Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron Won't Play vs. Timberwolves, Reaves Questionable... and Pelinka Snubbed in NBA Exec Poll.

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey everyone, welcome to Locked on Lakers for Friday, Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komeneski. The Lakers are back to work tonight in Minnesota, but LeBron James didn't make the flight. Talk about who's going to play 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 Lockdown Lakers. First listen of every day Monday through Friday, how or where you get your podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:36 This one's always free, never behind a paywall. and Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 26,000 subscribers to the channel, Andy, all of whom are wondering what's going on with LeBron James because he did not. I realized after listening to myself say the cold open, I said he didn't make the flight as if he was like late or something like that. He just missed it, like he overslept. He didn't travel because presumably because his foot is still bugging him and the Lakers want to give more rest.

Starting point is 00:01:04 He has not been with the team this week, remains not with the team, because the team is in Minnesota and he is not. So we'll talk about that. Who is going to start? And Austin Reeves may or may not be available for tonight's game. He is listed as questionable. I want to let everybody know that today's episode brought to you by Robin Hood. Robin Hood Gold provides the privileges of a high net worth for any net worth.

Starting point is 00:01:30 These generous benefits are now available for only $5 a month. The new gold standard is here with Robin Hood Gold. Sign up at robin hood.com slash gold. So no LeBron. When we were doing our big, wonder what's going on episode for Thursday, we certainly did talk about the possibility that health is a reason, the reason that LeBron isn't with the team.

Starting point is 00:01:56 As opposed to health, but also messaging, passive aggressiveness, yada, yada, yada. And the good news is you don't even have to choose. It can be a lot of things. Well, no, but we offer. the idea that it could be both as opposed to just won the passive aggressiveness. Right. And it could just be health.

Starting point is 00:02:16 And so all the messaging from Brian Winhorse who did the reporting at ESPN was, if you missed it, you know, the warriors are again kicking the tires on LeBron James. Would be very interested in acquiring him is the report if LeBron were to make himself available, which, by the way, again, he has to do because the Lakers can't just trade him to the Warriors. he has to agree to be traded to the warriors. So Wendy noted that there is no indication that LeBron wants to do that, but his lack of presence in El Segundo, I don't know, got people talking. So the bigger question becomes in the short term, this health thing with his foot,

Starting point is 00:02:59 he is not making the trip. Generally speaking, if you don't even travel and they're 100% sure you're not going to play. It often, I'm not going to say with LeBron because I think the rules are a little bit different, but it often means that you are a little further away from playing again right away. And I will say if LeBron were to miss tonight's game in Minnesota and then skip Sunday's game against the Grizzlies, he would have another essentially full week to rest. It would be basically two weeks, almost full between games. So I'm really interested to see what the Lakers do here.

Starting point is 00:03:40 And also, too, when you get a little bit more of a definitive report on what's going on. Yeah, that's one of the things that we have not gotten a lot of clarity on in terms of what is specifically bothering him with his foot. Is this a continuation of the general foot soreness that has been something for LeBron over the last few years? Or if this is something newer, more specific, I hope not, but potentially. more complicated. It also raises the question beyond how do they play without LeBron for likely one, maybe two games coming up, and that is something we're going to talk about. It raises the question of what happens if two full weeks off doesn't seem to sustainably do the trick because it goes without saying you can't keep giving LeBron two weeks off periodically because that starts turning

Starting point is 00:04:34 into multiple games. Right. You have this stretch where due to the NBA Cup corkiness of the schedule, two weeks means, well, he did miss the Portland game. So it would be three games that he would miss, including the Portland game. The only other thing that's even kind of comparable to that is the All-Star break. So, you know, which, you know, he would probably be present at the game, but could theoretically not play.

Starting point is 00:05:01 Right. So there's a lot about this that we don't know yet, whether we're talking about present information or future outcomes, but it does reinforce something we've been talking about a lot, which is that it's just growing more difficult for LeBron to do the things that he wants to be doing and what the Lakers need for him to be doing on a game-in, game-out basis because the age and, attrition is just catching up more to him.

