Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luka Dončić (Hamstring) Out Vs. Dallas... Should He Skip the All-Star Game?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Luca Donchich won't play Thursday against the Mavericks, but still wants to play in the All-Star game. Is it safe to let him? We'll tell you why you should be nervous. That's 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, through Friday, sometimes on weekends, and even more than once a day.

Starting point is 00:00:34 Now is everybody seeing no matter how where you get your podcast, whether you're a Spotify guy and Apple guy, maybe you're one of the 37,000-plus subscribers to the Lockdown Lakers YouTube channel. No matter how you're doing it, Andy, you are part of making the Lockdown Lake, a Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network, and this or any other known universe. I am Brian Kaminowski. You heard me mentioning Andy Kaminowski. We have both covered the Lakers together, about 20 years now almost. for the LA Times, for ESPN, for the athletic.

Starting point is 00:01:04 All-Star weekend is usually a time where at least one or two Lakers are being celebrated because they're good and popular and exciting. This year's a little bit of an exception because the lone Laker, who is going to be involved in the game, Luke Donchich. I'm sorry, well, no. Bron's also in the game. Right, LeBron, but LeBron and LeBron is scheduled. How soon we forget.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Forget. You're already kicking the old man's carcass out the door. I was thinking about who is playing and not playing in these games leading up and the rules to that. So LeBron will be available. But Luca, Andy, he's not going to play on Thursday. And LeBron and Austin Reeves are scheduled to play. They are off the injury report. Cooper Flagg is not going to play on Thursday. So the television overlords aren't loving.

Starting point is 00:02:02 exactly how this is going. We'll break down what this means for the game itself. At least it's not as bad from a pure marketing perspective as the picture that they were using for Lakers Spurs, which was side by side of Wembe and Rui. We're basically with the starting five of the Lakers out and their three biggest names, Luca, Austin, LeBron out. The biggest star they had globally at the very least was Rui Otramura. So basically it was Wembe stepping into the house of Rui.

Starting point is 00:02:43 Whose house, Rui's house? I was at the Grove before the, before opening night. And this was before the Grove big for people who aren't in L.A., big outdoor shopping mall, kind of a fun, fancy place to go do a little of shopping next to the farmer's market. you know, kind of iconic location in LA. And, you know, before opening night, they had these giant screens with, you know, LeBron and Steph and this and that. And then sciatica happened.

Starting point is 00:03:12 And I happened to go back for a return like two days later. And it was Steph and Luca in the thing like they do erase LeBron. So these things happen. And at least they're not printing them on a paper. I was in Phoenix. I was in Phoenix. last off season before Kevin Durant was officially traded to Houston, but after the trade had been reported, and I was in this outdoor mall plaza in Phoenix, and there was this entire, I guess,

Starting point is 00:03:50 a pillar that was wrapped with Kevin Durant as a son, like in a son uniform, as everybody knew that he was on his way to Houston. I'm like, Sons. And by the way, this plaza was basically across the street from the Suns Arena. I was like, folks, get on this. Come on, you. You had one job. So Luca is not going to play Thursday.

Starting point is 00:04:15 And that is the avenue that you can take to not play in the All-Star game. You know, if you play in your final game before you go to the, unless you and you really visibly injure yourself in that game. You cannot, the league does not allow you to load manage your way out of the All-Star game. That said, that's not the issue with Luca. Luca wants to play. Dave McManaman reported from ESPN that, you know, Luca is still hoping to be able to participate in the All-Star game.

Starting point is 00:04:55 Play, play a lot. I'm not sure, but at the very least participate in the game. And I think the reasoning for that is pretty simple. A, you know, it's an honor to be involved in it. That's something that, you know, it's just kind of, you know, it's nice. But I think more importantly for Luca, he was voted in by fans. And for particularly for him with a large following in Slovenia, and a large international following generally.

Starting point is 00:05:30 And his sensitivity towards fans, phenomenal with people, like signs every autograph, all that stuff. I think it's particularly important for him to acknowledge that acknowledgement by playing in the game. He's also gone really far out of his way in particular to ingratiate himself with the Laker fan community and Los Angeles as well on top of all the international that you're referencing. and this would be the first time he would be in the All-Star game as a Laker,

Starting point is 00:06:01 like participating because last year he was injured during the All-Star game. I don't remember what he was technically doing during it or anything like that. Like the timing of it would mean repping the Lakers, but I don't believe he actually played in the thing at all. I don't think he was actually. No, it was hurt. Right. So this would be his first time on top of everything that you mentioned.

