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00:00All right, Sunday night was a big night in New York, but it was a tough one for Los Angeles
00:20as the Knicks, they knocked off the Lakers 112-100, New York their second in the East
00:24while L.A. they're battling for a playoff spot, currently sixth in the West.
00:27So, to help us break down where this Laker team stands right now, how the Luka Doncic trade
00:32is looking one year later, can't believe it's been a year already, and what LeBron James'
00:36future could hold, and also what both teams, Knicks and Lakers, might do with the trade
00:40deadline.
00:41I'm joined by Los Angeles Lakers beat reporter for the California Post, so welcome to the
00:46team, my guy, Kobe Price.
00:47What's up, Kobe?
00:47How you doing, bro?
00:48I'm good.
00:49How you feeling?
00:49I'm great, man.
00:50Good to have you here.
00:51Love the work you've always been doing.
00:52Appreciate you.
00:52Covering the Lakers, and now you're on the Post team, just on the left coast, man.
00:56Yeah, just from one coast to the other, right?
00:58Yeah.
00:58Coast to coast with it.
00:59Yeah.
00:59We're having a good time.
01:00Having a good time.
01:00So, it's been good.
01:01Once I knew you were coming to New York, I was like, we've got to link up, we've got
01:03to get you in here.
01:04I saw you at the game last night, so it was good to meet you there, but I've got to ask
01:08you this, because you got to watch that up close, right?
01:10So, you saw that 112 to 100 loss by the Lakers at the Garden, and there was a lot of buzz.
01:15You saw it.
01:16A lot of media was there.
01:17Yeah.
01:17The fans were there.
01:18What did it reveal to you, that game, about where the Lakers are right now as they try to stay in this
01:23playoff race?
01:23I don't know about so much reveal, but it just solidified thoughts that I had entering
01:27into the night, where they're still struggling to solidify themselves as a proper or true
01:33contender for an NBA championship.
01:35They're a good team.
01:36Some nights they look like a very good team, but there are other nights where you just see
01:40on the court, like, Luka can make shots, like, Brown will have his moments, and the
01:44guys will piece together good sequences, good moments, but they'll struggle to put together
01:48for, forget 48 minutes, even 36 to 40 minutes in a night, or in a game.
01:54So, for the Lakers, again, they've had games where they put together.
01:57I mean, I'm thinking about the win against the Wizards in Washington, D.C.
02:00Granted, it's the Wizards, right?
02:02Like, we all know, let's not get it twisted.
02:04There is a difference in caliber.
02:06I know, you know, the West Coast people like to talk bad about the Eastern Conference, but
02:10there's a difference in caliber between the Knicks and the Wizards.
02:12That's fair.
02:13But they put it together in that game.
02:14They've had other games this season where they've put it together.
02:17Yes, they're missing Austin Reeves, but they're still lacking that extra oomph to really solidify
02:22themselves in the same conversation as Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, or even the
02:27San Antonio Spurs, that level of team in the West.
02:30So, you feel like they're in that next tier.
02:32Yeah.
02:33So, I watch a good amount of Laker games, right, on League Pass.
02:36One of the things I see is the defense, perimeter defense is just not.
02:39Would you say that's the biggest issue with this team right now?
02:41It's among many.
02:42I mean, I think the biggest issue, so the perimeter defense, I actually thought last
02:45night we saw that with the way they were able to contain Jalen Brunson in certain moments.
02:48Like, now they're playing with Austin Reeves out, and they've been doing this more recently.
02:51They're playing bigger.
02:53Like, you saw throughout the game, like, I mean, they start a pretty big lineup right
02:56now with Austin Reeves out with, you know, Marcus Smart, Jake Laravia, LeBron, Luka,
03:01LeBron, DeAndre.
03:02Like, those are all big and stocky players.
03:04And then you have Jay Vanderbilt come off the bench, Rue Hachimura, Jackson Hayes.
03:08You know, Gabe Vincent's the smallest player in the rotation right now.
03:10And he's feisty, but, like, outside of him, you're talking about guys all 6'3", 6'4",
03:15and taller, and just, like, stocky and bulky.
03:18Their problem is that so often it's like they're choosing between offense and defense.
03:21And there's been a better balance of that lately between, you know, if you have a guy
03:26who's more offensive-oriented out there, well, maybe your defense will slip.
03:29Have more defensive guys out there, the offense will slip.
03:32The three-point shooting will slip.
03:33So finding that balance has been, to me, one of the biggest struggles all season long.
03:37And once you get Austin Reeves back, that can help, you know, reorient the roster in
03:41terms of role orientation, figuring out lineup configurations.
03:45I think the lineup configuration has been better really over the past couple of weeks.
03:50But, yeah, their perimeter defenses overall, their foot speed is a struggle.
03:54Their overall athleticism is a struggle.
03:57And sometimes, just to be honest, their energy will just be up and down.
04:00I mean, you saw it last night, once the shots don't, if shots don't fall, and I think this
04:03is the case for most teams.
04:04A lot of teams, right.
04:06A lot of teams.
04:06But once the shots stop to not fall, it gets really sluggish, really, I mean, I thought
04:12last night against the Knicks, they had a lot of beautiful sequences early, you know,
04:16a lot of good passing sequences.
04:18But once the shots stopped falling or didn't fall at the same level as they did the first
04:21quarter, a lot of more no-pass possessions or one-pass possessions, ball got a little
04:26stickier, and then there's just no rhythm really in that second half where the Knicks
04:30took the game over.
04:31I really saw that in the third quarter when the shots stopped falling there.
04:34So, I guess, if we put this in sort of context, how would you assess the Lakers season so
04:39far in terms of expectations, right?
04:41Like, are they performing to expectations about what you thought?
04:44Or do you feel like they're still, well, you kind of said this, been inconsistent, right?
04:48They're still, are they still searching for that consistency?
04:51But how is that relative to what maybe you expected of this team going into the season?
04:54Yeah, I mean, I can only speak from my own expectations.
04:56Right.
04:57So, I think before the season, I was expecting them to be a team that won maybe around 50
05:01games.
05:01Some are between, realistically, 48 to 52 wins.
05:05I thought that's where they're at.
05:06And, what, they're 29 and 19 right now.
05:10I can't do the math off the top of my head.
05:11But that feels like around the pace of a high 40s, low 50s wins team, depending on, you
05:16know, maybe they play a little bit better to close the season once they get Austin back.
