Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Redick Says Lakers MUST "RECONNECT" NOW. Plus, Will Rui Be Healthy During Playoffs?

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

After an extremely disappointing and disjointed 146-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls, JJ Redick confirmed his strong belief in the Lakers but said the team must immediately rediscover its connectivity fr...om the last three months. How difficult will/won't be to hit the ground running after a hiccup? Plus, talk about Rui Hachimura's "70-80 percent" knee, Jordan Goodwin's two-way contract inevitably getting converted soon, and more. Hosts: Andy Kamenetzky and Brian Kamenetzky Segment 1: The upcoming roadie is huge, and so is the importance of quickly getting back on track. Segment 2: Rui's knee. Segment 3: More on reconnecting as a team, and Goodwin's impending full NBA contract. 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! Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when 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.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Locked-on Lakers for Monday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komeneske, Lakers kick off a critical four-game road trip for a critical stretch run. Tonight in Orlando, JJ Redick says they need to reconnect. Break it down next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast. Your team, every day.
Starting point is 00:00:32 Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers first listen to every day. through Friday, no matter how, where you get your podcast. It's always free, behind paywall and Locked on Lakers on YouTube. It's worth 34,000 subscribers, Andy, are hoping the Lakers bounce back from a terrible, terrible game on Saturday against the Bulls. A huge blowout, despite LeBron returning, Rui Hachamura returning, Lakers pretty much full strength in that game
Starting point is 00:00:57 and did not deliver a good performance. So we'll talk about that. We'll talk about LeBron James, saying that the Lakers hold their destiny, in their hands. They've just got to win some games. And JJ Radick, of course, talking about the need for the team to reconnect quickly, starting
Starting point is 00:01:13 tonight in Orlando. Doing to let everybody know that today's episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch money. Use code locked on NBA at Monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. Obviously, Andy, that game on Saturday
Starting point is 00:01:31 was just awful on every level. Lakers didn't play well particularly defensively as a team. And it was interesting to hear the reaction after the game, whether you're talking in the locker room with LeBron James, a podium from JJ Redick as they head out to a tricky four-game road trip starting against Orlando, three playoff teams in these four games.
Starting point is 00:01:56 Plus the Bulls who just beat them, although, as I pointed out during Saturday's mini post-game show, the Bulls are considered. better on the road than in the United Center. So in theory, they got the better version of the Bulls out of the way already. That being said, as I also pointed out, this Bulls team that will, the love of God, never just tear it down and rebuild. They are always trying to stay in that proverbial nine or ten seed.
Starting point is 00:02:27 I should correct myself, to your point, it's actually, if you count the play in as a playoff, it's all four. are competing for postseason berths. I was excluding the Bulls because I don't really think of them as very good, but they are in fact a playoff team in the East. Well, they are a play-in team in the East, which allows you to not be very good and still hold that status. Like it's one of those both things can be true at once type situations.
Starting point is 00:02:59 They're going to have a back-to-back Indiana and Chicago. that it's Orlando on Monday, Indiana, Wednesday, Chicago, Thursday, Memphis Saturday. So there's one back to back. There's, like you said, three out of four teams currently in the true playoff mix. And all of them are going to have something to play for. So it reinforces the idea of the, I guess, PC way of putting it, reconnecting quickly. The less PC way of putting it, but still allowable for this show. get your proverbial bleep together quickly.
Starting point is 00:03:36 Yeah. You know, it's a look. I mean, from a, from a newsy standpoint, the Lakers are, I think at this point, about as healthy as they are going to be. If you look at the injury report for Monday's game, Luke is not on it. So, you know, that is a very positive development there. He had at least been popping up on it as questionable, as probable, as whatever.
Starting point is 00:04:02 He's not even on the thing. LeBron is probable. So he came through the game on Saturday. He didn't play particularly well, certainly by his standards. But he came through it, fine. And so, you know, he is. Well, that was one of the things that I talked about in that show is I thought, I thought LeBron got better as the game went along,
Starting point is 00:04:23 but certainly the first half, he looked completely out of rhythm, frankly, just like the rest of the team that was completely disjointed. But I thought he got better as the game went along. but the most important thing to me was he looked healthy, he looked lively, he looked active. He did not look like he was holding anything back physically. You almost called him Spry, which is what we call old people when they're moving around quickly. Well, I'm not going to do that. Spry folks don't have people debate whether or not they could be all NBA.