Starting point is 00:06:25 mentioned before, this would be his first time reppping the Lakers in an All-Star game as the official extended face of the Lakers. So again, I think that means something to him. At the same time, though, the Lakers, perhaps with Lucas's blessing, perhaps with him not fully being on board yet or whatever, have created the plausible deniability for him not to play in this game. This is, as we discussed, leading into this game. weekend. This is very common for teams to do if they are if they have a player that technically can

Starting point is 00:07:02 play leading up to the all-star game, but it may not be in the best interest of the team as they're looking to ramp up towards the playoffs. And you want to give your star player some extra rest. But at the same time, there are league obligations. This is a very common workaround. Yeah, I'll be honest, I don't think that's what they're doing here. I mean, it's pretty clear. I'm not saying it is what doing. I'm saying it's they've opened the door for it to take place because it could turn into that. Right. I think but to me it's it's one of these deals where if Luca, Luca's playing in the in the all-star game is independent in my mind of playing on Thursday. Those two things do not really. I do not think he is ready to play NBA basketball.

Starting point is 00:07:55 um as of yet um by i think this you know the hope is by i guess it's sunday he'll be able to play all-star basketball you notice i did not put i did not give those things the same name if you are somebody who is worried about luca playing the concern isn't necessarily that the game itself is going to put him in a position where he's got to work harder than the other way i actually suspect that in a lot of ways, whatever rehab Luca is doing to try to get himself ready to play would probably ask him to exert himself more than the energy he would need to put out for 10 minutes, 8 minutes, 6 minutes in the All-Star game. Where I do think the risk comes in is something happens that, you know, triggers Luca just

Starting point is 00:08:49 get a little bit more competitive, you know, having a little bit too much fun, whatever it might be, and you push it just a little bit, or it's feeling good, and you try something a little bit, a little bit more fun, whatever it might be. That to me is, you know,

Starting point is 00:09:05 I mentioned in the open, like a reason to be concerned would be Luca just kind of pushing himself a little bit more, more than the game itself, because the game won't do it, I don't think. Generally speaking, they don't.

Starting point is 00:09:18 There's always the rare all-star game where Dwayne Wade breaks Kobe's nose or vice versa, whichever. It was Kobe breaking. One of them broke the other one's nose. I don't remember which one, but regardless, that happened. It's pretty rare that anybody ever gets injured or anything like that in the All-Star game. But the point also being, if you've gone this far with Luca resting up and Luca trying to get himself back,

Starting point is 00:09:48 and he's already had a few soft tissue, lower extremity injuries anyway, Anything that doesn't feel necessary will make a team anxious just because if the 3% chance, 2% chance that Luca somehow did something that exacerbates this during an All-Star game after the time that he's already missed and the limited time that this team, after the All-Star break, really has to get their proverbial bleep together and try to do. gel into the best version of themselves with the highest ceiling realistically possible, knowing that Luca, LeBron, and Austin have played a grand total of 10 games, not even 10 full games together. That would be ultimately the anxiety. Do I think the odds of Luca getting

Starting point is 00:10:46 hurt in this thing are high or even mild? No, it just feels unnecessary to even put it out there. when you're dealing with this sort of thing. I think of you truth serum Lakers management, they just as soon cannot play. So despite the fact that it is an honor and a showcase for the Lakers, we'll talk about the game itself.

Starting point is 00:11:11 As I mentioned, both LeBron and Austin Reeves are off the injury report entirely, which isn't super surprising. Both of them will play, barring any kind of weird setback, DeAndre Aiton is questionable, I believe, for this one. So no word on yet.

Starting point is 00:11:30 That'll probably be more of a game time decision. But without Cooper flag for Dallas, this game becomes very different. And we'll explain why it matters a lot. Next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by TurboTax. Tax season does not have to take over your life. This year, TurboTax, making it easier than ever to just hand things off, move on with your day with TurboTax.

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Starting point is 00:12:59 This game, Andy, Thursday night, loses. some of the marquee value. If LeBron, I'm sorry, if Luca and Cooper Flag are not playing, the TV folks don't like it, but from a competitive standpoint, with the Lakers being able to get LeBron and

Starting point is 00:13:17 AR back on the floor, really A.R. and then LeBron, I think in support of Reeves. You would agree at this point. Reaves is sort of on a night-to-night basis, Reeves is the better player, like from minute one to minute 48. I think he

Starting point is 00:13:33 is, but also more importantly, he has to be. There's an onus on Austin to be that guy. If you are depending on LeBron to be the more game in, game out, reliable producer, then it's both unrealistic and frankly, it should be giving you pause about your future with Austin moving forward. It's one of those things too, but it's like it's such a force of habit to start, you know, to have so for so long just by default referred to LeBron as the best player on the team. This way, this, this, This period is a proving ground for whether or not Austin can be a legitimate number two guy on a team looking to do damage in the playoffs. Because if that does not appear to be the case, then the Lakers need to either rethink their offseason or figure out how they can get that guy in between Luca and Austin. But those response, I don't think LeBron is on a game in game out or sometimes even quarter by quarter basis.