05:20Yes, there have been inconsistencies.
05:22LeBron misses the first 14 games.
05:24Austin has missed 19 consecutive games, and I believe 21 of 23 games or 22 of 24 games,
05:30something along those lines.
05:32You know, there have been inconsistencies in just in terms of guys available, you know,
05:36especially toward the top of the roster and different starting lineups, what have you.
05:40But even with that, like, the roster, you know, it's funny.
05:44You look at what's happened, the actual results over the past, you know, we're getting close
05:48to game 50, their struggles were struggles that you could predict back in July and August,
05:53September, when this roster was put together.
05:55So, from that standpoint, not really surprised.
05:58To me, they're almost playing to expectations.
06:00The real surprise is they have 20, like, they're 10 games above 500, despite having, I think
06:07right now, a negative point differential.
06:09And their offense hasn't been elite in the way that you would expect it to, you know,
06:13when you have Luka, Austin, LeBron on your team.
06:15And the defense has struggled the way you expect it to, but despite that, there's still
06:1910 games above 500 in a way that you just typically don't see of a team that has a negative
06:24point differential on the season.
06:25Yeah, usually a team with a negative point differential could either be very close to
06:28500, maybe a game over, could be a couple games generally under.
06:32You could generally see that.
06:33So, it's really interesting to see how they've gone with that.
06:35Yeah.
06:35And I was going to say, I think that kind of points through, you know, they do have three
06:37close, I mean, right now Austin's out, but they have three guys who you can really lean
06:40on to close out games.
06:41They do have one, they've had one of the better, I think still right now, the bench
06:45clutch record in clutch games or games that have gone to clutch minutes in the league.
06:49So, that's been their bread and butter.
06:51They can win close games.
06:52Like, that's really been it for them.
06:54I wonder how that works for them in the postseason, right?
06:55If you can get into a close game, maybe with a team, more pressure's on them, but you have
06:58guys you can trust that can get buckets for you down the stretch.
07:02So, I ask you this, because we're now, just up to the day, as we're recording this, over
07:06a year removed from the Luka Doncic trade, that shook the league, shocked me.
07:11Yeah.
07:12How has that move aged for the Lakers both on and off the floor?
07:16Because, I don't know where you were when that trade went down.
07:19I can tell you where I was.
07:20Go ahead, tell me that before you answer the question.
07:21Where were you?
07:21You don't know how to age for the Lakers.
07:23It aged me, quick, quick.
07:24In the immediate aftermath.
07:26So, we were actually, you know, we were actually here, you know, a year ago to the day.
07:29That's right.
07:29I forgot, Nick's played the Lakers.
07:31I completely forgot about that.
07:32It was a Saturday night game at MSG, a big win for the Lakers.
07:36I think, you know, I think the final score was maybe like 122, 110.
07:39They didn't crush them.
07:40Crush them.
07:40I mean, they had, you know, LeBron had a triple-double, Max Christie, big game.
07:45Austin Reeves, like, there was a big win for the Lakers.
07:47Like, they were starting, like, Anthony Davis just went out with his injury, and Charlotte,
07:51as part of their Grammy trip, early in the trip, maybe like the first or second game.
07:55But they were starting to build momentum, had a great showing in Madison Square Garden,
07:59and, you know, finished up post-game media availabilities.
08:03Everybody's feeling good.
08:04You know, about to go back home to L.A., just wrapped up a really strong trip.
08:08I think they went, like, 4-1 on the Grammy trip.
08:11Then you get that, get the notification, you know, transcribing, you know, doing the thing.
08:16We just finished up media availabilities.
08:17So, you were still at the Garden.
08:19Still at the Garden.
08:20Still at the Garden.
08:20Okay.
08:21I think Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura were the last two Lakers to speak.
08:24Like, they did a joint post-game media availability at MSG.
08:29So, they just wrapped it up, maybe, or let's just say 11.30, 11.40, around that time.
08:33Maybe a little bit earlier.
08:34It's still pre-midnight, but it's after 11 p.m.
08:37Because it was like an 8.45 start.
08:39Yeah.
08:39So, it was one of those, like, late, like, for real late starts.
08:43About to transcribe, opening up my phone, about to message my editor, like,
08:47hey, I just finished it.
08:48About to update him on the night editor on the progress of the night.
08:51Because back in L.A., it's, you know, like, 9 Pacific.
08:55Get the Shams notification.
08:57Keywords notification.
08:58Because I'm not on Twitter.
08:58I'm in Slack.
08:59Get the notification.
09:01Huh.
09:02That's all.
09:03It's literally just in my head.
09:04It's like, am I reading this crap?
09:06I have to, like, read it twice.
09:07That was my reaction, too.
09:08I thought it was wrong.
09:09Look, look, look.
09:10It was, like, maybe, like, five or six of us still in the press room.
09:13Look to the right.
09:14Look to the left.
09:15Nobody said anything.
09:16Nobody's reacting.
09:17Nobody's reacting.
09:18So, I'm just thinking, like, I feel like, I'm, like,
09:20I'm not even scrolling through Twitter.
09:21I'm just, like, I still have the tweet, like, pulled up on my phone.
09:24Look to the right again.
09:25Look to the left.
09:26And I just, as soon as I, like, turn my body again,
09:29I hear someone yell, oh, Luka got traded to the Lakers.
09:33I'm, like, all right, thank you.
09:34There we go.
09:35Then, you know, make a couple calls, you know, get it confirmed.
09:38And, yeah, it was just stayed up till, and then have to fly back the next day.
09:42So, like, stay up till maybe, like, 4, 35 a.m.
09:44Just working, and it just changed the complete complexion of this job
09:49and the Lakers organization, and they're, obviously, you know,
09:53a year later, their future, but obviously they're present as well.
09:56Present then, and also they're present now.
09:58But you asked how it looks now.
09:59Yeah, how's it look now, right.
10:00I mean, the funny thing is I wrote about it in a story that got published
10:03not too long ago.
10:04I think after that win over the Knicks last year,
10:07or so, after the February 1st, 2025 win, I think they were 28-19,
10:12and they were 5th in the West.
10:14A year later, they lose to the Knicks, and they're 29-19, 6th in the West.
10:19So, in terms of, like, the immediate results, hasn't changed much.
