Yeah, of course. I mean, anybody who doesn't, I'd love to have that conversation. I think Rob Palenka did pretty well. I mean, three second round picks for a player who's going to slide right in and make that team look better on offense where they've really struggled. But I love how you phrased it, Justin. I wish they would have gotten this kind of player for him for his 37th, 38th, and 39th birthday. It's been a while since the king of the three-point assist, the league's all-time leader in three-point assist is LeBron James. He's assisted on more threes than Stefan has made. Pat Riley knew to surround him with shooting. The Cavaliers knew to surround him with shooting. The only time the Lakers really did that, they won the freaking championship. It feels like it's a long time coming, but I love the move here in 2024 for the 40-year LeBron James to get somebody like Dorian Finney-Smith on the edge of that offensive scoring area for him. I mean, it's perfect. Man,

I don't know. I have to disagree. Three cracks at a potential Bronny James-type player? You let that go to bring Dorian Finney-Smith in? I can't believe that. No, I'm kidding. Obviously, I just think D'Lo's skills were just redundant. They don't need his on-ball stuff. Like, the shooting kind of comes and goes. And obviously, he's horrible at defense, which Finney-Smith is going to be, if nothing, he's going to be competent on that end and be at least decent on catch and shoot. So, you know, just like as a fit, Finney Smith makes way more sense in terms of Laker deficiencies than what D'Lo does. I guess D'Lo can go replace Dennis Schroeder on the net. So, like, I guess that makes sense for them. And, you know, getting three second round picks for Phinney Smith isn't the worst thing ever. And, you know, I think the Lakers made a nice move, even if it's on kind of the margins, you know.

So the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook on July 29th, 2021. It has taken them three years and five months in order to revert the roster practically back to the point it was before they made that. And now, as you guys kind of laid out there, the Lakers looked at their best when they just surrounded LeBron and AD with these type of guys. I really like the Finney Smith's fit for all the reasons you guys mentioned. And I also like that he's kind of a bigger version than they have in what they found in Max Christie. Finney Smith is going to be able to guard bigger. And there were some rumors going into the season that they might try to acquire another center either to pair with AD in the starting lineup or even bring him off the bench. I'm glad that they didn't do that. This feels like the best version of that. And so you have Finney Smith who can guard the bigger guys. You have Max Christie, still Young's figuring it out, but he acquitted himself as a three and D wing who can guard guards and ones and twos and perhaps some threes there. And so there's just like a balance to the roster that they haven't had since that bubble title. I think the big question though, Kirk, is that team worked because it practically spotlighted AD and LeBron as top five players. AD has been incredible this year. JJ has leaned into him, and that has worked really well for them. But I think to your point, to the piece that you wrote on the ringer a couple of days ago, can LeBron still be a guy who could lift these type of guys around him? Is there still a title run left in LeBron with these type of guys around him?

No, I don't think so, to be blunt. I think it's a good move. I think it helps the Lakers go deeper. But this is a young man's game, dude. I'm on the wrong side of 40 myself. I wouldn't want to be chasing 25-year around at LA Fitness. And that's what this guy's trying to do. And you can see it. He's not the same guy. I'm not throwing shade. He's the best 40-year player I've ever seen play basketball in my life. But he can't be expected to be the guy who's going to go win a finals MVP. That's too much to ask night in, night out. But I think this makes them much better, Justin. And I think the West is a little uneven now. With Luka's injury. I think OKC still deserves to be a clear favorite. Then you have Memphis, Dallas, and then a slew of teams that have some flaws, like Denver, Houston. I think LA's in that group. And I'll never bet against LeBron James, but I just don't think – I'd be curious to hear what Woz says. I don't think this is a championship contender as presently constructed. But I'm eager to hear what you think. What do you think, Waz?