Starting point is 00:14:32 talked about this before, capable of turning it on at will, but the Lakers should not be asking him to do that either. 100% agree. And just my point is like you get used to in sort of condition for so long. You know, LeBron is just obviously he's the best player on your team. And even with the LeBron and AD stuff, when like the hope was constantly to make AD the best, you know, AD needs to be the best player. and it just didn't

Starting point is 00:15:00 for sustained periods it didn't quite turn out that I think we've reached a point now with especially the way that AR is playing without assuming without the minutes restrictions that he has taken that place a little bit above LeBron even

Starting point is 00:15:16 and obviously with Luca at the top of it so I need to recondish my own language and how I order things but like this game Andy becomes is damn near as close to a must win as you can get with

Starting point is 00:15:34 they'll have 28 games left, I believe, after this one's over. There's obviously time to make up this game, but overall, the Lakers schedule doesn't do them any favors once the All-Star break is over. And the Western Conference doesn't do them any favors. they simply cannot afford to lose games against bad teams. They just cannot. No, they absolutely cannot.

Starting point is 00:16:04 This is an opportunity that they have to cash in on. The Mavericks are on top of playing on Thursday without Cooper Flag. They're not trying to. They don't want to win right now. This upcoming draft is the last time they're going to have complete control of a first round pick for the foreseeable future. They need the opportunity to hopefully put one more good young player around Cooper Flag starting to build that foundation.

Starting point is 00:16:37 They're obviously future forward-looking. They traded Anthony Davis for a variety of reasons, but that was one of them. So you're talking about a tanking team that's missing their best player at this point. the Lakers, it's not just must win in terms of what the hell are you doing. There's simply no excuses. One thing, though, that did occur to me with D'Andre Aiton and him being questionable with this knee soreness that has cost him a couple games in the last week or so, and that knee-sorreness thing has kept him out of a few other games over like the last

Starting point is 00:17:18 month and change where Aitin has been very all over the place and largely ineffective and frustrating for a lot of fans. In a weird way, I'm hoping that this knee has actually been bothering Aiton for a while because it just dawned on me that maybe as opposed to just people expecting D'Andre Aitin to lose focus, lose motor, lose interest, dispassionate about basketball, all of the things that have accompanied DeAndre Aiton, you know, those tags throughout his entire career, that maybe this is actually the result of a knee bothering him. And if he doesn't play Thursday against the Mavericks, he'll have had a few games off on top of the All-Star break, regardless the All-Star break is coming. Maybe this knee is the explanation or a big

Starting point is 00:18:12 piece of it and assuming he can get the thing right, maybe the last 29 games of the season will be more productive for DeAndre Aden moving forward. But it was something that occurred to me when he was listed as doubtful or excuse me, as questionable for this game Thursday versus Dallas. Yeah, it's the Aiden thing is strange because like I'm not trying to absolve Aiton from, you know, responsibility. for his own play. I also don't.

Starting point is 00:18:45 It's funny. Like there are times when I think he is being bagged on, you know, for bad play. I actually don't even think he's been that bad. There is without question, like the default setting for most fans when Aiton doesn't is to, is to find flaws and just write it off like he's bad up there he goes you know he's doing his he's getting into dionre eight land

Starting point is 00:19:20 and all these other things again when I don't always think it's fair um it's just it's weird that he is unquestionably not played with the same consistency that he did at the beginning of the season sure I think talking about yeah I think losing

Starting point is 00:19:36 AR was a big deal for eight in terms of coming on and I'm very interested to see what happens when Reeves starts playing starters minutes starting games. And if that has an impact on how Aiton plays, it's just everything about the Lakers after that really, really good start has kind of fallen off a little bit. Jake LaRavia got off to a really nice start and has not shot the ball well at all since then.