10:25They, you know, before Luka, the, you know, 2024 playoffs got bounced
10:28in the first round.
10:30The playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, 2025 playoffs,
10:33another five-game first-round knockout,
10:35this time at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
10:39So, immediately, like, obviously, like, Luka Doncic is spectacular.
10:42You know, once in a generation player, he's phenomenal.
10:44And he gives the Lakers a bridge to the future.
10:48Someone you can say, hey, Rob Palenka said it publicly,
10:51the centerpiece of the franchise, he's 26 years old,
10:54I think turns 27 later this month at the end of February.
10:57Like, he's the centerpiece, you know, and you hope that, you know,
11:00the next three, four, five, you know, six, maybe even more years,
11:03you can build around, you know, Luka, Austin Reeves,
11:07and just build out the roster similar, ironically enough,
11:09to how the Dallas Mavericks built their roster.
11:11You know, tough, you know, have, you know, tough, athletic, you know,
11:15have tough perimeter defenders around him to really, you know,
11:17cover up for, you know, Luka and Austin's deficiencies,
11:20even though Austin's a respectable defender in his own right.
11:23But it does feel like the Lakers, at least, are still a ways away from,
11:28you know, completing or building out the ideal roster that complements Luka,
11:34you know, and Austin in that equation.
11:35I'm going to get to that with you because I definitely want to talk about
11:38what they could possibly do with the trade deadline.
11:39The Lakers, I find them fascinating.
11:40We'll get to the Knicks on that stuff, too.
11:42I want to talk to you about LeBron real quick.
11:44Because we just saw him named to another all-star game, right?
11:47Right.
11:47It's just crazy the amount he's played in.
11:4922.
11:50It's insane.
11:5022, right?
11:51It's insane.
11:52But, and you saw the discussion around this, particularly last night when we were at the
11:56Garden.
11:56There's a lot of talk still about his future.
11:58What's happening next?
11:59Based on what you're seeing, how does he view this stage of his career with the Lakers?
12:04Because I've been wondering if he knows it's time might be up with the Lakers.
12:09Maybe it's time for both parties to end this.
12:11He might want to end his career elsewhere.
12:14And then everybody was asking me this question last night,
12:15so I'm really intrigued to hear what you think.
12:17Yeah.
12:17Do you think he played his last game in Madison Square Garden last night,
12:21or did he play his last game in Madison Square Garden in a Lakers uniform?
12:24Those are two different things.
12:25Those are two different questions, so I'll answer the latter question.
12:28I do believe it's very likely to me that that was his last game in Madison Square Garden
12:33as a Laker.
12:33Yeah.
12:34I think the more time that goes on and reporting, talking with people, it's becoming more challenging
12:41to see LeBron returning to the Lakers beyond this season, going into the 2026-2027 season.
12:50It's not impossible.
12:52I wouldn't even rule it out.
12:53But it does feel like we're getting closer to another pivot point in the relationship.
12:58And I'll say this.
12:59There have been multiple pivot points in the Lakers-LeBron relationship.
13:02And regardless of the friction, regardless of what's going on behind the scenes,
13:06they've always come back together.
13:07They may not have always been the happiest with each other,
13:10but they've always come back together.
13:12But again, I just talked about Luka Doncic.
13:14The Lakers have their guy.
13:16Not their next guy.
13:18Their current guy.
13:18And that's the key thing about Luka.
13:19It's not just someone you're building around the field.
13:21Like, you're building around Luka now.
13:22Now, you've got him right now.
13:23You've got him right now.
13:24Like, this isn't 23, 22-year-old Luka.
13:27This is 26-year-old, supposed to be 27-year-old in his prime, Luka Doncic.
13:31You have that guy right now.
13:33So, for the Lakers, the priority is building around him.
13:37And again, you have Austin Reeves as well.
13:38Like, just a player who was playing at an All-NBA level before the calf injuries.
13:42Like, those are two, you know, Rob Palenka, you know,
13:44last summer called Luka, Austin, and LeBron the pillars of the franchise.
13:48You know, moving forward, I don't see why Luka and Austin,
13:51would not remain the pillars.
13:52Especially, again, Luka's a centerpiece and Austin is a pillar.
13:55But going back to LeBron, like, it just becomes more difficult.
13:58Like, if you're trying to build a team that can maximize those two,
14:02it's hard to bring LeBron back,
14:05at least in the capacity that he is right now.
14:08So, I have a hard time seeing him return to the Lakers.
14:10What he does after the season, I'll be honest,
14:12I don't even believe he knows yet.
14:14And you asked me what this stage of his career is.
14:17Yeah.
14:17I think it's more so, like, I don't think he's made a decision for his future.
14:20So, I think right now he's just trying to appreciate it.
14:22And he spoke about this, I believe it was in Washington,
14:26or sometime on this road trip.
14:27Because in Cleveland, we saw him get very emotional.
14:29Cleveland, yeah.
14:30When he had a tribute video, we saw him very emotional.
14:32Cleveland, it was Cleveland, not Washington.
14:33It was in Cleveland where he spoke about just trying to appreciate the moments.
14:36Because he doesn't know what, like, he doesn't know what's going to come beyond this season.
14:41He may not, he may be, he may retire after this season.
14:43He may not want the, I mean, he said it publicly, I know not everybody believes it,
14:47he may not want the retirement tour just because of the attention it could bring,
14:50or, like, what if he shows up to an arena and he's not able to, like,
14:53we saw him miss the first 14 games of this season.
14:55With sciatica.
14:56With sciatica.
14:57Like, and he also acknowledged that he dealt with sciatica, I believe it was two years ago,
15:02during the offseason, but he didn't, it didn't make, force him his time.
15:05But who's to say that, you know, it doesn't flare up again, he's not able to start a season,
15:09or he's just not able to, you know, we've seen sometimes on these farewell tours,
15:12guys aren't able to play in every city for the last time.
15:15And, you know, that could carry, you know, maybe disappointment or whatever it may be.
15:19So he may not truly, you know, and it may not be the easiest thing to believe,
15:22but he may not want it just because of the, you know, the pressure that may come with it.
15:26Or just honestly, like, he's, he may just want to do it.
15:29He's had the attention on him for a quarter of a century, really, going back to high school.
15:33He may just be okay with bowing out.
15:35But regardless of that, with him, it's just, I don't think he knows yet.
15:40But because he doesn't know, right now it's about appreciating the moments.