Starting point is 00:05:32 Like it's as much it is as much as it is legitimately amazing that he is able to perform at this level at all, this long into his season. I mean, this is truly unprecedented stuff without a template. It has not been seamless. And one of the things I point out a lot is that, and this is when people talk about LeBron being ageless, I always push back on, it looks so much. damn harder for him. Like this stuff used to look easy for LeBron. And it doesn't anymore. And that's because LeBron, contrary to popular belief, is not a cyborg. He's human. And these things eventually catch up

Starting point is 00:06:13 to all athletes. And how the Lakers go about negotiating this specific situation is one thing. And what we're eventually going to be seeing is how they go about negotiating it moving forward. and what that means for the prospects of this team. I think it's interesting too because we discussed Thursday, go back and listen to it if you missed Thursday's show. What's the matter with you if you did? But it happens, I understand. But go back and listen.

Starting point is 00:06:46 We had this conversation, a lot of it based around like the mental versus the physical. And one of the things that strikes me is that part of the reason it looks so much harder is because when the athleticism starts to slip, you have to rely on some of it. It becomes harder because you have to be more sort of technically perfect. You have to be much more smarter about how you work your way through games. You have to be more calculated about stuff. It requires a lot more mental energy as well to do the same amount of work,

Starting point is 00:07:25 to get the same output. So it gets harder physically, which makes it get harder mentally. And so I was wondering if some of this break is at least related to the idea of, you know, recharging a little bit. You know, you saw even like these preseason reports of part of the reason the Lakers wanted Brani around was the idea that LeBronin would be kind of uplifted by Brani's presence. It would give them something kind of new and charge them up a little bit and all that kind of stuff. And while I think there's a lot of that is open to interpretation, what it does reinforce is just the idea that 22 years in finding ways to kind of, you know, to use the cliche to keep it fresh is really hard.

Starting point is 00:08:16 And so if he needs the break to get his foot right and it's combined with. a little time to get the brain right again. I think that's fine. But I agree with you. It raises all kinds of questions about, you know, I gave it the rest of this year. But certainly, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:40 the time that the Lakers and LeBron have together. I mean, and all kinds of things could impact it based on what the answers to those questions are. I'm not like trying to, I'm not throwing dirt on LeBron. I just, I found late stage Kobe to be fascinating. I find late stage LeBron to be fascinating because so much of this is different

Starting point is 00:09:03 and requires different skill sets than what these guys showed earlier in their careers. Sure. And I mean, when you say that it's fine for LeBron, I agree in the sense that it is understandable. Like in the most literal sense, you can understand why. why this would be a thing, like why this would be something difficult for LeBron. It frankly requires very little intelligence at all to understand why it would be a thing. It's not fine in the sense that it becomes more difficult to actually build a functional team around this. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:09:47 Like specifically a functional team that is built in a lot of ways. not just around LeBron, but around accommodating LeBron. Well, but it's also, and to be clear, I'm not saying it's fine if he needs one of these mental breaks every, you know, once a month, he needs to take two weeks. Again, that's simply not sustainable. That's not a viable plan. It's not sustainable. But like if you can do two things at once where the extra time off would be beneficial

Starting point is 00:10:17 and it doesn't cost you a lot of games and it has the additional benefit of, Then I think it's, that's what I mean when I say it's fine. You can kind of do both things at once. The Lakers are going to take the floor tonight without LeBron, but they might take the floor with Austin Reeves back in the lineup. Whether he plays or doesn't play, they got some interesting lineup decisions to make, cover it next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Robin Hood.

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Starting point is 00:11:57 the game. It's another way to kind of take in some postgame. analysis for the Lakers, and of course, we will do our regular post-game show as well. So lots and lots and lots of content for you, hopefully celebrating a Lakers win. Reeves plays versus Reeves doesn't play. Let's say he's back in the lineup. Let's be optimistic, but you still don't have LeBron. What do you think the starting lineup looks like?