Starting point is 00:20:08 About the only exception, I think this to Andy, is Marcus Smart, who, was not very healthy at the beginning of the season, didn't shoot the ball well at the beginning of the season, and it's kind of come on lately from a shooting standpoint while maintaining that consistency. The whole team just has not been as good, as sharp, as consistent as it was for those first 20 games. And I think that's,

Starting point is 00:20:32 that is going to show up with somebody like eight and more than it will with other players. The first 20 games was also two outside of the opening 14 with LeBron and the sciatica, where they were relatively the most consistent in terms of who was available and who wasn't. And ever since, you know, ever since LeBron has returned, obviously one has nothing to do with the other, but just as signposts,

Starting point is 00:20:56 ever since LeBron has returned, there have been way more guys in and out of the lineup. Again, the big three, if you want to call them that, has played 10 games together this season and not even a complete 10 games. So that is going to play a role in inconsistencies for a lot of guys across the roster. It's an interesting phenomenon going on. You mentioned the Dallas Mavericks potentially trying to lose games.

Starting point is 00:21:22 The way that teams are trying to lose games now, correct me if I'm wrong, Andy. We'll talk about it after the break. I don't think we've seen tanking quite this aggressive this early in these ways. And we'll explain next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Zock doc. Finding a doctor you actually like can feel like discovering a diamond in the rough. You want someone to network nearby with availability, but you also want a doctor who listens and makes you feel comfortable,

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Starting point is 00:23:55 That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com. Wayfair, every style of your home. A quick reminder of the Everyday Air Club. You go to Locked-onlakers.supercast.com or check out the show notes. You can join the Everyday Air Club. be part of the Discord chats that go on there. Locked on Lakers Discord chat, locked an NBA Discord chat,

Starting point is 00:24:20 Andy and I are popping in out. You can talk to other hosts. Great way to communicate and get in touch and talk smack, whatever you want to do with other locked on listeners. You also can get the show ad free, which we know a lot of people are interested in doing. Five bucks a month, 50 bucks a year.

Starting point is 00:24:38 And you can get more details again in the show notes. If you don't want to do anything, you don't want to pay. you don't want to do anything. We love you just the same. All right. The Utah Jazz are really setting a new bar for what tanking can look like in the modern era, Andy, because normally what happens is you just sort of invent reasons for players not to play.

Starting point is 00:25:07 Well, that's what the Jazz did last year, and they got fined, like a lot. And so they're trying not to get fined this year. So what they're finding is that they can't play all their players all the time because they're too good and they'll win games, especially after acquiring Jaron Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies. So what they're doing is playing their guys for like a half or maybe three quarters. and when it really looks like they might actually win a game, they sit down all of their good players and make sure that doesn't happen. Now, Wednesday, that didn't work because they were playing the Sacramento Kings, who were kind of tank-proof.

Starting point is 00:25:49 But it also didn't work the previous game against Miami either. Sometimes the players still play too well, but they are really finding creative ways. They're just flat out not playing their best players late in games. the tanking thing has to me at least it feels like it's come earlier and more aggressive this year especially for teams like the jazz who have put themselves on a path where this is going to be it or the Washington Wizards who have put themselves on a path of like this is it next year we're going to be a real team again it's it's a kind of an interesting dynamic to watch

Starting point is 00:26:28 that actually will have a significant impact on the standings in the Western Conference Yeah, it's interesting. I have a very, I've seen a lot of people who cover the league, hammer this going on, hammering a team like the Jazz. I'm going to be honest. I have the opposite view. I think the Jazz are not just doing what is in the best interest of their franchise, which is to keep this pick that they have and to get. People don't know. The Jazz have, The Jazz can only keep their pick this year if it finishes in the top eight. If it's ninth, they lose it. Right.

Starting point is 00:27:08 It is in the best interest for this organization to keep that pick at a time to where they have committed now considerably more resources to, you know, before Lori Markinen, now they've done it with Jaron Jackson Jr. There's an expectation that they're going to be doing it with Walker Kessler. So they there's only so many more times they can even get away. with not being good or would even want to not be good. But this pick is important, particularly for a team like the Utah Jazz, and this is something that a lot of people don't like to talk about, but it's the truth.

Starting point is 00:27:42 They, for the most part, have no way of improving their team through anything other than draft picks and draft assets. That is how they improve their team, whether through using those picks on people like Ace Bailey, their most recent first round pick or Walker Kessler in the past or using them to trade for someone like Jaron Jackson Jr. or Lori Markinen and hope that these players that they trade for stay. But they are never going to get players through free agency because players don't generally want to play in Salt Lake City. And this is the case for a lot of teams around the league. I'd say at least

Starting point is 00:28:24 the third of them are in markets that are not desirable by NBA players. I'm not trying to crap on these cities or these states or whatever in a vacuum or them as states or whatever. I've been to Salt Lake. It's gorgeous. It is a well-established fact. Players don't want to play there. That's just the truth.