15:45So at least there can be a piece at the end of this season of,
15:48I did it, I appreciate it, you know, I took it all in.
15:51Then you can make a decision rather than get to that moment and be like,
15:54did I, did I take the time to, did I do what I wanted to do?
15:57You do it in the moment.
15:58And then you, when you get to the, maybe not the finish line,
16:01but you get to the end of this season, then you can reflect on what, what the future will hold.
16:05I think that's fair.
16:06I think that we, when I say we, I mean, us in media, sports journalists, even fans.
16:12I don't, I don't know if we sometimes appreciate the fact that you really,
16:16it really takes time to make those decisions.
16:17I mean, listen, it, it even goes to us and what we do in our career.
16:20We love what we do in covering sports.
16:21And at some point we will not do this anymore.
16:24Right.
16:24And at some point that will be a hard thing to do.
16:26And I think about that sometimes we have very limited time to do the things that we love.
16:30Well, and especially athletes.
16:31I mean, you also got to think about it.
16:33LeBron's again, he's been an athlete.
16:35You can essentially say his entire life.
16:37And he's been a professional basketball player.
16:41He's been an NBA for 23 seasons.
16:43And he's been in the spotlight as a basketball player again for a quarter of a century,
16:47basically almost 25 years.
16:48I mean, what his first national TV high school game was in 2002.
16:52It's 2026.
16:53Like, he's been doing this, like, this has been, you know, his adult life
16:59and even going back to his teenage years.
17:00Like, this is not all he knows as a human being,
17:03but he doesn't know what being an adult is like without having them be.
17:06So there's also an element of what does the future, like, that's a,
17:09even outside LeBron, that's a, not, that is a thing that you have to factor in
17:13when talking about, like, for us, we can probably do this a little bit longer
17:16than most athletes.
17:16Right.
17:17It's not as limited as that.
17:18It's not as limited.
17:19But we do, but to your point, I don't mean to cut you off.
17:21What you were saying there is, like, the future being unknown.
17:24Yeah.
17:24I mean, the future is always unknown.
17:25But the future being unknown after you've done something,
17:29in particular, at a high level for a long time,
17:32that's the, there's a little, maybe some fear in there,
17:34which is healthy, too.
17:35Yeah.
17:35Fear can be there.
17:36There's a human element.
17:37There's a human element to all of this.
17:39So it's not, sometimes it can be, you know,
17:41if you're sitting in our chairs and you're a fan at home,
17:43it can just be like, why did you just retire?
17:45Or why did you just make a decision?
17:46These aren't easy decisions to make.
17:48Because the other thing is, once you make that decision,
17:52you can't, it's just, you can't go back.
17:53Yeah, nobody's trying to see that.
17:54Nobody's trying to see you un-retire.
17:55Because you either un-retire, or if you, like,
17:58once you have it mentally that I'm done,
18:00we've seen guys, like, it's just, guys will say, like,
18:03once they're done, they're done.
18:04And some guys, they know they're done before they actually retire.
18:07Like, they'll know in the season, yeah, I'm done.
18:08But once you make that decision, it's just hard to,
18:10it's a switch.
18:11And then you don't, you know, for the, some fans out there,
18:14some of the, I would say, even older fans that saw Michael Jordan,
18:17Michael Jordan did that, right?
18:18You know, it's a little different circumstance,
18:20but he retired, came back,
18:21and we like to act like the Wizards stuff didn't happen.
18:25Nobody wants to see that, right?
18:27Like, that's the thing, that's a, but that's,
18:29but that's an example, and I bring that up,
18:32to just, I think you brought up a beautiful point,
18:34in that that's why it's so tough.
18:35Right, Kobe?
18:36That's why it's so tough to make that decision,
18:38and then, nothing's perfect with it.
18:41Nothing's really perfect with it.
18:42It's not an easy decision,
18:43especially when you've been doing it for so long.
18:45But, you know, it's something that he's,
18:47he's been more open about, it seems like.
18:50I mean, this is my third season covering the team.
18:52He's become more open to talking about it publicly,
18:54and just the factors that are at play,
18:56when it comes to making a decision.
18:57Yeah, and I, you gotta respect that,
18:59and I did like that.
18:59Let me ask you about the trade deadline with the Lakers,
19:01but we'll get to the Knicks in a second, too.
19:03As the trade deadline approaches,
19:04what have you been hearing about the Lakers,
19:07what they might do, what they might not do?
19:09Do you think they stand pat here?
19:11Do you think they try to upgrade the team?
19:13What are they more likely to do?
19:15Or is it like, quietly reset and sell off some pieces,
19:19as you said, to try to get the pieces that you want
19:21around Luka and Austin Reeves?
19:22What do you think the Lakers do at the trade deadline,
19:24or maybe not do anything at all?
19:25Well, I'm definitely not expecting a big move like last year.
19:28Yeah, yeah.
19:28That's for sure.
19:29You can't handle that two years in a row?
19:30That might be too much?
19:31Yeah, I mean, let's be honest.
19:32You can see underneath my eyes right now the bags.
19:35You got to get some sleep for Kobe.
19:37You got to get him some sleep.
19:38No, it's also like, look, you make that move for,
19:40like, there's not a true big move for them to make.
19:43Right.
19:43Just from a draft assets situation from a player,
19:48like, they just, they made that big move for Luka last year.
19:51Kind of, I don't want to say it fell in their lap,
19:53but it fell in their lap.
19:54Right?
19:54Like, right.
19:54So let's be real about it.
19:55Like, it just, that's how it happened.
19:57Let's be honest about it.
19:57But for this trade deadline, like, maybe a small move.
20:01Like, there's not, I mean, we're just in conversation with people.
20:04Nobody's expecting a big move.
20:06Maybe, like, a small tweak, but nothing significant.
20:08I don't expect them to acquire a significant difference maker.
20:12Maybe a small move around the margins,
20:14or maybe they trade a player to open up a roster spot
20:16and convert one of their two-way guys to a full-time contract.
20:19And then, you know, they bring up one of their guys from the G League
20:21onto a two-way.
20:22Like, maybe some small stuff around the margins,
20:25but nothing significant.
20:26I'm not expecting this, the rotation to change significantly.
20:30Outside of when Austin Reeves comes back,
20:31the rotation will change naturally.