Starting point is 00:04:54 So I'm going to hold off referring to him. Nobody talked about Kevin Willis that way. So I'm going to hold off. on whether or not he is spry. But I did think it was important that LeBron looked. He may not have played like LeBron or what you expect from LeBron, but he looked like LeBron. And to me, that was much more important because I agree.
Starting point is 00:05:17 100%. I am not worried at all about LeBron not getting his timing back. No, I agree. The only real wrinkle in any of this from a health standpoint is Rui, who is questionable for Monday in Orlando. And you get the impression. He said after the game that he's not 100%, 70, 80% is what he said.
Starting point is 00:05:44 And basically he doesn't expect to be that with the knee tendonopathy. It's not something that's going to really settle down until he has a more significant break. Like he loved to rest and get it better. As he said, we don't have that kind of time. So he's able to play. They're not going to make it worse necessarily by playing. But I think he is now in that official going to be questionable basically for every game,
Starting point is 00:06:11 probably misses one or two at least. I would expect him to not necessarily play in every game between now and the end of the season. But this is about as healthy as the Lakers are going to get, I think. This is it. And so you've got to like using. you know, with JJ, you've got to get it together. And I like these games after horrible ones because they are that sort of prove it.
Starting point is 00:06:43 What are we doing here? And generally, I think the Lakers have responded pretty well in these situations over the course of the season, certainly since they've turned their play around. But this is, in my opinion, at least, definitely one of those against a good team that will be playing hard, or at least a formal. That's been playing hard.
Starting point is 00:07:01 Absolutely. Going to get more into that, obviously, over the course of the show. Really wanted to quickly comment, though, with Rui. The idea of him being 70 to 80% right now, maybe it gets a bit better, but Rui did not. If anything, he was in serious under-promise over-deliver, hopefully, mode when it came to his knee. It makes me think that 70 to 80% as far as the rest of the season,
Starting point is 00:07:30 could be where he tops out. And that's obviously an issue because I personally consider Rui the fourth best player on this team. And I think Rui can be one of the more, I think, valuable X factors on this team. He's really, he can be really good at either forcing mismatches or benefiting from the mismatches that get created by all the focus on LeBron and Luca and Austin. and if you don't have that version of Rui or at least, you know, 70 to 80% of Rui, which becomes not as good of a players you need,
Starting point is 00:08:10 you're going to need production, like counting stats, tangible production, because Rui is a score first to come to other, to come from other places. I am honestly looking in your direction, Dorian Finney Smith, but there's going to be other guys as well. Like DFS to me is the natural guy, A, because I think he's on that tier with Rui,
Starting point is 00:08:33 although Jackson Hayes has been playing in a way that he may feel like he's reached that level as well. Right, but not nearly as well. Not that type. Jackson Hayes can't create his own offense. Rui can't. Sure. No, I meant in terms of, I meant on the level of DFS in terms of potentially providing points. And he, DFS is.
Starting point is 00:08:56 DFS is similar in a lot of ways to Jackson in the sense that for the most part his offense has to be created for him as well he needs to be knocking down more perimeter version of that. Yeah, absolutely. He needs to be knocking down more threes. It's, I, with, the other thing that I think is interesting about Rue,
Starting point is 00:09:17 we pick up on this LeBron thing and Reddick's comments after the game on Saturday after the break. But the other thing that I think is interesting about this is what do you do with him? If he is somewhat limited, does it limit him defensively? Because that is a huge question with how you use Rui where he has been with this group that sort of raised its level a little bit to where his defense, while not always awesome, is
Starting point is 00:09:44 more attentive. It fits into the system. He is, I think, generally adhering to the principles and doing what they're asking him to do. If he's a little bit limited mobility-wise, that could be affected by that. And then I wonder if there is a kind of a cap on how much he can play, does they started DFS on Saturday. Do you stay with that, even though Rui had played quite well? We were all anticipating a starting lineup change that never came.
Starting point is 00:10:14 I'm wondering if now that becomes something they do. So I'll ask you that and we'll get into LeBron next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Monarch Money. Do you ever check your bank account and wonder where the hell did all my money go? Between dining out and online shopping, entertainment, it's easy to lose track. And that's where Monarch Money comes in. Your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money is not just a budgeting app.