Starting point is 00:12:23 It's interesting. I was looking over the last game where the Lakers lost by 29. Dilo was the only Laker who played very well and was one of the only Lakers who played even moderately well. Like Rui had a pretty good, if not, I think, involved enough game. And everyone else was somewhere between meh and terrible. It could make the argument for putting them in the starting lineup, particularly if two, Reeves doesn't play. I feel like you want to get AD off to a good start and getting AD off to a good start,

Starting point is 00:12:56 I think would be made easier and more successful by having DELO in there to help set him up more. If beyond that, I mean, it's felt. If it doesn't start that I think you almost have to. With no LeBron and no Reeves, I think you have to put DELO in the starting line. Yeah, I mean, look, you don't have to in the sense that J.J. Redick has not been doing it. And it has felt like he has been leaning towards ways. We've talked about this to start Gabe Vincent to try to find more of an offense, defense, balance. It's tricky to know what to do with this many one-way players and how to try to find that balance.

Starting point is 00:13:44 Right, because maybe I should walk that back a little bit because you also do want the capacity to have some ball handling off the bench. You've got to stagger. You're going to have to stagger Vincent and Russell throughout the game and we'll probably need to play them together a lot anyway. Right. In that, look, if Reeves isn't there, you're just staggering these two guys, period. And that's just kind of the end of it, no matter who starts, who comes off the bench, whatever, they're both going to be playing a lot. I mean, it really comes down to choices between Christy, connect, Vincent, or Delo. I don't think he's, I mean, as far as trying to predict this, this is what actually speaks to the problem.

Starting point is 00:14:28 It's not easy. It's why I ask the question. It's like the reason you've sort of been able to start, not start DeLow in part with LeBron is because, I mean, even when Reeves was out, it was because you have LeBron as that ball handler and initiator. If LeBron doesn't play and Reeves doesn't play and you know,

Starting point is 00:14:50 and you're still like, I think, you know, max is a decent connect. passing passer and stuff like that. We've tried Max Christie as even point guard or secondary ball handler. It is not good. It is not work.

Starting point is 00:15:04 I asked the question as much because I think it reinforces some of the, like you just mentioned, the either or the roster shortcomings of the lack of depth the Lakers are working with right now. Yeah, also too. It just the last win over Portland. I mean, I realized that was a starting. one through three of Vincent Connect and Christie, but I don't know how much proof of concept there is from beating a team that bad.

Starting point is 00:15:33 And to make it clear, the Lakers needed to come out and play the way they did, and DeLo, Rui, and AD were really, really good in those games. I think by any measure they played well, I just don't know if you can say that you discovered something for the potential LeBronless and Reeves list lineup. from that one game. If Reeves isn't there, I feel like with all the length and defensive disruptive disruptiveness that Minnesota can provide, I think it would make a lot of sense to start Dilo, just to try to get this team off to a good start offensively.

Starting point is 00:16:16 I think it's important that they don't fall behind early, particularly if they're playing without LeBron and AD. I have been increasingly wondering whether it's better to play Connect off the bench because he's been seemingly out of rhythm or not involved in the same ways over the last few games. You noted last week the home road splits for Connect are crazy. Yes. And even setting that aside for the moment, his recent play just hasn't been That's good.

Starting point is 00:16:52 I think it's, it is not. For those who don't remember, the last time I, the last time I looked at this, Connects three point percentage at home versus on the road was about 20% lower on the road. And about 10ish percent overall worse from the field. Like those are, for those who don't follow splits regularly, those are very wide splits. And I did the thing with Connect that I think is really important to remember is the, part of the reason he's able to be effective is because you can put him with Austin Reeves and you can put him with LeBron James and you can do that stuff and these guys who are excellent

Starting point is 00:17:31 pastors and creators. And so he is doing more stuff off the catch. He's doing more stuff in open floor. He's doing more things with fewer eyeballs looking at him all the time and what he's doing. And that extra 10th of a second, half second way. whatever it is to get your shot off to take an extra dribble, whatever it might be is beneficial to him. And so when you start taking really good players out of the lineup,

Starting point is 00:17:59 it hurts supporting guys like Connect, I think even more. And so, because you're still not, you know, turning your offense over to him. And I'm not sure the results would be that good even if he. He's still a rookie.