I mean, I don't think anybody watched the Lakers this year and said to themselves, they were Dorian Finney Smith away from championship contention. Like, you can't credibly make that that statement. I think it's nice that they're going in the direction of being a better team, a more well-fitted, well-rounded team. But no, I don't think they're in the class of OKC, certainly not Dallas or even Memphis, for that matter. Even though they whooped up on Memphis the other night, I just think they've still got too many holes on offense. Too much of the shot creation is dependent on Austin Reeves, who I like, is a really good player, is a nice player. If he didn't play for the Lakers, man, nobody would know who Austin Reeves was for him. But he's got such an outsized role on the team, and I just don't think he's good enough for that. As great as AD has been, as great as LeBron has still played, you know, even at a diminished state, I just don't think they have the juice on offense to do it. And on defense, you know, they've gotten better in recent weeks. Like the past two weeks, they've looked competent. They've played on a strain. They look like they're playing together, but I don't think they have a lot of defensive talent if we're being real. so no i don't think this makes them a contender in the west but i like that they're better you know that'll be more fun to watch so

they've won six of their last eight coming into monday three of those were against the sacramento kings unfortunately they took uh just all the benefit of beating up on the kings as they've started to figure things out we'll get to mike brown and the firing a little bit later. I will say they have found something. They feel like there's more of a flow on offense. I do like what they've done with Rui Hachimura, basically punting on center and working him in as a small ball center. I think like bring Coloco in every once in a while. And so it just seems like there's much more of a logic to everything. And then Finney Smith kind of fits that whole idea. I think the West is starting to remind me of what it was two years ago when the Lakers made the West finals. Whereas like there was one clear definitive favorite that separated itself from the fact from the pact in the Nuggets. And then there was everybody else kind of clawing to get into that range. I think the good thing for the Lakers is I think that they probably have a track to get back to that point again. And OKC doesn't have a Jokic type who could just slam the door shut as soon as you get there. I mean, I believe in the Thunder. I think they're going to make the finals. I think they're clearly the team in the West that everyone's trying to chase. But if you have any doubts about them at this point, you're like, maybe in a series against LeBron is like Shea going to have enough guys in order to support him i'm not sure and so i don't know i'm starting to convince myself of it i know that sounds crazy because like probably two weeks ago kirk we were talking about uh the lakers just being a complete catastrophe like maybe they might not make the play in or whatnot but i don't know do you do you think that they could end up in in like the west finals even potentially

i would put that at their their ceiling i mean permission to get nerdy here for a second. Net rating is a better predictor of playoff success than winning percentages. So on the one hand, the Lakers are 18 and 13. That's nice. They just got better with Dorian. But on the other hand, when LeBron's on the court, their net rating is minus six. And the people who look at the game the way I do, it's just some giant red flag, dude. Like this guy is playing most of the game and you're losing when he's out there. And I take that pretty seriously. Does that mean they're not going to make the playoffs? No, I just don't believe they're built to last through the gauntlet of what's going to be the 2025 Western Conference playoffs. I think they're in good shape. They're better than I thought they would be at this point in the season. Hand up on that. LeBron's playing well for his age. But remember, when they won it all, dude, they had Dwight and JaVale next to Anthony. They had Danny Green, KCP, Kuzma. had dudes. They had dudes that could rebound, that could play physical defense, and they were a top half offensive team and a very, very good defensive team. I'm not saying either of those things about this team. This team is struggling to score and is not the defensive juggernaut that championship team was, and is certainly not as physical as that Dwight Howard DeVale front court with Anthony made them. So I just don't see that for them. I could see them, like you're saying, Justin, sneaking in to the conference finals. I'd put that at their ceiling.

Yeah, I'm with Kurt. I mean, I think getting to the second round would be an amazing feat for this team. And yeah, the thing about that 2020 team, people, you know, laugh about the bubble championship or whatever, but throughout that season and in the bubble, they had an elite defense. They beat the hell out of people on defense. They, like, Caruso and KCP and Kuzma on the perimeter. And then LeBron, when he would dial it up, he would find it within himself to dial it up on defense, obviously backed by A.D. and Dwight. Like, that was something. They had a special defensive unit. There's nothing special about either of the units on this team. It's just that's just not the case. And, yeah, you know, one of their best players is a guy that's about to turn 40, and that has its limitations. But I just don't think they have the roster depth that that previous team had. And they pretty much haven't since they let all their wing guys go in order to bring Russell Westbrook in and in order to be cheap as hell and not keep Caruso.

