00:00Who would know we would have got some news in the NBA over the weekend? I was not prepared for that, but it seems like as we get closer to the next training camp opening, the season has ended and the new season is beginning. Let's bring in Gilbert McGregor from Sporting News. Gilbert, great to have you back here on Newswire. I know it's been a minute and NFL is going to start. That's going to take full stage here, but the NBA like trickling in a little news over the weekend. I would ask you this before we get to like sort of the numbers and all that, you know, Lucas signed a contract extension with the Lakers.
00:29That's our story that we're beginning with here. Why now? Why did this happen yesterday? Why was it announced yet? The timing to me is strange because I just don't understand the dynamic of it. Couldn't this have happened a month ago or two months ago, etc.
00:43So funny enough, I can't tell you the exact reason why, but I do know that this was the first that he was actually eligible to do it. So Lakers fans should probably be encouraged by the fact that he wasted no time, got a workout in on the morning of August 2nd and eventually signed that contract.
00:59And that was a date that had been circled once they made that trade for him six months after he became Lakers. So that's probably actually what it was. It was six months to the date of the trade becoming official.
01:09That was the first day he was eligible to do it. And they definitely made a good audition and a good impression, everything they've done in the last six months to have him confident to sign and say home with the franchise for at least the next two seasons.
01:19Yeah, three years, $165 million, a no-brainer, five-time All-Star, five-time NBA first team, rookie of the year, scoring champion.
01:29And we know he's going to help the Lakers. The odds makers are telling us they need a lot more here, Gilbert, because Oberon Feingold, the win total for the upcoming season, is just 48 and a half.
01:39And that's with that Lakers tax that we pay every single year. I mean, this is like just above $500.
01:43So is there a third piece going to head to L.A.? Or is this the way they're going to roll your thing?
01:50It feels like this is what they're going to do right now. This is the team that they have.
01:53I mean, the DeAndre Ayton signing, the Marcus Smart signing. Those are two, I guess, in the margins, you could say DeAndre Ayton is a former number one overall pick.
02:00But I know there's a lot of questions around LeBron James and his temperament. How happy is he to be with the Lakers right now?
02:06And the other part of it is that the Western Conference is just really good.
02:08You know, the Lakers have made some moves this offseason, but I'm not sure if they're better than the defending champs.
02:14Denver, Houston are all teams I would put ahead of the Los Angeles right now.
02:18And even Minnesota, the team they lost to in the playoffs.
02:20So this is a Lakers team who, as it stands right now, is probably between the fifth and tenth best team in the Western Conference.
02:26And I know that's a wide range, but there are teams comfortably ahead of them.
02:29So it's going to be hard to win games in the West this year.
02:32Yeah, I would agree. And let's take a look at those real quick here again.
02:36Their win total, 48 and a half, to make the playoffs minus 500, to win the Western Conference 10-1, the finals, plus 1,700.
02:43If you had to make a choice today, and I'm not going to hold you to it, Gilbert, would you say they go over that or under?
02:48What do you think?
02:49You know, I'm going to take the over right now because this time last year, fans were joking and laughing at Lakers fans for thinking they could get Luka Doncic, and then they got them.
02:57They are the Lakers, and they always are able to pull something off that we never expect.
03:01So we could be sitting here three, three and a half months down the line being surprised at how the Lakers were able to get the next disgruntled star or the next star whose franchise is done with them.
03:10So never count them out.
03:12I think that Luka Doncic has something to prove.
03:13We've seen this all-season transformation.
03:15He might put forth an MVP caliber year.
03:17So that should get them 50 wins.
03:19Let's get now to the other story in the NBA that seems to be gaining a lot of steam, and I wonder how you feel about this one, Gilbert, with Joel Embiid, because this is a player that when he's at his best is arguably the best player in the league, but he's been far from it when he's been hurt.
03:33In fact, over 11 seasons, he's missed almost as many games as he's played, and this is what I guess is the big question.
