Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron Says Luka Energizes Him, Luka Isn't Upset the Lakers Didn't Land Mark Williams

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

At this point, no matter how the Charlotte Hornets try to slice and dice this, it doesn't appear that the deadline deal that would have made Mark Williams a Laker will go through. So while in the short term, it leaves the Lakers thin in the middle, the failed trade may still have served another very important purpose. This from the always excellent Marc Stein, and his Substack: "Yet there has been no tangible dismay from the Dončić camp about his new team walking away from the Williams deal. Sources told The Stein Line that Dončić, in his first discussion about roster construction with Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, told Pelinka that he understood it might take until the summer to make that addition ... and came away impressed by how swiftly the Lakers initially moved to try to address that void."It remains to be seen whether the Lakers ultimately fill their center void more successfully in the offseason, whether by acquiring a player better than Williams, an equivalent at a lower price, or maybe just getting someone with a less risky health profile. Maybe Williams actually stays relatively healthy going forward. Nobody knows at this point. But for the Lakers to have already done some work in the goodwill department with their new superstar—a player who is expected to sign an extension in Los Angeles (if for no other reason than finances), but is by no means obligated—is important. The Lakers have, for better or worse, made some big swings for their stars over the last few seasons. Williams was a high risk, high reward move done in part to impress Luka. Russell Westbrook was an comically bad idea done in part to service the franchise's history of star effery, but also to satisfy LeBron. The actions may not be wise, but the Lakers can definitely say they try. So far, so good when it comes to building a good relationship with Dončić.  HOSTS: Andy and Brian KamenetzkySEGMENT 1: The Lakers get some benefit from the Williams non-trade, even if they don't get Williams. SEGMENT 2: LeBron gets "energy" from Luka. SEGMENT 3: Tier 2.5, baby!!! Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Turbo TaxReady for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert. Only available with TurboTax Live Full Service. Real-time updates only in the iOS mobile app. See guarantee details at TurboTax.com/guarantees. HungryrootWith Hungryroot, it’s like having a personal shopper and a nutritionist all in one.For a limited time, get 40% off your first box and a free item in every box for life! Just go to Hungryroot.com/lockedonnba and use codeLOCKEDONNBA. PrizepicksNow’s the perfect time to join.Download the app todayand use codeLOCKEDONNBA to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup! That’s right—no need to win to get the bonus, it’s guaranteed. PrizePicks—Run Your Game! Door DashThey Swoosh, You Save: when any player scores 50 or more points in a game during the 24/25 NBA regular season, DashPass members save 50% on an order, up to $10 off with promo code NBA50. 50% Off 1 Order (Up to $10 Off)Offer valid from 9:00 AM PT through 11:59 PM PT after a 50 point performance in any game during the NBA season on orders placed at participating merchant locations. Valid only in the United States. Maximum value of discount is $10.00. Discount applies to subtotal only; does not apply to fees, taxes, and gratuity. Not valid for pickup. Limit one per person. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Fees, taxes, and gratuity still apply. Must have an active DashPass account. Use promo code NBA50 to redeem. See further terms and conditions at https://drd.sh/8ONpZP/.FanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everyone, welcome to Lockdown Lakers for Tuesday. Brian Komeneski, Andy Komeneski. The Mark Williams trade didn't happen, but it still had a good impact for the Lakers. We'll explain why 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 going to be free. never behind a paywall locked on Lakers is where on YouTube, I should say, is where around 32,000 subscribers. I don't know if it's over under whatever, but about 32,000 of you are all hanging out, talking about the Lakers in the second half of the season,

getting excited. Of course, thank you to all of the people, the new people who have come to the channel and are excited to see what the Lakers do going forward with Luca Donchich. Please do not forget to subscribe to the show on YouTube. you can also subscribe to it through iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Spotify.

It's another place people do it. So we're going to have a lot to cover here as the Lakers start to get into the second part of the season. LeBron reacting at All-Star Weekend to the impact that Luca has had on him, whether or not it's going to maybe keep him around the league for a little bit longer. But we'll start here, Andy. We all know that the Mark Williams trade, much to the chagrin of the Charlotte Hornets doesn't look like it's happening.

If I'm Mark Williams Wednesday because the writer's room has just been chef's kiss, the Lakers' first game back after the All-Star break is actually hosting the Hornets. And if I'm Mark Williams, I'm sitting on the Lakers side of the building. Maybe not on the Lakers bench because I'm not a member of the team, But it's been made pretty damn clear.