Starting point is 00:28:44 So if you want them to ever be good, this is the way for them to be good. That's the reality. And then in the meantime, I actually think the way they're doing this is. is in a way that can actually get fans excited because they see 20-ish minutes of Jaron Jackson Jr. and Laurie Markinen and Ace Bailey together, and they see the foundation of something that can grow and be very good, but at the same time,

Starting point is 00:29:11 these fans aren't stupid. They recognize they need that pick more than they need a random win in February. So this is actually in the best, this is, I mean, it turns out they won the last two games anyway, but this is in the best interest, I would say, for the jazz, but also in some ways the league. Because if you want teams like the Utah Jazz to matter in any market that isn't named Utah, you need them to be good. And in order to be good, this is the way they're

Starting point is 00:29:44 going to be good. And this is the system that has been incentivized for teams like Utah or other ones that are tanking. This is how they become good. I am at least potentially. I don't know. I don't I think the league has to think about how they can try it is not healthy for the league for teams to be throwing games before the all-star break even comes. You know, but I agree with you. I think the the group of people least likely to be offended by what the jazz are doing are jazz fans. Somebody was asking in the chat, Blurie 10 was asking who gets the pick if it's 9 through 30. The answer is Oklahoma City. So I don't think a lot.

Starting point is 00:30:34 I think actually now there might be more Lakers fans who are on board with what Utah is doing. How the other 29. Nobody wants Oklahoma City to get the ninth pick in this draft. The other 28 teams are going to say it's better for the health of the league if Utah keeps this pick. Just so OKC doesn't get it. Right. So here's my thing about this. I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:30:54 Utah is following the incentive structures of the league. It is very, very difficult to come up with a way of creating a system where you can both use the draft as a way to help bad teams get better because this is basketball. You have to have elite players to succeed. Elite players are almost overwhelmingly found in the top, certainly in the top 10, generally in the top five, and the most transformational players are generally in the top three.

Starting point is 00:31:27 There are exceptions, there are washouts, but overall, that is how this works. So you need access to those players, you need access to those draft spots to get there. So these are the incentive structures, and they're really, really hard to fix. Football doesn't have this problem because even quarterback, you get that best quarterback, whatever,

Starting point is 00:31:48 the rest of your team is garbage, it doesn't matter. So what I think is tricky and I think isn't talked about enough is just how these kinds of realities and the choices that these other teams are making influence the standings. Look at what the Lakers have coming up. Like Dallas, okay, they're not trying very hard to win. Then they get Sacramento on March 1st. Sacramento is not trying very hard to win. You know what, though? They're really quick.

Starting point is 00:32:21 Sacramento, to me, is a team that should be disciplined by the league for whatever is going on. Because they're in this predicament because they're stupid. They continually make stupid decisions. They started out this season looking to win, but signed six guards who all do the same thing. They don't make trades that they should make. They do make trades that they shouldn't. If nothing else, the league should outlaw them from ever doing another trade. with the Bulls because it destructs both teams.

Starting point is 00:32:51 Like, I think the Kings deserve to be fined for whatever tanking may go on much more than Utah, because Utah hasn't been playing things stupid. They've just been playing the system. The Kings are idiots. That's a big difference. I agree with that. Poorly run teams have always been part of this. But, like, you can go through an hockey.

Starting point is 00:33:13 I'm not going to go through each team, but the Lakers, they do play Brooklyn again. they play Utah again. They'll actually last game of the season is against Utah. They see. They may not. They see Dowler for a couple more times. Like teams are going to be in these different things, but somebody will do the math and go through and count the games

Starting point is 00:33:33 that each playoff caliber team, you know, aiming for that top six, top seven in the Western Conference, has against these, you know, tanking teams. and the ones that have more of them are at a significant advantage. It's like, you know, they're two guys in our fantasy football league that we play in that stop setting their lineup in like October every year. And if you get to play one of those guys in December right before the playoffs, like you're lucky.

Starting point is 00:34:09 And so this happens. I don't know what I'm, Dan. I do know. That's right, Dan, we are talking about you. I don't know exactly what the solution is. I do know that it's not just an affront to, you know, the basketball gods or fans or whatever. It really does mess with the competitive balance of the league.

Starting point is 00:34:32 So we'll see. But mini show for Friday is all about the Kobe Buffkin for Thursday. signing, I'm sorry for Thursday, right, is all about the Kobe Buffkin signing and whether or not the Lakers in light of Jeremy Soan now looking like he's going to hit the market, assuming he clears waivers, that whether or not the Lakers made a mistake in jump in signing Buffkin when they did. So that is the mini show for Thursday, which again, you all can help us name. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 37,000 subscribers. We'll see everyone after the game.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luka Dončić (Hamstring) Out Vs. Dallas... Should He Skip the All-Star Game?

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