Starting point is 00:18:11 So with that, I think you can't look at Connect as the same player. if when Reeves and LeBron don't play. And so then moving him to the bench becomes less of a sacrifice. I think you're not being like, well, where is the scoring going to come from? Because it's not going to come from Connect, I don't think. If some of these, it is less likely to come from Connect if some of these other guys aren't available in starting lineup. So I think that plays into Reddick's calculus here too.

Starting point is 00:18:44 Were I to guess if both LeBron and AD, I mean both LeBron and Reeves don't play, that I'm going to guess that JJ is going to go with the lineup that started against Portland. That's just my guess. If Reeves is back, my guess is it's going to be Gabe Reeves, connect, Rui, AD. That's my guess. Keep connecting the starting lineup. Yep, that's my guess. I'm kind of getting fond of the idea of starting Max in these situations. As he's starting to play a little bit better, we talked about this early in the week. I mean, none of it is you're picking from a lot of imperfect options.

Starting point is 00:19:29 But in terms of trying to get the best defensive lineup where you're still not totally saccharacter. The way Max is moving, I think the shot is starting to come a little bit and all that kind of stuff. and he really is a significantly better defender than Dulton Connect. You lose a little bit of that three-point threat, but if Connect isn't sort of producing at that high level, I'm not sure how much, I think at this point on the sort of streak he's on, any team, Minnesota or whoever,

Starting point is 00:20:06 will make him prove it before they start being like, don't help stay on him and opening up those lanes that are so critical. Either way, the thing that I don't anticipate happening is Delo starting. They seem more inclined to keep Delo in that bench roll. We shall see. I think you can make strong arguments for starting him. It's just not what I think is going to happen. So we see all kinds of player polls and stuff like that where guys like get ranked, Andy, because based on like, you know, whether it's media doing it or other players or whatever. ESPN is a very interesting service. out where they pulled front office people about the best front office people in the league.

Starting point is 00:20:51 And spoiler alert, Rob Polinka did not finish high. We'll talk about it next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Fandall. You can tackle the NFL action with Fandle, America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. You can get $150 in bonus bets if you win. So find a very obvious looking no-brainer. Put down just $5.

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Starting point is 00:21:49 And again, you get started with $150 in bonus bets. If you win your first $5 bet, fandul.com, never waste a hunch, make every moment more with Fandle, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. So I'm going to count backwards, Andy, on this ESPN poll that was the athletic. It was the athletic. Thank you. I realized that after I said it when you got into the break. But the athletic has their poll where they surveyed front office people,

Starting point is 00:22:22 across the league. And 10 teams were sort of ranked in that there's a and also receiving votes at number 10. The San Antonio Spurs behind R.C. Buford, long time leader there. And the Golden State Warriors at number nine. Number eight, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Number seven, the Orlando Magic. Some people might be surprised by that, but they've been a really nice job putting that team back together. The Knicks with Leon Rose at number six. They've had a pretty run. remarkable turnaround and Leon Rose has done good work there. Tim Connolly with the Minnesota Timberwolves is number five. Number four, the Memphis Grizzlies and Zach Clyman.

Starting point is 00:23:03 That is a low-key, outstanding effort, Pat Riley with the heat at number three. The Boston Celtics and Brad Stevens at number two, not really hard to explain that one. And really no surprise here. Sam Presti at number one with the Oklahoma City Thunder. We'll get back to why he's number one here. in a second, some things that jumped out to both of us, even before we started talking about it. But, Andy, there's another section for also receiving votes,

Starting point is 00:23:31 just like you would in any other poll or survey. Indiana and Houston are in there, and then Philadelphia, Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, and even the Washington Wizards and L.A. Clippers, Andy, each got a single vote. Nothing for the Lakers, Not even a measly also receiving votes.

Starting point is 00:23:55 I'm not going to lie. It is not surprising. I mean, before we even get into the merits of Rob Polinkas tenure, how much, you know, how much, how many accolades he deserves, does not deserve, the impression I've always gotten is that he is not particularly popular among his peers. So that's always going to be an obstacle from the get-go, the idea that most of your peers at least from what I've heard and impressions I've seen don't particularly like him. So that's not going to help.