03:42The 76ers organization is rooting for him to be healthy and playing, but here is the bigger one, Gilbert.
03:50Would they be destroyed if this guy decided to retire and they can open up their book again and pay somebody else if he can't play?
03:57Because, you know, I got to tell you, getting 40 games from an NBA player anymore just doesn't matter who it is.
04:03It doesn't seem to be in the cards of success.
04:05Yeah, it's difficult, and this has been from the moment they drafted him.
04:08You kind of wish now that we could have seen his career unfold a different way.
04:12It's been 11 years now, and I know he missed his first couple of those seasons, you know, with those injuries that he dealt with,
04:18and now here we are wondering what if in a lot of ways, and even wondering what if we still saw an MVP season out of Joel Embiid.
04:24But now at this point, he's 31 years old.
04:26We're unsure what's going on with the knee, and you can't help but feel for him a little bit in the franchise.
04:32And there are things that maybe hindsight is 20-20, and he could have done differently,
04:35and the Sixers organization could have done differently.
04:37But like you said, all he could do is now look forward and is looking forward saying,
04:41hey, we're just going to limit him to 50 or 55 games to have him ready for the playoffs,
04:46and is having 70% of Joel Embiid better than not having him at all?
04:50Because 70% of Joel Embiid is better than the majority of centers in the NBA because of how good he actually is.
04:55So they have a lot of things that they'll have to weigh.
04:58I think just making sure the big picture is still in play.
05:00We've seen it in the past.
05:01We've seen guys kind of come back and have a second act in their career at 32, at 33 years old.
05:06But it will probably require a much lesser workload for him, and they hand the keys to somebody like Tyrese Maxey.
05:12They have a lot of young talent on that team, but how do they pass that over
05:16and kind of take away from Joel Embiid as he gets older?
05:19Let's get to the Boston Celtics and their ownership group.
05:22It looks like they're going to be adding a WNBA team to the fold.
05:26Gilbert, why is Connecticut Sun leaving Connecticut?
05:29Is it simply because of the purchase here?
05:31I think they've kind of reached their ceiling.
05:33They've had some good success in Connecticut.
05:35They've never won the big one there, but those who are familiar with that situation,
05:38that setup, they're owned by the Mohegan Tribe, and they also run the casino,
05:42which is why they are the Connecticut Sun up there.
05:44But I do think that the facilities and things like that have kind of limited them
05:47as far as their ability to compete at a high level.
05:50A lot of players left that team because they felt like they couldn't compete.
05:53So if you have an NBA team come in and take over and keep the team in New England,
05:57which I think is very important for this ownership group,
05:59but bringing them to Boston, bringing them to that big city, that major league city,
06:02you'll be able to do a little bit more.
06:04We're seeing it around the league, Phoenix, Las Vegas.
06:06They're teams who have their own practice facilities and things like that
06:08that's given them a competitive advantage, New York as well.
06:11So maybe Boston can follow suit with having the Boston Sun moving forward.
06:16WNBA's second season about to begin.
06:18Trade deadline coming up here.
06:19Kaitlin Clark's Indiana Fever doing well without her.
06:22I would only imagine if they added to this mix that maybe Indiana could win a championship.
06:27I've seen their odds just surge.
06:29Yeah, they're finding ways to win without Kaitlin Clark.
06:32I think they have developed an identity.
06:33And I think the interesting thing is this is going to be a transitional offseason with the CBA negotiations.
06:37But because of that, 100 players, plus 100 players are going to be free agents this year.
06:41So we can see people on the move right now if teams don't want to lose their players for nothing.
06:45The Lynx already made a big deal.
06:47They're at the top of the standings.
06:48But the Fever, one five in a row without Kaitlin Clark, can get her healthy and be ready for the stretch run.
06:54Well, Gilbert, I know there'll be plenty to cover with the NBA as we continue the offseason
06:58and get ready for the next season with the NBA's preseason beginning in a couple months.
Be the first to comment