20:32But maybe, like, something marginal that can, you know,
20:37that may shift things up on the smallest levels.
20:39But I'm not expecting, like, a big move,
20:40or even, like, a trade for a fifth start
20:44or a starting level player.
20:45I think if they do anything, and, you know,
20:48I think it's 50-50-ish, whether they do Stan Pat
20:52versus actually make a small move.
20:55Like, I think that's more so the lane that they're looking at
20:58rather than make a, forget it's a seismic trade,
21:01a true game-changing trade.
21:02Like, I don't know.
21:04I'm just trying to find an example.
21:04I mean, obviously, we saw the trade between, you know,
21:06Cleveland, Sacramento, and Chicago,
21:09sending DeAndre Hunter to Sacramento,
21:12Dennis Schroeder, and Keon Ellis go to Cleveland.
21:15Like, that was, I don't expect that level of move
21:17for the Lakers this year.
21:18Even that's a big move.
21:19But Laker fans, I know this because one of my best friends
21:22is a big Laker fan.
21:23Shout-out to you, Morris Austin.
21:24Big Laker fan, they always are expecting the big move.
21:28And that's why even when the Luka Doncic move
21:29happened last year, you're like,
21:30oh, Lakers, they got their guy again.
21:32This happens again.
21:33They always seem to get their guy, but they got it here.
21:36But how much, let me just ask you this as a follow-up,
21:38how much of them maybe making a marginal move
21:41here at the deadline or not
21:43has to do with the fact that
21:45this a lot depends on what happens to LeBron.
21:46They should have a lot of cap space this summer.
21:48And they may be eyeing more of the summer of 2026
21:51at how they reshape their roster.
21:53That's definitely a factor.
21:54I mean, even, again, the times we spoke with Rob Palenka
21:57since they traded for Luka,
21:59optionality has been a word.
22:01I got to tell you something.
22:03I'm a little jealous here
22:04because you guys in L.A.
22:06get to actually speak to your gentlemen.
22:07Oh, yeah.
22:08We don't get that here in New York.
22:09You don't get that here in New York, yeah.
22:10Yeah, no, yeah, no.
22:11Let it be known.
22:12Let it be known.
22:13Let it be known.
22:14That must be nice.
22:15It must be nice.
22:16You know, it's good to hear,
22:17it's very good to hear from the lead basketball decision maker
22:21on what goes into the basketball decisions.
22:26So shout-out to Rob Palenka for making stuff available
22:28and shout-out to the Lakers for making their lead basketball decision.
22:32My bad, I cut you off there.
22:33No, it's all good.
22:34Let it be known.
22:34Let it be known.
22:35It's an important factor in our job, in our industry.
22:38But, no, like, the optionality, because it's not just LeBron.
22:41Like, it's LeBron.
22:42It's essentially an unexpiring contract.
22:46You also have Rui Hachimura, expiring contract.
22:48Gabe Benson, expiring contract.
22:49Maxi Kleber, expiring contract.
22:51You've got, you know, guys with player options
22:54in DeAndre Aydin, Marcus Smart.
22:57I believe I'm missing one more.
22:59Or Austin Reeves has a player option for next season as well.
23:01But the thought right now is that the Lakers are going to sign him
23:04to a big deal after this year.
23:05Like, there's an optionality.
23:07There is, like, there are ways in which the Lakers can improve their roster
23:10through free agency.
23:12So, for the Lakers, they're, like, I remember that there was a, you know,
23:17some chatter around, before he got traded to the Kings,
23:20there's some chatter about DeAndre Hunter, you know, being in the Lakers.
23:24You know, the Lakers are in him.
23:26And that was, you know, that was true.
23:27But the trade itself that had been reported was not something that the Lakers,
23:31because the Lakers aren't looking to take on a whole lot of future money.
23:34Like, DeAndre Hunter has, like, I think 23 or 24 million for next season.
23:38Like, the Lakers are going to keep their optionality open by not taking on,
23:41you know, a significant deal beyond the season.
23:43Unless it's someone who they believe is going to be, who fits into their,
23:47and who fits into their, the bigger picture alongside Luka and alongside Austin
23:52beyond this season.
23:53But they're trying to keep their, you know, they're trying to keep their options
23:55open.
23:55Because they know, they know that they don't have the perfect roster,
23:58the ideal roster around Luka right now.
24:00So that is the, that is the, I guess you want to call it the North Star
24:04that they're looking at as they continue to build up their roster.
24:07Going into the trade deadline on Thursday, but even going to the summer.
24:10Even going to the summer.
24:11All right, so we've got a couple more questions here for Kobe Price,
24:14our California Post, Lakers beat reporter.
24:16But I've got to ask you about the Knicks, because you're here in New York
24:18for a couple of days.
24:19Absolutely.
24:20The Lakers will play the Brooklyn Nets after playing the Knicks.
24:24Yep.
24:24Berkeley Center, very different from that.
24:26But even as a Brooklyn Knight, I have to say that.
24:28What did you make of seeing these Knicks up close in the victory?
24:32And I know you've probably watched even more than that,
24:34but what do you think about the Knicks?
24:36Do you think that they are a true championship contender?
24:38Because that's a big question here in New York, is that are they good or not?
24:42They had a little slide in the beginning of January.
24:44They've now won six in a row, so I know it looks really good right now.
24:47But what do you think about this Knicks team and where they are?
24:49I mean, right now, so preseason, my preseason prediction,
24:53because, you know, sometimes you get asked to do some and you fill it out.
24:55So my preseason prediction was Thunder, Knicks, NBA Finals,
24:58and the Thunders were going to beat the Knicks.
25:00That was my prediction preseason.
25:02The Knicks have had this kind of up and down in a way.
25:06Not up and down, more ups than down, but just kind of –
25:09I thought they were going to be better than they have been.
25:11The Pistons being as good as they have been has surprised me, I'll be honest.
25:16So I was impressed with what I saw last night.
25:18I mean, I wrote about it too.
25:19Like, even with it seemed like Jalen Brunson, you know, being bothered by the Lakers' length
25:24and their early physicality provided defensively, especially from their bigger players,
25:27you know, Vanderbilt, Jared Vanderbilt, Marcus Smart.
25:30Like, even with that being the case, I thought in the second half,
25:33he missed some shots that he would normally make.
25:35But I thought his past shot decision-making, especially in the second half,
25:40was at a high level.