Starting point is 00:24:28 That being said, the last handful of years, championship acknowledged and a Western Conference run acknowledged, has been very up and down for the Lakers. There is the Rust deal. There is the Alex Caruso decision. there is the three coaches since 2019 thing. And there's also just the lack of definitive direction with this organization or seemingly not just what the direction is, but methodology to get there. I think the perception is that what they've won, they've tend to win by accident.

Starting point is 00:25:14 or at the very least that there was nothing particularly innovative or, you know, insightful about the way that Rob put the team together. And then if you're working with a foundation of LeBron, James, and Anthony Davis, you ought to be able to get yourself to a finals. You ought to be able to have a Western conference finals in there somewhere. And like so, and I think there's a perception, and I don't think it's unfair, that the Lakers front office is really bad at detail. They've made a lot of small mistakes that have hurt them over the course of the last few years,

Starting point is 00:25:49 whether it's how you put together a contract, whether that's two years versus three, whether it's all these little things that we've discussed throughout the time on the show. And so I'm not surprised even with these sort of, I agree with you, kind of anti-rob inclination that I think most front offices have. I don't think a lot of other executives are itching to give tons of credit to the lake. anyway. So fine, but setting all that aside, he doesn't belong in the top 10 to begin with. What really struck out, struck out to me, and I know stuck out to you as well, though, is when you go and you read this rundown, and it's put together by Sam Amick and John Hollinger and

Starting point is 00:26:32 Mike Vorkunov at the athletic, it's not just Sam Presti. It's the entire front office at the Thunder that rank really highly. And you see. start to go through it and it's Presti and they list a bunch of people that people may not know about it. Rob Hanigan and a guy named Jesse Gould has been there forever and Wynne Sullivan, another executive has been there for a really long time. And there's this depth of leadership and depth of expertise and knowledge inside this front office that goes beyond the guy that most people think is the best in the league anyway. He is also surrounding. himself with other excellent people.

Starting point is 00:27:17 And that's what really stuck out to me is you have this fantastic front office, or a fantastic executive. And it's part of a really good front office where you have multiple minds all working and all doing stuff and making things happen. And the Lakers don't have that. No, it's an extension of a big issue I've had with this organization going back to when Jim Bus and Mitch Cupcheck were running it post, you know, Dr. Bus's passing. And, you know, that's when it especially became, I think, really important because they lost

Starting point is 00:27:55 that leadership at the top that, you know, that everybody had confidence in. They're too insulated for their own good. Like Rob Polinka's hiring was in part a result of that insulation. Magic when he was Rob's boss was in part a byproduct of that. that insulation, Kurt Rambus, Linda Rambus. Like, it is all people with these very direct, tangible connections to the Lakers that seemingly gives Jeannie Bus, I don't even want to say confidence as much as comfort in having them there. And it's become very clear that Jeannie values her personal confidence and her personal comfort

Starting point is 00:28:41 in the people that she puts the top of the organization more than their professional acumen. But it goes beyond that. And she won't look, she will not, why, I think it matters because if you won't, if you will not look beyond that immediate circle, unless that immediate circle consists of incredible minds, you're never going to find anybody else. Sure, but that's not just, but that's not even it. It's, at least to me, it's, I agree with you that they're too. too insular and they always look to them, you know, people they know and all this other stuff.

Starting point is 00:29:14 But that does not necessarily preclude them from hiring for other people to work in the basketball ops department. That either happens because Rob Polinka doesn't want to because he doesn't want to put more people around him. He doesn't want to have the guy in the front office who could theoretically be his replacement. Or it happens because Jeannie doesn't want to. to pay for it. Or it's a sort of combination of those two things. Or, you know, or, but like, or she's uncomfortable paying anybody that she doesn't know it as well.