The Hornets don't want me. Do you remember years ago when the Knicks had Stefan Marbury in this like isolation? He was like off away from the team. Like he was getting paid, but they didn't want him around. He was just like a man without a team in exile. And the Knicks were in town to play the Lakers. And Marbury bought a courtside seat at Ben Staples. to just sit and troll the Knicks.

I do remember. If I'm Mark Williams, I do that. I do that. Or I do, I do like, I remember in, you know, go back a few decades in the movie Wildcats, when like that scene where I think it was the big, the fat lineman was like, felt insulted. So he just let the other people go through.

I want the, I want the lake, Mark Williams to do that on behalf of the Lakers like, oh, I'm going to play rim defense. No, I'm not. I don't think he's going to be on the court, dude. I don't think he's going to be playing. Well, let's see if they can work this thing out.

They've got to figure out something. Oh, I don't put them on the court until I've worked things out. I do. They might not. I do. Because I think it's the best interest for the Lakers. Although I guess to some degree, what's the worst thing that could happen? The Hornets lose these games.

I mean, maybe in that sense, they play them 48 minutes. Which sounds ideal. There's a lot of things to figure out. So, you know, but this I thought was interesting because, you know, the Lakers do this deal, Andy, because in part, I mean, obviously you trade Anthony Davis the way you kind of have a desperate and obvious need for a center. And Mark Williams from talent standpoint is, is better than anybody. You're going to find, you know, better than any name that was out there, you know, going into the trade deadline. So the Lakers make this deal,

though, in part because Luca Donchich, who has been on the team at this point for an hour, you know, when this is going on, wants a center that is like Mark Williams, a guy who can get above the rim with a lot of reach, with some offensive skill, who can, you know, and be a good pick and roll partner on Allie, you partner, vertical threat and all that kind of stuff. The Lakers go make this deal. Now, obviously it doesn't work out. They give him the physical.

They give Williams a physical. And the Lakers decide that over the long term, they cannot do this. Like, he's just not going to hold up well enough to make this happen. But the reaction from Luca Donchich's camp, according to Mark Stein in his substack that everybody really should be subscribing to. If you're an NBA fan,

this is well worth the money that it costs. Particularly until Stein runs out of gossip to report on Dallas's end because he's as plugged into the Mavericks as anybody. And he's getting a lot of info from the Dallas side. I would say at this point, trying to justify this deal, trying to spin it so far very, very unsuccessful.

It's not where I look. It is there, it is not an impossibility that down the road, Nico Harrison could be, you know, vindicated by all this. But for the time being, it's just like if you're Dallas, you just got to kind of eat it and, and see what happens. But, you know, point being here, you know, Stein reports that the, the impact rather than perhaps Luca and his folks being upset, the Lakers, in fact, do not have another center, no disrespect to the acquisition of

Alex Len. The reaction was, wow, we told you what kind of player we want. And you guys, led by Rob Polinka, went out there and made a big swing to try and get us the type of talent, get us the team, but also me as a player, Luca Dantra, is the type of player that I really thrive with. And that's the part. It's not. It's not. not the absence of center, according to Stein, that Team Luca is focused on. It's the effort. And when you are trying to make a positive impression on a guy who, technically speaking, is not obligated to stay with you beyond, you know, over the long term, that is a nice first impression. So kudos to the front office for that one.

side note, if Anthony Davis had not strained his ab during this first game with the Mavericks, he would have eventually strained his abs from throwing up, watching Rob Belinka move heaven and earth to immediately get the center that he's been complaining about for five years that he didn't have. It's nice to, you know, I think most of us understand it's always better to be young when you're trying to get people to do things for you. young get treated better than the old we get put out to pasture. It's true. Yeah, I mean, Luca, I think ultimately understood, A, he's with a team that wants him, like, clearly wants him because they immediately said, what will it take to make this deal happen, as opposed to Dallas, who was canvassing what will it take to make you take our generational superstar who's not yet in his prime. so he feels wanted right away.

But also I think he understood, like, if I'm going to hitch my wagon to the Lakers, you know, even if he hasn't made up his mind, I'm sure he is mulling it. You want to make sure that you are in as good a position as possible big picture. And if Mark Williams, if they have reasons to believe that this is too dicey a proposition because of his health, considering how quickly they tried to get him in the first place, I'm sure Luca is going to trust their judgment. So it's not win-win in the sense that the Lakers wanted Mark Williams and they have to deal at minimum this season with that hole.