25:41And that was impressive.
25:41I mean, the thing that stands out about the Knicks just, period, is the depth.
25:45I mean, to have a guy like Mitchell Robinson come off the bench and just create,
25:48you know, widen your margins with his offensive rebounding, that's huge.
25:52To have a guy like Josh Hart play as hard as he does, but then also he can, you know,
25:56he can get in there, knock a couple threes, score.
25:58Like, in the manner that he does, it's not something you expect every night,
26:00but he can do it when you need it on a night when Jalen Brunson's not feeling it as a scorer.
26:05Then OG McKenna, like, they have a solid roster.
26:07They have a very good roster.
26:09It may not be the best-fitting roster to have a point, you know, to have, you know,
26:13two, you know, I'll just say it, two guys who aren't proficient defensively.
26:17Yeah, their best offensive players are the weakest defensive players.
26:21Yeah, and that can be troublesome, but they've built a good ecosystem around,
26:25you know, Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns.
26:28And that's what you want in a roster when, you know, you cover up
26:31or you complement your star's deficiencies.
26:33And I think they've done a good job at that.
26:35But, you know, you would think that, you know, after, you know,
26:39firing Top Zibido and then bringing in Mike Brown, you know, some of it,
26:43I don't know how I'm going to try to say this, there would be a little bit more,
26:47things would be a little bit more urgent.
26:49Urgent, yeah.
26:50I feel that's the word you want for urgent.
26:51Yeah, urgent.
26:52There would be a little bit more urgency.
26:53But it feels like they're starting to maybe turn a corner now.
26:55That was a big win against the Lakers.
26:57Like, look, that was their first win over the Lakers at MSG since 2021.
27:00I think November 21.
27:01Correct.
27:02Last few years, I've got covered two of them even before then.
27:05Lakers come to town, they put on a show.
27:08They come to Madison Square Garden, regardless of what happened before the game,
27:11regardless of what went on this season, they come to MSG, LeBron, you know,
27:13crew, they put on a show.
27:15So that was a big win for the Knicks to pull that out.
27:17But in terms of championship contending, I mean, to me, they're still,
27:21I know they're not standings-wise, but to me,
27:23they're still the top team in the East to me in terms of playoff viability.
27:26I would take them right now over the Pistons.
27:28I would take them over the Celtics.
27:30But in terms of continuing for a championship, I mean,
27:33I still believe OKC's better than them.
27:36I'll take Denver over them.
27:37And to me, those are, like, the two teams I would expect to come out.
27:39Like, really OKC and then another look at Denver.
27:43So I don't think they're better than those two teams.
27:44But in terms of continuing out the East,
27:46they're still my favorite to come out the East and make the NBA Finals.
27:49So I agree with you.
27:50Despite the Knicks having a 2-9 slide in January,
27:54they've bounced back nicely from that after a four-game lose streak.
27:58They've won six in a row.
27:59The thing for me is the defenses look better.
28:01And this will kind of lean into where we go next.
28:04I think there's, I'm with you.
28:05I still think they're the best team in the East.
28:07I still think they can come out.
28:09That's no disrespect to Detroit, who I think is up and coming.
28:11I think they're very physical.
28:13And we'll see the Knicks play them on Friday night.
28:14We'll see.
28:15The Knicks got bodied by them the last time they saw them.
28:1730-point beatdown.
28:18So the Knicks are going to have to show me something personally on Friday
28:21when they play them again.
28:22So we'll see.
28:23Again, we'll see how the team looks after the trade deadline,
28:26which is where we're going to go now.
28:27Yeah.
28:27Because there's a lot of talk about what the Knicks should or shouldn't do
28:30at the deadline.
28:32And there's been the honest rumors.
28:33So let me ask you this.
28:35As a basketball lover and observer,
28:36what kind of move do you think the Knicks need to make
28:39if they're going to try to fortify their roster by 3 p.m. on Thursday?
28:42What kind of move do you think the Knicks need to do?
28:44A non-Yannis move?
28:46Unless you think it's a Yannis move.
28:47It might be for you.
28:48I mean, so the funny thing about Yannis is that it's out.
28:51I don't even know if there's been an official update,
28:52the 46 weeks of diagnosis he gave himself.
28:55No, no, no.
28:55He said that was all a self-diagnosis.
28:57Yeah, that was a self-diagnosis.
28:58It's the official one.
28:59So if you trade for Yannis,
29:00is he going to come back immediately?
29:02I don't know.
29:03So the thing about the Knicks is that if you can make the Yannis trade,
29:06I think that's like there should not be.
29:09I understand why there would be hesitation
29:10because you've built out this very good roster that's, you know,
29:13I know, you know, you haven't made it to the finals,
29:16but what, you made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year,
29:18second round.
29:19Like you've had the most success.
29:20The Knicks have had the most success as a team
29:22since like in like a quarter century with this roster more or less.
29:26So I can understand the hesitation,
29:27but Yannis is a player that puts you over the top
29:29pretty much regardless of who you send out, right?
29:33So if you can make the Yannis trade even with him being out
29:35and even with the, you know, the East is what it is,
29:38I think you make that move.
29:39But in a non-Yannis move, I mean, their roster is pretty, like,
29:43it's pretty set.
29:44I mean, when I look at this team, like, it feels like they have,
29:48to me, I was reading about it, like, the no, you know,
29:51they brought back the no middle concept defensively.
29:53Yeah.
29:53Right?
29:53Like, that was a big talking point coming out of last night's game.
29:57And that's been a significant change.
29:58Like, after a line middle to start the season,
30:00now they're just trying to push, you know,
30:02push ball into the baseline,
30:03which is funny because that's a Tom Thibodeau principle, right?
30:07And they're going back to it.
30:08They're going back to it.
30:08And that's the way most teams play defense.
30:11And when you're playing basketball, even to the youth level,
30:14that's the thing you want to force your man baseline,
30:15you want to use the baseline as an extra man.
30:17Yeah.
30:17The sideline, excuse me, this is normally what you try to do.
30:20But they've gotten back to it and the defenses look better.
30:22So I was going to say, I don't know, like,
30:24I just look at this roster like,
30:26I don't know if they really need a significant move.
30:28Like, that's just me, like,
30:29as someone who doesn't watch them every day.
30:31Right.
30:31Cover them, like, just on the outside.
30:33I think they just need to solidify what they have.