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Starting point is 00:11:12 Use the code locked on NBA at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's monarchmoney.com code locked on MBA for half off of your first year. Andy, Locked on Lakers is not just a podcast, a hit podcast, dare I say, that you can subscribe to on iTunes, on Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. It's not just a YouTube channel that has exploded in popularity, 34,000 subscribers. It's also a newsletter. And you can go to LockedonDaily.com, subscribe to it by clicking on the Locked on Lakers icon there. And then this show and a lot of great NBA analysis delivered to you every day of the work. week. So do that.
Starting point is 00:12:01 And you're helping us. You're helping yourself. Everyone wins. Do you, if you think there's a limit and you kind of can't play Rui in the same way that you, that you were before, would you continue to try to start him, you know, two or three games from out once he gets his rhythm right? And, you know, in theory, he's more, you know, the Rui that he has been over the course of the season. Because he did thrive in that starting role, you know,
Starting point is 00:12:29 with Luca, post-Luca and all that? Well, I mean, first of all, if what really matters is what I think JJ's going to do, and I think if Rui is limited to 15, 20, 22 minutes a night, I think he's going to keep starting DFS unless DFS is also limited, which we have seen at times JJ's ability to play him. He's had that problematic ankle that was something he was dealing with in Brooklyn, much less since the Lakers traded form.
Starting point is 00:12:59 but it seems like because JJ's talked a few times about how he had mulled over that debate between Rui and DFS who would start, but the limited minutes that he felt like he could play DFS played DFS played a role in starting Rui. It wasn't the whole thing. He noted Rui's played really well and he hasn't necessarily done anything to deserve losing the spot. But also the fact that he doesn't, he didn't feel like he could play DFS. the minutes that he would want to with the starters made him feel like he would be able to use him, I guess, with the most flexibility or the best usage of him coming off the bench. If Rui is limited, then I like really limited.
Starting point is 00:13:45 Like we're talking 15, 20 minutes, something like that. What do you play on Saturday? I mean, I would pull up that number, but he played, I believe 18. He played 18 minutes. Yeah. And. What did you get mixed against first game back after right? three weeks or whatever. Right. The reason we're even speculating about this at all,
Starting point is 00:14:05 Mike Trudell, Spectrum Sportsnet, sideline reporter said that he would be on a minutes limit that night. He didn't say anything about a minute's limit moving forward. But if his knee is at 70 to 80 percent and may not get any better, that might just place a cap on how much you can play him before he potentially re-injures the knee. And if that's the case, I actually feel like you might be able to get a better or a more effective version of Rui coming off the bench. Tell him play 15 to 20 minutes as hard as you can and will handle everything else. And you might be able to get him in more kind of condensed spurts. If his minutes can increase, even if it's 70 to 80%, if they feel confident enough to play him 25 to 30 minutes,
Starting point is 00:14:56 then I'm guessing he's playing well enough to merit that much playing time. And if he's going to merit that much playing time, I would probably just put him back in the starting lineup. But I think a lot of this is really going to depend on how much can you play Rui. Yeah, it's interesting. I think your point about what is the way that you can get the most out of him? And where do you get, you know, 100% of the potential for whatever it is that Rui can give you versus longer, more minutes but at a lower level of production.
Starting point is 00:15:29 He's averaging 32 minutes a night on the season. I agree with you. He can end up back to a place where he can play 32 minutes a night. If he's in the lineup that night, he can go play. He wakes up the next day, see what he feels like. Maybe the next day he has to sit. I don't know. But I think if he, I would keep him in there.
Starting point is 00:15:49 I'm surprised saying that. But just because empirically just kind of worked. And I think his fit there has worked. And with DFS being so inconsistent as that floor spacing player, obviously you're getting the defense there with him that you don't necessarily get from Rui. But that floor spacing, and then the ability to attack the rim, which Rui certainly provides, the ability to get off a shot if you do end up in a late clock situation,
Starting point is 00:16:20 I like the way that looks. and I could see them defaulting back to what had been working for them because I've shown they can play defense that way. Do you want to talk about LeBron's sort of destiny controlling comments first or JJ's comments? They are related, I think. I was going to say, I feel like one way or another we're going to end up getting... Oh, for sure.
Starting point is 00:16:43 Well, if they don't reconnect, that's part of controlling or not controlling their destiny and potentially not avoiding the play-in. So it's all part and parcel of the same thing. But I know when we were talking about the show before, LeBron's reaction is kind of exactly what you would expect in terms of really breaking down what the schedule is. It's a hard challenge. But if we win games, we will rise up in the standings.