Yeah, even to bring Schroeder in the original time, getting rid of Danny Green almost as like flotsam, as salary matching fodder. And then he just went on to play two more years with Philly it's like whoops sorry about that yeah I would put the Lakers at doubtful to make the West Finals if only because the Grizzlies have looked very good when John Morant is there but you could kindly kind of find all these caveats to all the teams that they're probably competing against Shaw has been in and out of the lineup including this weekend he wasn't available for a ding and dent. These things just keep coming up. Dallas, I think win right, looks incredible, but Luka's now out for what? Probably a month and you don't know when he's going to be back. They just can't find the right combination of guys at the right time. The Rockets are young, the Clippers working Kawhi back in. Denver has looked atrocious defensively of late and Jokic in particular. And so I don't know, the door is open, but we'll see what happens. But I think this ultimately just becomes a LeBron conversation. I wonder, Kirk, like the context makes sense around him. I think Reeves is playing well offensively. He seems to be finding like a version that he had probably when he first popped a couple of years ago. I mean, do you think like they could even put a good defense around LeBron considering his limitations on that end? I

think a good defense is there. I don't think a great one is there. I think Dorian is not what people think he was like in Dallas five years ago, but he's good. And I think while I said this earlier, like he's good, he can guard a three or four pretty well and try to put him in that small ball five. I don't think he's going to be that guy for you. But he's a good defender. And certainly exporting D'Angelo Russell will have positive defensive impact as well. So I think their defense is Western Finals ready. I think it can get to that level. It's the other end, dude. There was a 10-game stretch, I think when I put up my efficiency landscape last week where only the Wizards had a worse offense than Los Angeles Lakers like I'm sorry that's not a good Wizards one of the one of the best G League teams we have but I think when you're when you when you can say that it's like how are you going to get through the playoffs with an offense that can't score? And to Waz's point earlier, when you're 29th in offense over a stretch like that, you're not a Dorian Finney-Smith away from going up and beating Nicole Jokic in a playoff series or beating the Dallas Mavericks with Kyrie and Luka in a playoff series to get to the Western Finals. So I think the problem, Justin, is on the offense. And like a lot of things, there's just an occasionality with LeBron James at 40 that wasn't there five, ten years ago when you could bank on this guy. You have LeBron James, your top five offense, period. Period. We can't say that anymore, especially when they haven't done a great job surrounding him with that three-point talent. So I think the defense is fine, but I think ultimately their ceiling is going to be on the offensive end. What

do you think, Waz? LeBron at 40. Are you in your feelings today as we celebrate probably the best player of our era?

You know, it's funny because I was never really a Kobe person growing up. You know, I was kind of like annoyed with the Mike comparisons because I was like a Michael Jordan sort of sycophant. And then I became a big fan of LeBron. But, and you know, obviously followed his career really closely and all of that stuff. But I remember when Kobe retired, a deep sadness just engulfed me. I was surprised by how sad I was that Kobe was going. It was weird that Kobe would not be part of what I was doing in terms of my NBA consumption. And I would imagine when that day comes for LeBron, it's going to be even worse than that. Because for me, LeBron is kind of the last vestiges of my youth. I was a young person when I became aware of LeBron James. I might have been a freshman in high school. I myself was a high school basketball player when ESPN started putting him on the TV. And I just couldn't believe that somebody in high school could be that good. You know, because when you show up to a game and the team has a 6'8 kid, the guy can barely chew and walk and chew gum at the same time, right? Much less have a handle, have hops, have court vision, you know, hit threes. It was just like mind blowing. And to watch him at every single step, just, you know, accolade, accolade, accolade and achievement has just been crazy to think that the guy's now 40. Um, and you know, basically this is it. This is the Swan song. It's kind of, it's kind of nuts. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about it now, very. It

reminds me of what people say about funerals. It's like, people are sad for the person you lost, but also that like your own mortality is starting to come into focus you're just realizing that we're all on this collar wash in addition not a kid anymore