But big picture, it's win-win in the sense that they tried to impress Luca, and thus far Luca seems impressed. And it wasn't. look, the Williams trade, and we talked about this, as much we like it as like, you know, on paper, which is a lot of where Williams exists, not to be me, but like he's played 85 games, I believe, of the three seasons that he's eligible to play.

You know, it is a, you drop his skill set into the Lakers lineup, and it's like, wow, this is a big deal. flawed player, not perfect. He's not Anthony Davis defensively, whatever. But he's a very talented offensive player, especially. And he's got a longer standing reach than Wembe. So like just the physical tools are there. But it was an enormous risk for the Lakers to enter in this.

Because if you trade for Williams, you almost certainly have to give him an extension in the offseason. I think everybody understands, like in a less chaotic offseason setting, the Lakers may be able to take those same assets, plus whatever else they're able to do over the summer when the NBA calendar flips over and make a deal that is a little bit less risky. Now, they might not. Like, it is very possible that Mark Williams actually could turn out to be better than who they go get this offseason. But, you know, I, it is a, the long-term future of the Lakers isn't compromised by the trade being rescinded.

It's just the short-term ability to plug a center in with a real upgrade right now. But that doesn't seem to bother Luca. And the acquisition of Luca certainly doesn't seem to bother LeBron. And we'll explain that next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by TurboTax, and this is a message from sponsor into a TurboTax. Taxes were waiting and wondering and worrying if you were going to get any money back. And then waiting, wondering, and worrying some more. And now taxes is matching you with a turbotax expert who can do your taxes as soon as today. An expert who gives your taxes the

undivided attention as they work on your return while you get real time updates on their progress. So you can focus on your day. An expert who will find you every deduction possible, file every form, every investment, every, everything with 100% accuracy. All you need to do now is just get the most money back guaranteed. It's no waiting, no wondering, no worries. Now this is taxes. Get an expert now on turbotax.com, only available with TurboTax live, full service, real-time updates, only in iOS mobile app. See Guarantee details at turbotax.com slash guarantees. Locked-on Lakers is not just a podcast, Andy.

It's not just an ethos. It's also a newsletter. And you can register, sign yourself up for that by going to LockdownDaily.com and then clicking on Lockdowne Lakers. And then you have this show and lots of great NBA insight delivered to you every single day. And it is just, it is a nice gesture to us if you do it directly. If you go to Lockdowndaily.com, it's like you're, doing us a favor so we say thank you to you. So LeBron was talking about Luca at the All-Star

break and he was asked if Luca is the type of player he thinks that could, you know, extend his career a little bit, which we've talked about here. You know, you, if there's an archetype for the type of player, Andy, who could finally take a little bit of load, like really, truly take load away from LeBron throughout a regular season. It is a guy who is as close to a facsimile of LeBron on that side of the ball as you can really get in the NBA. And that's Luca. And he said, you know, LeBron said, you know, he hasn't really thought about how Luca might extend his career. I'm not sure I believe him. But, or if it will, you know, the idea that of playing longer with Luca will get him to stick around longer.

That I kind of believe maybe. But he did say this. Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber of player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it's something that's given me energy. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do. We've only had two games so far, and I believe he's on a minute's restriction since coming back from that cap. As he continues to get in the form, I think we could be really good going down the stretch, but we'll see what happens. We can get a little bit into this idea of how long he plays, meaning LeBron. but this idea of energy and excitement, I know, is something that you have been really following with LeBron, really going back a couple of seasons.

And it makes a lot of sense why. Yeah, absolutely. You know, there had been this school of thought that one of the reasons that you draft LeBron, beyond the idea of it's what LeBron wants, you're making your superstar happy. It's also the idea of LeBron now in season 22, age, 40, it is harder for him, by his own admission, to get through the daily slog of the 82 game regular season, particularly pre-all-Star game, when a lot of this feels at its slogiest. And you look for the different things that can possibly add either a sense of purpose or

excitement or newness. And obviously, your son on your team with you can do that. except for the fact that LeBron doesn't play with Brony for all intents and purposes. Like, Brani has played, I haven't looked lately, but I guess he's played, I'm guessing he's played under 75 minutes this season. You vamp, I'll tell you. He doesn't play much. So there's all, and the Lakers don't practice much. So other than, you know, team flights and team dinners and what, which I'm sure is enjoyable for LeBron.