Starting point is 00:17:13 If the goal is at the very least an opening round, Reddick still calls it, stay out of the playing as like the primary goal. But he was asked about, would you like to host a first round matchup? And it's very clear the Lakers have raised that, you know, to the level of like this is what we think we can do and this is what we ought to be able to accomplish.
Starting point is 00:17:38 You know, LeBron said, if we win games, we will certainly finish in the top four, just based on who they play. They play Houston twice. If you beat Houston twice, they're going to finish the top four if you're winning your other games. I was a little surprised at the way... That matter, playing Memphis on Saturday.
Starting point is 00:17:54 It helps keep... If you win, helps keep you in the top four. You win those games along with the other series. They're an almost statistical tie with Memphis. You finish this. So they've got 12 games left if you win eight of them. And three of them are the games against Memphis and Houston. Good chance of finishing in the top four.
Starting point is 00:18:13 I was a little surprised at the way Reddick... handled the game on Saturday in terms of the way he talked about it. Not that he was sort of, he didn't dismiss it, but he also didn't light up his team. It was an interesting way to handle it, I thought. We're obviously going to get more in depth on it after the break. But I'd say a good way to summarize it at least for me. And I talked a bit about this Saturday after the loss. but I liked how JJ talked about it and I'd say summarize it this way we can talk about it more
Starting point is 00:18:54 specifically. I think he didn't make it into a bigger deal than it was on Saturday, but also didn't make it into a smaller deal than it was. I think he treated it with the exact urgency and importance that it merited in either direction. And I mentioned this on Saturday. but I'll say it again. We'll talk about it. I really liked how JJ framed everything that I think went into this loss without blowing it up or sugarcoating it.
Starting point is 00:19:29 I thought he walked successfully a really good line. Yeah. If he missed his comments, he talked about, you know, he kind of turned the question of did they, did you not take the bull seriously? Did you relax because everybody was getting back in the lineup? to some degree you kind of turned it back on the players. Like, you know, you know, go, you can go ask them. And, you know, make them responsible for, for what they did or didn't do. And, you know, the Lakers, it's not like they were like, as a team.
Starting point is 00:20:01 You listen to, you know, LeBron, those guys talk about it. They obviously think, you know, it's not representative what they can do as a team. They also were like, we were awful. This was not, and it's not excusing. It's not acceptable. You know, and I think he also, you know, if he missed it, he made it clear that it's, it's, you know, hard to just jump right back and you, maybe they maybe assumed that it would just look like it did before guys started to get hurt and the lineup got discombobulated. But they don't have the time to, you know, kind of ease back into it. Like whatever that stuff was, they've all got to lock in and find it now because there's no time.
Starting point is 00:20:50 Like I think your way of framing it is perfect. Like he wasn't, he didn't overplay it, but he didn't underplay it either. So we'll talk a little bit more about it next. I am so excited to watch them play this game. Like I am probably looking forward to this game in Orlando because the magic, were great at the beginning of the season. Remember when they lost Orlando and we're like, it was sort of like when they lost to Detroit.
Starting point is 00:21:27 We were like, oh, this is terrible. And then that game looks a little bit bad. Like Orlando was awesome at the beginning of the year. Bankero gets hurt and they completely went off the rails. Franz Wagner was hurt for a long time. They are back to as sort of like the Lakers, as healthy as they're going to be. Bankero has been incredible for the last like two and a half, three weeks.
Starting point is 00:21:50 Yep. He is a difficult matchup for any team. He's going to put pressure on the Lakers defense in interesting ways. Wagner is a very good player. I am excited to watch them go play a road game against a very motivated opponent after that game on Saturday, after such a bad game on Saturday. I am probably looking forward to this game as much as any game all season long. Yeah, the magic.
Starting point is 00:22:19 other than like, hey, Lucas here. I like watching the Magic play just because they're an unusual team. Like they're very big. They do a lot of their ball handling through the front court. They're kind of like a counterintuitive, weird team that I think is just. Wagner and Bancaro, both very good passers. Yeah, I just find them interesting to watch just because they're very different. The way JJ, you had mentioned like the idea of whether or not the team was,
Starting point is 00:22:49 complacent at all, you know, like the idea of after this three-week slog of, you know, always missing LeBron and Rue, Luka in and out of the lineup, DFS in a out of the lineup, Austin missing a game or two, Vando in and out, Gabe in and out, like, that's a lot to deal with, especially with a lot of those games on the road, six games and eight days. Like, you finally get everybody back. and there can be a natural inclination to take a breath and exhale, particularly if you're taking on a team like the Bulls, which could be easy to dismiss given, like we said earlier,
Starting point is 00:23:31 they are a playing team in the East, which by definitions mean you're not. 10 games under 500. It came into that game, 10 games under 500. Right. Although, and after that win, 500 on the road, They're way better on the road than at home. But JJ, I don't remember exactly if he brought it up on.