no sir no

i mean i i think the crazy thing kirk is like you kind of hit it it's the consistency because on nights like against steph on christmas you see him turn it on and and it still looks or is a facsimile of like what we're used to and so i still convince myself that like he could still do it and i do wonder in a short series uh where he has time to rest and game plan he could still be a more methodical version of what he once was but but i don't know what do you think well

i was at the spurs at the end of tim you know and i was looking back at tim stass he 39 and he was still good. We thought we could win it all that year. And the Thunder had a different idea. And shout out to that team. They're really good. But Tim was playing 65 games, famously, you know, one of the main innovators of load management, along with Greg Popovich. But it helped. And when it was time for the playoffs, he's playing 25 minutes a night in the regular season, even playing 60 games, something like that. And if I could change one thing about what our friend JJ is doing and what LeBron is doing, because I know he has some input too. It's like, bro, we don't, we don't need this 82 times this year. We need this April, May and June if we're lucky because you're right. The Christmas night is like, and he has like a 35-point triple-double, I think, against Atlanta, a chase-down block on Dyson Daniels this year that looks like he's still 30 years old. I just want them to take a page out of the Greg Popovich manual of superstar career and elongate how much LeBron we get, particularly this season. He's playing more minutes than two of the next starters who start for tips. Like, what are we doing? Like, be careful. That's the king. That's the old king right there. We have to be careful with this dude, JJ. That's what I would say to them if I could change one thing, because I really do think there is something left in the tank, but we have to protect. We have to protect it a little bit.

Yeah, it was, you're right, Justin. Like on Christmas Day, watching LeBron and, you know, he turns it up because he's playing against Steph. and Draymond, who he has a relationship with, and obviously wants to beat them. And it's like the primetime game. And it's like, wow, like, okay, if this guy could do this, you know, over the course of a series, like, man, the Lakers could be a really dangerous team. AD goes out and it's just like, whatever, we got LeBron, we'll figure it out. It just feels like this stuff is way harder to summon, even like, you know, within the playoff series where there's two and sometimes three days apart from games that like it's tough for him to get there, you know, seven times in a series, you know, and some people might be like, well, you know, maybe he needs to do it for us. Like, no, he could play great in the game and still lose. Right. And so that's why that's why I'm just like i don't i don't know as much as like if lebron played on a team where if we could like do a cross sports reference where like brady goes to the bucks and you know the bucks have the best defense in the league they have a really good offensive line it's just like all right brady just has to be good in moments and like all of the surrounding talent can kind of carry the day. That's not what's happening on the Lakers. This guy has to be an MVP kind of player every day in order for this team to succeed. And so, you know, that's why it's tough for me to think that the Lakers are going to be, you know, too, too competitive come post season time. Yeah.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Lakers have looked their best when Austin Reeves has really played his best in probably two years because they need that supplementary creator Kyrie type in order to take the reins whenever is necessary. Like, yeah, like you could do it. But actually, what you need to do is you need to be on an all star level whenever LeBron needs you to be. It's more about dialing it up more than it is being consistent in playing around LeBron. And I do wonder if there is still a move for the Lakers just because they maintained all of their first round picks. And I think this probably gets at probably the central tension in LeBron's career practically since he left Miami, where it's like, how much does the organization value the post LeBron period versus the now? Whereas you could say, like, if there was a player to go out and get, like, it would make sense to maybe replace Reeves or something like that and just have that offensive pop and just make the best version of this team. Let's go for it. But you could also argue like, well, there might be a post LeBron period. It might be coming up as soon as next season. Let's try to find someone and prioritize AD in the same way that, frankly, the Heat have with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. I'm curious whether or not teams are as interested in the contracts that the Lakers have. Kirk, as someone who worked in a team, you might have more insight into this, like Aruri Hachimura, the extra year on that. The Jared Vanderbilt contract looks pretty bad. Do you think there's any room for them to do anything more? And would you, as an organization, considering where LeBron is at his career, go out and try to swing something that helps LeBron more than it helps you down the road maybe three years from now? I

guarantee you they're going to try. I mean, that's the DNA of the Buss family and the Lakers brand, especially with this clutch LeBron era in place in Los Angeles. They're going to try. But I think the CBA is going to make all these kinds of transactions just harder for the Lakers. But my thesis is they want to make a move. It's who this team is. They live and die by trading players. They certainly, I think, would prefer to have another big next to Anthony Davis that could give them an opportunity to play bigger sometimes so I think they will whether or not they will pull one off I think is a bigger question what

do you think was do you think like if you were Rob Polinka you're wearing a gorgeous like zip up team polo. Are you looking ahead of LeBron? Are you saying, actually, what we need to do is LeBron is playing well enough now. AD's playing well enough now. Let's try to accelerate this team. Let's make the best version of this team.