Starting point is 00:29:54 I just, I would, I don't. Okay, then that's a failure of ownership. I mean, because I mean, if she's that easy, this is why I don't buy what you're putting out there. If Jeannie wanted to do this, unless she is that easily manipulated by Polinka, this is something. This is something. she would say, I want to do this. You're either on board with it, Rob, or go hit the bricks and find a different job. She clearly doesn't want to do that. I do not think the reason that the Lakers

Starting point is 00:30:23 don't have more people in their front office is because Jeannie's uncomfortable hiring outside the organization. Outside that. I think it's because either, but like there are a lot of things that Jeannie should, you know, could do whatever where if she was a different kind of owner might draw a harder line in the sand

Starting point is 00:30:39 with Polinka. If Rob, Rob came to her and said, I want to hire these three people. And they're not people that are rich with Lakers ties. And he said, I want to hire these people. And she said no. Then is she saying no because I don't know them? We'll bring him in for an interview and stuff like that. I think it's,

Starting point is 00:31:02 I think it happens because either the organization doesn't want to pay for it or Rob doesn't want to add more people to his front. But it's all circular because the beginning piece of this. is always people that she knows. But that's what I'm getting. Does Rob want more people? Has he gone to Jeannie Bus? If she's saying no, then that is a failure on Jeannie.

Starting point is 00:31:21 It's still a failure to be like for her not to say, I demand that you find four more people to go into that. But that's not the kind of executive that she is. She just doesn't operate that way. And so she defers to these people that she is comfortable with. And clearly there are not voices in that organization. If she's willing to pay for it, there are not people in the organization telling her that it's necessary because the leaders in there tend to be people who are more interested in C.YA than they are. Or let me finish.

Starting point is 00:31:55 Or she is choosing not to spend the money. I do not believe that Rob and Kurt and Linda and all these people are coming to her and saying, we need more people in this front office. And she's just like, yeah, I could pay for it. I don't mind that. It's not the money. It's just that I don't know them. I don't believe that. I think you're missing a simpler issue.

Starting point is 00:32:19 She doesn't see the need for it to begin with. Right. Sure. Beyond price, beyond comfort level, whatever. She doesn't see the need for. But shouldn't the people, then that, and that's also a failure of the people who work for her, to not tell her, we need more people here. Because the people that are, I agree.

Starting point is 00:32:35 Here's where I think I agree with you. They are, again, more interested in CYA, and they do not, want other people in the front office that can point a light on their own failures. So you get the worst of both. But there is a, there are many potential explanations as to why the Lakers front office is as small as it is. All of them are bad. Sure.

Starting point is 00:33:02 All of them. And so like, do I believe that the starting point is they don't hire, they don't cast the net wide enough? Absolutely. But I don't think that's the ultimate explanation as to why they are in the situation they're in. The small staffs that they have scouting everywhere up and down the organization. That may be. That may be, but it's people who don't want other people around.

Starting point is 00:33:27 That may be, but to me it's the ultimate cause because if you were comfortable going outside the organization, you just would have found other people and canned everyone that's currently there. She will not go outside the organization, outside that inner circle that's been with her for 20, 30, years. Therefore, I wonder if they're, but I wonder if the people that she's hired are even recommending it. They should be. I wonder if they are. Again, I put, I put it more on her as the person in charge to recognize what needs to happen than the people that work under her to hold her hand. I can, I can live with that. I'm not trying to absolve Jeannie. I'm just saying, I know you're not. There's a lot of responsibility with everybody. And I don't think the people,

Starting point is 00:34:09 And I think it is a flaw in the people that she's hired that they do not want smart people around. Well, then maybe part of the problem also is that, you know, while these people might be lovely as people outside of that organization, she does not judge her inner circle particularly well in terms of their professional character. Have you mentioned a few times you don't necessarily think she's great at her job as a, you know, the lead, the lead owner of the of the team from a basketball standpoint? I have. Well, this is part of the reason why. So she, you know, so anyway, that's all the time we have. There's a game tonight. We'll be back afterwards, of course, check out the postcast, check out the newsletter and Lockdown Liquors on YouTube, and you go hang out, subscribe there.

Starting point is 00:34:59 Lots of ways to stay in contact the show. We'll see everyone after the game.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron Won't Play vs. Timberwolves, Reaves Questionable... and Pelinka Snubbed in NBA Exec Poll.

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