Starting point is 00:23:49 Yeah, he was sort of asked about it. But he said, quote, the disposition and the mentality, I don't know if we assumed because we had everybody back. It was just going to be like it was three weeks ago and that's not the way it works. I think the guys know that I'm not saying that's what they assumed. You have to ask them that. That's JJ saying, yeah, I think that's what happened. But not putting them on blast.
Starting point is 00:24:08 However, he is forcing the issue. and he wanted them to be asked about this. He wanted them to be held accountable. Like he talked, and this is what I was getting at when I was saying, I thought he walked a really good line of reinforcing the importance of that can't happen again, but also understanding I know on some level why it happened. And these are human beings. It's not always going to be perfect.
Starting point is 00:24:40 I played in the league. I know how hard this stuff can be. Bleep's going to happen every now and then. It just can't happen again. And, you know, talking about the importance of, as he said, we have to reconnect in Orlando like now. He's like it has to happen right now. He was in no way downplaying the significance of that loss
Starting point is 00:25:05 and how disconnected they look. And the importance of getting back on track and rediscovering that cohesiveness, but he expressed full confidence that they can do it. And he's like, you know, disconnection can happen when you've had this many guys literally disconnected. Like, it's not shocking. We just don't have any luxury of time to rediscover it. So everybody gets back to work immediately. And I thought that was a perfect tone.
Starting point is 00:25:37 He didn't make it into a bigger deal than it was. but he didn't treat it like a small deal either. I think, too, it's like it's a challenge to them. And you know, you hear LeBron in the locker room. These guys, I think these guys get it. You are now led by LeBron James, who has been to how many finals? One or nine? Eight or nine?
Starting point is 00:25:59 Ten. Ten. He's been to ten finals. That's a lot. It's a lot of finals. Yeah, there was eight in a row with Miami and Cleveland. Then there was the other one in Cleveland, then the one with the Lakers. And, you know, you've got Luca who's been to finals and he's been deep in the playoffs multiple times.
Starting point is 00:26:17 Like, these guys understand this stuff. Gabe Vincent is not a, you know, young, flaky player. You know, he's steeped in heat culture. Like, they get this stuff too, Dorian Finney Smith. I mean, these are, it is a challenge, though, to them that I think is really worthings. why I'm saying why I'm so excited to watch this game, because if there is any sense that this team thinks it can kind of coast a little bit or feels like, you know, whatever, two seed, three seed, five seed, whatever, then, you know, we're, we're, we're fine.
Starting point is 00:27:00 The meme with LeBron and the nine cigarettes and the do rag, Lakers in five. If there's any sense of that, and I don't think there is. I don't think there is either. But if there is any sense, we will see it in Orlando. We will see it. If not in Orlando, we will see it on this road trip where maybe they come out and get super impressed, you know, go out, play a good game against Orlando and like, okay, prove to themselves, yeah, this is still in our bag. I will say they, most of the bad games they've played, whether based on the schedule, bad luck or whatever,
Starting point is 00:27:39 have been against the bad teams. They've tended to play much better against better competition of late. And so I think they're going to show out on this road trip. I am optimistic about it. But we will find out. These are not easy games. Even the Bulls game, you know,
Starting point is 00:27:58 the very least, the Bulls are going to enter that game with full confidence. that they can play with the Lakers because they just beat them by 30-something. So, you know, Indiana is playing really hard. Obviously, that game in Memphis is massive for the Lakers. And I fully expect John Morant to be back because that's how it works, just in time. But we'll see. In the meantime, Andy, Jordan Goodwin, they're running out of games.