The kind of players that I guess were on the market, the Trey Youngs, who I guess doesn't – he's not getting traded anymore, is he? I don't know. It's pretty good in Atlanta. It feels like Atlanta likes what's happening over there. You know, Zach Levine, whose name has come up a trillion times. Brandon Ingram. These same – like Zion Williamson? I mean, like what kind of deal do they even make? Right. In terms of who's out there, that would be this perfect figure. I don't think there's any centers, certainly not. Or bigs that are out there that could turn this thing around. I almost wonder if, you know, if they could take a chance on a guy who hasn't been proven and see if they could figure something out, like see if they could find their own, you know, Hartenstein on the Knicks last year where nobody thought this guy was going to play, much less be like a freaking cog in the postseason machine that he became. I wonder if they could get creative and try to find that kind of player, because I don't think there's a star big. And I don't know why you would deploy that much resources for a big next to AD, for somebody who's supposed to be just more complimentary to what AD's doing. And now, I don't know if, I guess, upgrading Austin Reeves might be the idea, making him the centerpiece of something. But, you know, again, with the cap situation being what it is, I don't know how they do this.

Yeah, I was just going to say, I think, like, they won with those two bigs. Like, putting JaVale and Dwight next to Anthony gives them sort of a different look, sort of akin to OKC when they go big. But I would look at Valanchunas. I would look at Vucevic in Chicago and potentially, who was the other one I was thinking? I'll come back to it. But just another, oh, Pirtle in Toronto, I think. Somebody like that who could come in and just sturdy up the defense should be, they should be considering. I'm not advocating them doing that, but getting that second big that gives them a completely different look in their front court and lets Anthony Davis maybe focus a little bit more on offense and less on rebounding during long stretches of the season. I think that could help them.

Yeah, I like it because it would give them different looks. And as we've seen in the playoffs, a lot of the time it comes down to malleability. And you look at some of the younger teams, they've been able to build the depth in order to play against anybody. Like it feels like the Grizzlies, for instance, have like seven centers just ready to pop in whenever they need it. I almost wonder if the Grizzlies, I doubt that they would help the Lakers. And I don't know if the Lakers have what they need. If anything, the Grizzlies probably want veteran players. But like, you know, Brandon Clark, is he expendable just because you have Jay Hoff? Is there something in a three-way trade where you get Clark and they trade for maybe a wing? They seem to be like they might be in the Cam Johnson sort of mix. So I agree. The big is valuable. I think unfortunately, AD just like the shooting just never came around for him. It seemed like this season, like he seemed like he was showing progress in a way that he hadn't in recent years. And it seems like this is now a trend where it's like the first two months he puts up more. He shows signs of progress and ultimately reverts back to the version he is, which is still an all-star Hall of Fame level big. We need to appreciate AD for what he is. But like he is what he is at this point. He's a center. And so getting Finney Smith, for instance, I think matters and makes a lot of sense in that regard. What do you guys think about this trade from the Nets point of view? Because I thought it was interesting that they basically traded Schroeder and Finney Smith for seconds. So six seconds in total. So no first. So I almost wonder if it sets a market in a pretty bad way for teams looking for first round picks. Shouts to my Portland Trail who have been dying for a first round pick for Jeremy Grant, unfortunately. They're also being more hardcore and metal about tanking in a way that I think a lot of teams are a little bit skittish of. They were basically like, Schroeder is playing so well, let's get him the fuck out of here and let us sink like a freaking stone in the standings. Kirk, do you like this trade for the net side of things?

Pretty much.