30:35Like, be more entrenched and tweak what you already have
30:37rather than look outside.
30:38Maybe you can make, like, a marginal, like, if you feel like.
30:42But the team I saw last night, and again,
30:44maybe I'm just, you know, going off of last night
30:45of the few games I'm able to catch.
30:46But, like, at least in the East, they look for real.
30:49And knowing their situation in terms of the cap flex,
30:52like, their cap situation, like,
30:54I think they're pretty, like,
30:55their roster feels pretty solidified.
30:57Unless you are willing to look at Carl Anthony Towns
31:03and you didn't give him extension,
31:05and you're saying, this is, you know,
31:08if we're going to do it,
31:09and if you saw what happened maybe last year's playoffs
31:11and you're just not sure if he's the big man
31:13to put with Jalen Brunson.
31:15But, again, we talked about it.
31:16You have your two best players are both, you know,
31:18they both lack defensively.
31:19Yep.
31:20And you have concerns about that.
31:21If you're willing to pull the trigger on that,
31:23then maybe that's a different discussion.
31:25But I think that would be part of the honest trade
31:26because you don't just trade Cat for,
31:30what's the, like, you don't trade Cat for, like,
31:32Like, a couple of role players.
31:33Yeah, high-level role players.
31:34Like, you have to trade,
31:34if you're going to make that move,
31:36you have to, it has to be another star-level player.
31:38And, you know, honestly,
31:38it has to be another star big man.
31:40But who else is out there?
31:41Who's the star big man that you would trade for
31:43outside of, theoretically, Giannis?
31:45There really is a lot of options.
31:46The problem for the Knicks, Kobe,
31:47is they don't have a lot of assets here.
31:50Yeah.
31:50And it's more likely they will have those assets
31:52if they traded for Giannis at the draft.
31:55However, the focus here in New York
31:56is they're trying to win a championship now.
31:58You're trying to compete for a title right now.
31:59You're talking about the draft, you know.
32:01That's the June problem.
32:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
32:03That's the June problem.
32:03That's way down the road.
32:04We're talking about February through,
32:06I guess, finals is in June soon,
32:07but that's a late June problem.
32:08Late June problem.
32:08We're talking about the,
32:09talking about our early to mid-June
32:11aspirations for them.
32:12But no, I agree with you.
32:13I mean, again, like, that's the tough part.
32:16Like, if you want to trade Cat,
32:17if you don't believe he's the guy to pay,
32:19like, who fits with this roster, okay.
32:21You have to find it.
32:21You can't just trade him for,
32:23I don't know if you can trade him for a wing,
32:24unless you want to start Mitchell Robinson,
32:25but you're going to put him in the spotlight
32:27where he has to play,
32:28depend on him, 25, 26, 28 minutes a night.
32:31But they're kind of keeping him
32:32just around that now,
32:34and he's not playing back-to-backs.
32:35Yeah.
32:35So there's already that trust,
32:37and he's very injury-prone.
32:38Yeah.
32:39But, although you mentioned earlier
32:40how fantastic for a player he is
32:41with offensive rebounding and whatnot,
32:43but now you're putting him
32:45in more of a stressful situation,
32:46to your point.
32:46Yeah, exactly.
32:47And it's something that I've learned
32:49quite a bit,
32:50and keep in mind,
32:51role orientation matters so much
32:53in the NBA.
32:54Facts.
32:54In terms of, you know,
32:55sometimes you think a guy can scale up,
32:58after he plays super well in his role,
32:59you can scale him up to, like,
33:00playing more minutes,
33:01or maybe feeling him in a different role,
33:04and this doesn't work out
33:05because they've almost mastered
33:06the role that they have.
33:07Or, if they play more minutes,
33:09they're not able to bring
33:09the same level of energy
33:10and, you know,
33:12take it from, you know,
33:1320 minutes to 28 minutes.
33:15They've been able to expand it
33:17in that way,
33:17so I think the Knicks,
33:19you know,
33:19going into this deadline
33:20may not be what Knicks fans
33:21want to hear,
33:21but I think they should
33:22stand pat,
33:23unless you want to pull
33:25the cat trigger,
33:25but to me,
33:26you only pull the cat trigger
33:27if you're getting Giannis.
33:29To me,
33:30that's just how I look at it.
33:31Knicks fans are going to want
33:32to hear that they get Giannis.
33:34They're also going to want
33:35to hear that they make a move.
33:36I think that it's likely
33:37they make,
33:38it's kind of like the Lakers stuff.
33:39This is not,
33:40this isn't going to be sexy
33:41where people want to hear.
33:41I think it's more likely
33:42they make a very marginal move,
33:44maybe they upgraded
33:45with the backup point guard
33:46or point of attack defender
33:47that can help off the bench
33:48or another big wing of four
33:51because they're getting nothing
33:52out of Gershon Yabusele
33:53and Jordan Parkson.
33:54We didn't see both of them
33:55play last night, right?
33:56So those were your two
33:57free agent signings
33:57in the offseason.
33:58If you could flip guys
33:59who aren't playing,
34:00and this is what
34:01our Stefan Bondi had said
34:02covers the team for us
34:03here at the Post,
34:03he was like,
34:04hey, if you can flip those
34:04into a guy that could play,
34:06that could be a win.
34:07Maybe you have to attach
34:08some second round picks to that.
34:09I don't see that
34:10as a bad move.
34:11I think that's the more likely move
34:12that goes down by Thursday.
34:13I think Giannis is...
34:15I don't actually...
34:16I don't think Giannis
34:17is going anywhere on Thursday.
34:18Yeah, I mean,
34:20the more time that passes,
34:21it feels like it's...
34:22I would say it's more likely
34:23something happens with him
34:24just because...
34:25Unless he...
34:26I don't mean to cut you off.
34:27Unless he forces his way, Kobe,
34:29like he says,
34:30I want to go here, right?
34:32Then I think that changes the game.
34:33I don't even know
34:33if he has to force his way, though.
34:35I think it's just known
34:36within the organization that...
34:37That he wants out.
34:38Yeah, he wants out.
34:39And I think they also know
34:40that he's not going to be
34:41the type to...
34:43Go up to the...
34:44Go up to the...
34:45I'm done.
34:46It's going to be more so...
34:47Everyone knows.
34:48Everyone knows it's time to move on.