Starting point is 00:28:28 We've been talking about this, who's getting converted and when is going to happen thing. Jordan Goodwin's going to be converted soon. And I will let you guess who you think is going to get released to make it happen. But I think it's going to be Cam Reddish. I talked on Saturday about how Dalton Connect, there was so much bleep happening during that bleep show of a game. I did not even notice until the fourth quarter that Dalton had not played to that point and had the game been closer, it's pretty obvious Dalton was going to be a DNPCD,
Starting point is 00:29:06 and I talked afterwards about the potential implications of that moving forward. The other thing, though, that I did not notice until right around that time with Dalton and having not entered the game, I just noticed at that point the Camerich wasn't even active, which has not, that is different from even when they've had the full roster. Typically, when they've had the full roster, Cam's been active, even if he hasn't played. He was not active. He's not always wearing uniform under that sweatsuit, but he is active. This feels like a precursor to him eventually being waived. He feels like the most obvious candidate because he's the guy that plays the least of everybody. Like even when you
Starting point is 00:29:54 account for garbage time, Cam doesn't play. I've actually asked around a little bit trying to get a feel for whether Cam not playing even in garbage time is Cam's own choice, because this happens with veteran players. And Cam, I think, been in the league now five or six years, something like that, long enough to be considered a veteran. And sometimes veteran players don't like playing in garbage time. And coaches will recognize that and ask that player, do you want to play? and I have wondered before if Cam has told JJ I don't want to play I want to make it clear I do not know but but the reason I've even been asking around at all is because I'm a little bit fascinated by just how little he play like it's striking it's honestly striking how how little Cam plays
Starting point is 00:30:51 like again when they empty the bench and you start seeing brawny go in and shake if he hasn't played at that point, and whichever backup big is barely played, and Alex Lennon, whoever, like, Cam never plays. But that feels, again, like he would end up the most natural candidate for Goodwin taking that spot, but make no mistake, Jordan Goodwin's going to, even with in the past some of the criticism we've levied at Rob Blinkett for not minding the smaller details or prioritizing enough the eighth or ninth man on this team. No, I think they've got this one.
Starting point is 00:31:34 It would be, it would, it would in its own right be as shocking as the Luca trade. Yeah. For people really realize like there's a, for two-way guys that are signed after a certain point of the year where there aren't enough games, the, the 50 that you're allowed if you're the two-way guy at the beginning of the year is pro-rated throughout, you know, on a whatever ratio of games to remaining games, it's prorated for the rest of the season based on when you're signed and Goodwin's down,
Starting point is 00:32:02 I think now to two games before that contract needs to be converted. So it is coming. And if you have any messages that you want to make sure get delivered to Cam Radish, I would do that soon. I would not wait on that. I mean, you could find them on Twitter or whatever station. You want to do it right through the organization. If you want to see him,
Starting point is 00:32:23 If you want to see him in uniform, or at least with the team, you might need to go to Orlando or Indiana, because I don't think he's going to be on the team when they get back from the trip. It's quite possible. I mean, like I was saying, it would be in its own right as shocking as the donchage trade if the Lakers ultimately did not immediately convert Goodwin because, you know, putting aside the whole he's in the rotation thing, why would you not convert the contract of a guy playing like 20 minutes a night? It also raises the question of if you're not going to convert him, why even put him in the rotation, get everybody used to playing with him,
Starting point is 00:33:05 and then you have to account for whatever the new rotation is going to be. Frankly, at that point, you start asking questions like, why haven't you been playing Cam Ratish? You know what I mean? Or somebody. It would be truly bizarre if they did. did not convert Goodwin. It's coming.
Starting point is 00:33:23 And they need to. I mean, what he's brought to the team, you know, I don't know the three-point shooting is going to hold up necessarily. He is a career 31% three-point shooter. He is far exceeded that with the Lakers. I don't want to say I don't care. I do care because Jordan Goodwin shooting like that makes him a completely different NBA player.
Starting point is 00:33:45 So I care. But it's also not the only thing he brings. There's a grit and a toughness, and he's an excellent rebounder at his position. So good at his size. He's a strong on-ball defender. He's just, he adds a lot to what they are doing. And even if the shot cools off a little bit, I think I can live with that. They can certainly live with it.
Starting point is 00:34:10 And, you know, he's bounced around the league a little bit. And it seems at least like he's found a really good fit here. And so we talked about it with really, you know, are Austin Reeves. And they need to be the third best player. Does he need to be the fifth best player? Like, would he play as well on another team? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:34:27 He's playing well here. He fits here. And this is where he's playing right now. So that's what matters. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 34,000 subscribers, Andy, all of whom will be waiting. And they don't have to wait long if they're on the West Coast because it's an early game. I think it's a 4 o'clock tip on the West Coast.
Starting point is 00:34:44 We will be back after that game. We'll try to get the, maybe the YouTube show up. a little bit earlier than normal since it's such an early game and give everybody a chance to react to it. We'll see everyone after the game.

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