And this experience is, I'm sure, great for LeBron. I would posit that there is only so much day-to-day tangible excitement and energizing that LeBron gets from Brani's presence. And frankly, there's only so much I think LeBron wants to expend being a role model for Brony. You know what I mean? Like, that's not the type of thing that I think is going to energize him in December on a Tuesday. But Luca, beyond what he brings as a player in the way he can help LeBron, all that stuff, Luca's brand new. Like, LeBron has rarely played with a player of Luca's talent because there are very few at that

level in the first place. And this is a new experience. Lucas is in a lot of ways the closest thing to young LeBron that he's ever encountered. And as much as I truly believe LeBron appreciated and respected and was grateful for the things Anthony Davis did on the court with him, there's a certain amount of help that LeBron had to provide AD in order to turn around and reciprocate the help for LeBron. And also just by nature of the position he plays for. And also it, this is going on the sixth season together. Like the newness factor long gone.

This is something brand new for LeBron. And I think that matters. And I will, there's, we'll get deeper into this after the break. There's another significant reason. I think the AD thing in, in terms of this, just contextually for this, for this aspect of energy and interest and excitement was reaching its end. By the way, 72 minutes for Brian this year. I was pretty close. Yeah.

And there is, you know, it is hard to overestimate how difficult it is. You know, LeBron sat out the All-Star game because his foot and his ankle aren't behaving the way they're supposed to and he's a little banged up and this and that. But even with all that, like he played a lot of games last year. He played the Olympics. He's been in the lineup for the most part all season long this year. He is, you know, he's not the two-way guy. He has been over the course of his career. I think everybody can agree with that.

He has, to his credit, JJ Redix made a point of this, really picked up his defense. I was going to say more so late he's been a, he has been better about fulfilling sort of the minimum obligations of what you need to do. And then sometimes much better than that because of it's, It's important because of the impact it has on the rest of the team. But you can't overestimate how hard it is. His body, for the most part, continues to cooperate. Like physically, you can tell the difference between 40-year-old LeBron and 30-year-old LeBron, but 40-year-old LeBron is still out there on the floor,

and he's still one of the top-tier effective players in the NBA. Sure. argue about where I don't care but he's still that guy what's really hard is after 20 years of this 20 plus years of this staying interested in what it is that you want to do and doing the extra work that it makes more work to stay at you know to to kind of head off that decline than it used to So he's got to work harder just to maintain what he's got. And finding the motivation to get out of bed for a 5 a.m. workout or not eat the chocolate cake or, you know, limit himself to four Lobos tequilas.

Right. Lord knows you and I wouldn't. Because he gets it for free, Andy. It's not like he's got to pay for it. He likes him some wine and tequila. If you and I had access to free wine and tequila, we would not be in that good of condition. I can tell you that. But it's just like to have a guy like Luca changes like that that interest level is just it.

The motivation part of it really matters because like you say, Bronny's not changing the springtime equation. He changes like the fall like this is kind of fun. Let's go back to work and training camp. But for like a month and then I think it it sounds like I'm not being dismissive of I'm just saying there's only you can, there's only so much you can tangibly take from that before like it. The thrill. I don't want to say the thrill is over because again, I think LeBron enjoys having Brony there. But I'm talking about the charge of energy from it because they don't play together. I don't even know how much they practice together because the team doesn't practice much.

And then it has to be at a time where LeBron where Bronnie's called up and that LeBron's actually participating for. full in, like, there's a lot of different stuff. And again, there's only so much of a tangible effect. Right. I believe this can have over the course of a season. At some point. It does seem like right now, but Kobe, it seemed like for a long time, it's going to be like, you know what, it's going to be when he's sort of Dany Glovers, I'm too old for this bleep,

that he's going to drop out. Then the Achilles happen and, you know, physically it's just not the same. LeBron, knock on wood has a. avoided that. And it does look like his mind could be the thing that gets him out of the game before his body. And I think that that energy that he's talking about is really significant. There's another aspect of it. I alluded to the AD thing that I think is also extremely significant. ESPN kind of touched on this a little bit, heading into the second half with their playoff contenders preview and we'll explain what we mean. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by hungry root.

When it comes to grocery shopping, meal planning, I've got an ongoing problem. I don't have time and I love to cook, but between work and life and trying to eat healthy, getting particular about it, like it becomes a stressing situation. You go to the grocery store, but you're rushed and you don't buy everything that you need, then you don't end up with all the stuff that you want to cook or even time to do it. And sticking to health goals, because I really do try to eat pretty clean. it becomes a struggle, but then everything changes upon discovering hungry root. Like, honestly, it's a game changer.

