lose that connection with the city, lose that connection with the people who run the city are often in charge of arenas, stuff like that. So everyone sours on you in Dallas and then you eventually orchestrate your way to Las Vegas where the Adelson family

Starting point is 00:26:35 and them want to be. It's like eight-dimensional chess. Well, it's also like, look, the league getting a team in Vegas, that's the easiest thing if they want. Like, if they want that, it's going to happen one way or another. but you don't want to torpedo the value and the standing of a good organization like the Mavericks.

Starting point is 00:26:57 I mean, I think it was either Forbes or SpotTrak did a ranking of franchise value. The Mavericks came in 12th and they were pretty close to the top 10 and just like around half a billion off the top eight, which half a billion in these terms is not a lot of money. like they're a good organization in a good market you it's not a great way to ingratiate yourself to your prospective new fan base in Vegas hey we don't give a bleep about the basketball get excited about us but it's also just it's not a good way to maintain the value of franchise period it's just it's they made a trade that the fan base doesn't like and it's they didn't want to commit the money to Luca right and

Starting point is 00:27:46 I will tell whether they were right or wrong. If they're right, maybe. Maybe he turns out Nico Harrison to be quite prescient. You know, I will say they're happy with Max Christie so far. And I'm excited that Max, you know, is really getting an opportunity there with all these injuries to really take a big step up. So we said when they made the trade, that Dallas is going to really like Max Christie. They seem to really like Max Christie. And I am very excited.

Starting point is 00:28:16 to see what Luca looks like in three weeks playing with LeBron after he has kicked off some of the rust of not playing since Christmas, essentially, and, you know, worked his way out of minutes restrictions and, you know, it feels like, I don't want to say like, you know, he's back in shot. Because like I'm starting some sort of controversy there. Guys haven't played since Christmas. You get your legs back under you. What this could look like with the Lakers and Luca and LeBron is going to make for. incredibly fun basketball, I think, or certainly could over the last, you know, month and a half of the season. So one thing that does seem to be over, Andy, is the Mark Williams saga for all the

Starting point is 00:29:03 bluster and whatever it was the words were trying to do. They apparently never actually filed a protest with the league to try to get this. physical overturn. So Mark Williams is officially back to being a problem for only the Charlotte Hornets and figuring out what happens next.

Starting point is 00:29:29 I guess from a from a Lakers standpoint, this chapter is officially closed. Yeah, it's interesting that there has not even been an official, I don't know if you'd call it a challenge or official protest or official anything sent to the league

Starting point is 00:29:45 by the Hornets, according to Adam Silver and Stein reported that, you know, going to the weekend. Like, you know, I mean, the Hornets may have been reaching out to the league to find out some of their options and to learn a little bit more about the intricacies of all of the different protocols and whatever. But it doesn't seem like they've really done anything in terms of an official move towards getting Dalton Connecting Cam Reddish and the draft assets back in their house and Mark Williams in the Lakers house. It's also interesting too, like Adam Silver was asked about just whether this is something that the league needs to examine like the idea of this

Starting point is 00:30:29 rescinded trade. And he said, quote, the larger issue reflecting your question, this day and age in sports science, is there a different standard of sorts that we should be applying in terms of players passing physical traits? It's something we should look into a league. I will say this issue does not come up often. I can't even remember. Certainly, I don't think in my tenure, There's been a challenge because a player failed a physical. But almost by definition, you get into a certain level of subjectivity in where the standard is. But let's see what Charlotte decides to do here.

Starting point is 00:30:56 But I think either way, it's gotten our attention. To me, there's nothing to fix. Like we're talking about a once in a decade-ish issue during which hundreds of trades go off without a hitch. And this one involved a player in Mark Williams with like enough previous injuries that on its face, it's not all that strange that he could fail a physical. Not necessarily that he did, but that he could fail one, given everything that we know. And no team does this without having a good reason.

Starting point is 00:31:32 Because if you're Rob Belinka, and it somehow comes out that you just last minute decided, you know, we gave up too much for Mark Williams. I don't want to go through with this. They never called no give back. So take Mark Williams. good luck getting anybody else to do business with you, especially when you're Rob Polinka. And it seems like they don't want to anyway. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:31:54 Is that a rule in the NBA? Do you actually have to say no givebacks at the end of the deal? Well, it might be now. Maybe that's what happens. I kind of love that idea that at the end of it, you have to say no give back. And it has to be recorded. I like the sound of that. Like, you know, and but there's an element of like street justice that that takes care of these sorts of things.

Starting point is 00:32:19 If the locals were misbehaving, love me. Like you say, I do too. As people probably guess, I often am out there administering it. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Who's got two thumbs and does street justice, this guy. So and the same thing with the Hornets. Like if the Hornets were trying to pass off damage goods, we're like,

Starting point is 00:32:42 They were like faking, like swapping out a different pair of legs for Mark Williams medical stuff. Like that stuff is going to be found out and you will just not be able to operate in any meaningful way. And you're going to hurt your team, hurt your franchise, whatever. That stuff will get out. And ultimately, I don't think anybody did anyone. I know we've talked about this, but it's still, you know, this could be the last time. nobody did anything wrong here. I think the horns were trying to trade a guy that it's not like you can hide the ball here

Starting point is 00:33:18 on a guy who's played 80 games in three seasons and be like, look, we looks fine to us. It's the same thing. Like the lake that Dallas didn't want to sign Luca because they thought Luca wouldn't hold up physically for different reasons, but that's the reason. The Hornets don't want to be in a position to have to extend Mark Williams. because they don't think he'll hold up physically. The Lakers were willing to take that chance until they looked under the hood a little deeper and they were like, no, we're not,

Starting point is 00:33:47 and they sent them back. And that's fine. And that's how this is supposed to work. You know what else is supposed to work this way, Andy? Letting people know that Lockdown Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with 32,000 subscribers to the channel from all over the world. And we thank all of the new people

Starting point is 00:34:03 who have come to join the show. Please leave us questions. Please leave us comments. This is a great week to do. do that, whether on the YouTube page itself or at Cam Brothers or on iTunes, whatever, we will try to wrap in some viewer mail, so to speak, and before the game start again. So we'll see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron James Sits out All-Star Game to Rest Foot, Ankle... Should the Lakers Worry?

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