Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

In Part I of our conversation with Jovan Buha of The Athletic, we covered the LeBron James and Anthony Davis core, how viable it is, and what the Lakers might do to improve the supporting cast around them this summer. Central to that is the future of Russell Westbrook. Part II starts there. First and foremost, Jovan doesn't think the Lakers can bring Westbrook back, at least in a basketball playing capacity. If he's on the roster, the Lakers pay him to stay away. So that leaves a trade...

The Lakers have a lot of work to do this offseason, but one of the more foundational bits of business is figuring out what they still have in their star core...

Part I of a conversation with The Athletic's Jovan Buha, on what the Lakers have now, and what they can get going forward

Russell Westbrook has excised the Lakers (along with the Rockets and Wizards) from his Instagram page. Does that necessarily mean his relationship with the team is unequivocally over? Wrecked beyond repair? No, nor does it mean he's trying to feud with the team. For all we know, he's just doing some pruning to try and highlight his off-court ventures and charity work...

It's a rite of passage these days - an embattled athlete removes a team from his social media!

The Kamenetzkys discuss the similarities between the Lakers and Nets this season, plus where Anthony Davis should

With the dispirited Brooklyn Nets on the precipice of getting swept by the Boston Celtics, the Kamenetzkys took a chance (that paid off!!!) of treating their defeat as fait accompli Monday night, and pre-recorded an examination the commonalities between their failures and those of the Los Angeles Lakers. Specifically, there were star-heavy foundations that collapsed, whether LeBron James/Anthony Davis/Russell Westbrook in L.A...

Plus, exploring what a real teardown would look like vis-a-vis LA's 3 stars, plus Westbrook trade parameters.

He's on vacation, but LeBron James, serial watcher of basketball, is still glued to a television watching the NBA Playoffs play out without him, doesn't like it, and Tweeted that never again will he miss the playoffs. But while James didn't mention the specific team he'll be with, he presumably meant "with the Lakers. But all jokes(?) aside, it's a reminder of how much distance the Lakers have to travel before contention, even on the fringes, is a legit possibility...

The Lakers are in a real pickle vis-a-vis traditional expectations heading into next year. Can they message their way out?