It's the easiest way to eat healthy without the stress. With hungry root, it's like having a personal shopper and a nutritionist all at once. They take care of the grocery shopping. They recommend meals. They recommend groceries based on your taste and your health goals. And you can include options like anti-inflammatory or high protein, gluten-free. The best part is the meals are easy to make. They're ready in 15 minutes.

or less and they're healthy, they taste great, and it's all delivered right to your door. It's a time saver, and it makes everything simple. You're going to love Hunger Route as much as I've enjoyed it. And for a limited time, get 40% off your first box and a free item in every box for life. Just go to Hungryroot.com slash locked on MBA. Use the code locked on MBA. That's Hungryroot.com slash locked on MBA to get 40% off the first box and a free item. of your choice for lifehungry root.com slash locked on MBA code locked on MBA.

Do not miss out. So ESPN Monday, I think it was Monday, we might have been over the weekend, doesn't matter, put out a, it's sort of tiers list of contenders in the Western Conference. And obviously no surprise there. The clear-cut favorite tier one, the only team in Tier 1 as at least by Kevin Pelton standards at ESPN was the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have been all season long, far and away, the best team in the conference. Tier two starts with Denver, who after a slow start has started to really gain some momentum,

and they are still the nuggets. They still have the best player on the planet in Nicola Yokic. Guys like Christian Brown are playing better. Like, he's really started to kind of quietly look good. They'll get Aaron Gordon back. like I'm not writing off the Nuggets. A team like Houston, you know, kind of in the next little tier down. And right there in tier two and a half, I guess if you want to call it that and go look at the ESPN article and decide are the Los Angeles Lakers, Andy.

And that is not a place. You know, tier two and a half. Nice. It's like, you know, platform nine and three quarters. If you're a Harry Potter fan. But like that is tier two. a, well, if something happens to Oklahoma City or maybe they're just not quite ready this year, you know, Chet sprains an ankle again, or Shea misses too many shots, whatever it is,

you're right in that next group is ready to take advantage of it. And that is not where anybody really thought the Lakers were a month ago. Yeah, to put this in a little more perspective, a little more clarity to it. they had described the Lakers as in a tier of teams that are in the mix. And in the mix is a higher tier the way Kevin Pelton had broken this down over teams that were currently playing teams. Like they have the Lakers right now as a firm playoff team, which is certainly higher than the Lakers have been considered consensus-wise for most of this season.

even like the period pre-AD trade when they were winning and playing better, but there was still a lot of, I think, anticipating either a shoe to drop or just a general lack of belief in the team. And we still have, it's funny, because we still have seen such a small sample size with Luca, who has been admittedly rusty. he's still coming back from that calf strain. By the way, the other piece of news in that Stein newsletter for this week is Laker. He did say the Lakers are going to be very careful with Luka coming back.

They, because they have the makeup game based on the fire, you know, the games lost because of the fires in L.A., they play Wednesday and Thursday. Donchich is expected to only play in one of those games. The Lakers will probably keep his minutes limit intact for a little while longer. quite frankly, I suspect the AD injury spooked them a little bit. They do not want the same thing to happen to Luca. Right. And this is going to be, I think, a feeling out process for the Lakers.

It's also at a time, by the way, where last we checked, DFS, Gabe and Vando, we're all on minutes limits on top of it. So this team is still not at complete, full, unleascible strength. And Luca is still both on a minutes limit physically recovering and still learning his teammates, other than DFS, like, who he's played for several years in Dallas with. Like, there's still a lot of learning each other going on. But there's no question that psychologically, at the very least, this team is seen differently now around the league. And it's funny, like at a time where we've seen very little of them and they're at times,

like the best end of the previous incarnation, the best version of the previous incarnation of the Lakers with LeBron and AD, even when they were playing well, is not getting the same level of, I think, respect as this version of the Lakers that you can see on paper, but there's still a lot of it that is imagination based. You know what I mean? Or like projection based. But this version of the Lakers is one that a lot of pundits around the league are clearly taking more seriously.

And I think it's less because of the Dantritch trade itself, although I think that has obviously raised the interest in the Lakers and the excitement around the Lakers. We certainly will vouch for that. But. Zadravo, y'all. but I you know there's all they were playing quite well before the trade and they were winning games playing quality defense in games that anthony davis didn't play before Luca put on a

uniform and I think had they not been doing that had they not you know one 10 of 12 and started to do some of the things that you and I have been saying like you can't even think about calling this a good team, a team that can make a run in the conference until you play well for three weeks at a time, you know, a month, you got to have at least a month somewhere of good play. They've finally done it. But to kind of tie this together to the points we were making before, LeBron is not stupid. None of these people are stupid. And they know the amount of, you know, do we got like a 5% chance? Okay, yeah, technically speaking,

we got like a 5% chance or a 10% chance of really making some noise. I'm going to talking about winning a title. I mean like conference finals, shot at a finals or something like that. Realistically, we have not played well enough to do that. And you kind of have to fool yourself and pretend that you are.

Then the Lakers start playing well. And not only does the expectation change for this year, But tying it back into AD, LeBron knows that if they don't, you know, part of the reason Luca's energizing and all that stuff and maybe changes the equation for next year and all that kind of stuff is because if LeBron and AD play as well as they can and they run it out this year, whatever, it's really hard to picture it being better next year. And I don't know if Luca and LeBron next year, the roster they're going to come back with is going to be a title contender or not.

But I can tell you it's more likely to be. And the future has more possibility to it and more upside to it with Luca than it did with AD because AD's in his 30s. And it's just that combination of guys who's just probably not going to get better. Maybe it hovers where it is, but it doesn't get better. This combination could. Yeah. And maybe it doesn't. We won't know.

I mean, we there's, you've, we've seen glimpses of what Luca can look like. But, you know, the opening two games have certainly not been up to Lucas standards. And, you know, until they can get, I think, a more proven guy at center than, you know, respectfully to Jackson Hayes, who I think is actually held down his position better than if I were to guess internally they had ever expected, much less hope for. Yeah, although I will say this. Like, when you kind of think about it, like, Josh, Jackson Hayes' skill set to maximize what he's good at, pair him with LeBron and Luca. Sure, but he had been playing well even before Lucas arrived. Sure, for sure.

But I clearly the front office feels like there's a ceiling to what you can reasonably expect from Jackson Hayes because they aggressively traded for Mark Williams. And I think that is that is an area of the roster that's going to need to be addressed before you can really feel like. this team on paper profiles to be serious championship contenders. But you are correct in just saying the upside at the very least is more imaginable with Luca than with AD because, I mean, first of it, this doesn't, this doesn't get talked about as much, but it is easier to build around Luca and LeBron than it is LeBron and AD because even though AD and LeBron play very well off each other, there's a certain amount of redundancy with them on the court together. They are more similar as players. And I think there's more

rigidity in the way you build around them. Luca and LeBron can kind of be whatever the hell you want them to be. And I think there's more freedom and flexibility in putting pieces around them because they just, they are both so uniquely versatile. And it's weird because they're closer as players than LeBron and AD are. But LeBron and AD, I feel like are more redundant when you are trying to build around them. It's just, it's, it is a setup that does more for the Lakers going forward. And it's just exciting, you know, like, it's exciting to see what the possibilities are.

I think, you know, LeBron, I believe him when he says he, because I don't think Luca is going to be the thing. I think he's just aside one day, I don't want to play anymore or whatever. But if you are in the business of trying to extend LeBron's career, if you're the Lakers who I do think want, especially now, because it's like, you know, the future is kind of established. Now you kind of want LeBron to stick around as long as you can, as long as he's effective. for LeBron to have that feeling where he doesn't have to fake it, like convince himself that meaningful spring basketball is possibility. I think that is one of the things going into every season beyond a farewell tour and all that other stuff that will motivate him to keep doing the work.

Honestly, I don't know if the Lakers necessarily want LeBron to play longer, but we know they're never going to force him out the door. So as long as he chooses to be here, you want the most flexibility to put teams around him with him on a roster. And Luca allows more possibilities for that. Regardless of internally how long they want LeBron to stick around or not, they're never going to ask him to leave. They don't do that.

So this is a better setup for that. Yeah, whether they should or should, and I guess is a conversation for a different day that you and I might feel differently about, but it's not one that we need to be having in mid-February because he ain't going anywhere right now. Locked on Liggers on YouTube is we can go hang out with over around or something like.

It's 32,000. Okay, 32,000 subscribers to the channel. Please stick with us as we get ready for the final 30 or so games of the second half. Starting on Wednesday, the back-to-back again, Luca may or may not play in both of them probably just one, according to Stein, but some big games coming up for the Lakers. They really do need to get off to a good start in the second half

to keep this nice position that they're in. We'll see everyone tomorrow.