34:51It's more so a matter of
34:52is it going to be before Thursday
34:53or by Thursday
34:54or this summer, right?
34:56Like, dude,
34:56that's really what it's looking like.
34:59I don't...
35:00I think it's less likely...
35:01I think it's more likely
35:02he remains in Milwaukee
35:04beyond Thursday.
35:05I agree.
35:05But I think the closer
35:06we get to it,
35:07I think we're going to see
35:08more desperation,
35:08like, including...
35:09It could be from the Knicks.
35:10It could be from a variety of teams
35:11who are...
35:11The other thing I was thinking about
35:12is I like the point you made
35:14about the Knicks...
35:14For the Knicks of
35:15maybe just turn guys
35:16who aren't playing
35:17into a guy who can't play
35:17who can be your eighth man,
35:19your ninth man,
35:19whatever it may be,
35:20back-end rotation player.
35:24I don't...
35:25Off the top of my head,
35:26I don't know this,
35:26but, like,
35:26if you could also make a move
35:28to set up for the summer...
35:29Like, if you're thinking
35:29you could get Giannis this summer,
35:31maybe you set up a...
35:32Like, you make a small marginal move
35:33that can clear up space this summer.
35:36And then, like,
35:36I don't know what that move
35:37would be off the top of my head,
35:38but that...
35:38Like, if you truly believe
35:39you're going to go after it
35:40for all-in on going after Giannis,
35:43maybe you make a move like that
35:44just to set up for the summer.
35:45It may not help you
35:46win the title now,
35:47but it could help set up
35:48for, you know,
35:49better offseason.
35:50The Knicks are all going to need
35:51some flexibility.
35:53Yeah.
35:53I will say if...
35:54They are going to get a chance
35:56to get another pick
35:56and then get another asset,
35:58so they'll need
35:58some more flexibility.
35:59I guess, last thing,
36:00before we get out of here,
36:01I want to bring it back
36:02to the Lakers.
36:03Where do you think...
36:04Like, when you look at
36:05the big picture
36:05with this Laker team
36:06and we look at this team now,
36:09Luka Doncic is going to be
36:10the head of the stake,
36:11he's the franchise player
36:12and all of that.
36:13How do you feel
36:14about this team's future?
36:15I know we still can't see
36:16what they do in the summer,
36:17but how do you feel
36:17that the future is set up
36:18for this Lakers team
36:19with Luka Doncic as the star
36:21and do you see more championships
36:22coming in L.A.
36:24with him as the star
36:25if they're able to put
36:26the right pieces around him?
36:27If they're able to put
36:28the right pieces together,
36:28they should at least contend
36:29for an NBA championship
36:31or just be contending
36:32team on a regular basis
36:34because the reality is,
36:35look, I mean,
36:36the reality is
36:37we haven't had
36:37a repeat champion
36:38since the Golden State Warriors
36:41in 2018.
36:43I think if the Thunder
36:44don't win this year,
36:46I think it'll be
36:46eight consecutive seasons
36:47with a different champion.
36:49So if you're the Lakers,
36:51you could look at that
36:51as a point of optimism
36:54of if it's your year,
36:56it's your year.
36:57The other thing about
36:57it's not just like,
36:58it's not just
36:59there are no repeat champions.
37:01You're also just getting
37:01different finalist matchups
37:03like almost every year.
37:05I mean,
37:05the only,
37:05I was thinking about it recently,
37:07I think the only team
37:08to make multiple finals
37:10since the Warriors'
37:13last championship
37:14were the Boston Celtics.
37:16They, you know,
37:17they lost in 22.
37:1822.
37:1822 to the Warriors
37:19and won in 24.
37:21Miami Heat in the bubble,
37:22they lost in 20.
37:23And then they lost
37:24the Denver Nuggets in 23.
37:27Outside of that,
37:28you're seeing different teams
37:29year in and year out
37:31make the finals.
37:32And you feel like,
37:33because again,
37:33you just feel like
37:34one of those years,
37:35it could be your year,
37:36especially if you have
37:36Luka and Austin leading the way
37:37or just, you know,
37:38or just Luka leading the way.
37:40Like, you feel like
37:40that could be it.
37:41But it's not a guarantee.
37:42Like, even if you have,
37:43you know,
37:44even if you have
37:45Luka at his best
37:47and, you know,
37:48the right pieces around him,
37:50like, the optimism
37:50is what you saw in Dallas.
37:52But, you know, look,
37:53the Thunder are looking like
37:55they're going to be
37:55a force to deal with.
37:56The Spurs,
37:58in some people's eyes,
37:59Wimby's coming.
37:59Wimby's coming.
38:00Or here.
38:01Or he's here.
38:01Or the Spurs
38:02are just out of schedule.
38:03Like, maybe they're doing
38:04better than what you think.
38:05And let's not forget
38:06about the last,
38:07you know,
38:08let's not forget about
38:09the Rams.
38:10Oh, I think he's
38:10going to be the Pacers.
38:11Oh, no, I was going to say
38:11the Denver Nuggets.
38:13Oh, the Nuggets.
38:13I'm just talking about the West.
38:14Oh, the West.
38:15He's just talking in the West.
38:15Yeah, I'm just talking about the West.
38:16Oh, yeah, let's not disrespect
38:17the Nuggets and Jokic.
38:18And those are just like three.
38:19And like Jokic, like, yeah,
38:20he's what, 30, 31,
38:21I want to say.
38:21He's in his early 30s.
38:22But like, you know,
38:24those are teams that
38:25the Lakers are going to
38:25contend against like
38:26immediately right now.
38:27And then, you know,
38:28again, with the Thunder
38:29and Spurs, like,
38:30that's your future.
38:31Like, right now,
38:31I would take the Thunder
38:32and Spurs future
38:33over the Lakers right now.
38:34So, they can be in
38:35the conversation
38:36year in and year out.
38:36But even with the perfect
38:37roster around Luka,
38:38I mean, I know that,
38:39you know, if you're a Lakers fan,
38:41you'll say, you know,
38:41Luka led the Mavericks
38:43to a win over the Thunder
38:44in the playoffs two years ago.
38:45That's two years ago.
38:46This Thunder seems significant.
38:47Like, they've got
38:48a little bit more to them
38:49than they did
38:50in that 2024 playoff run.
38:52So, yes,
38:53they should contend
38:53for the playoffs.
38:54But I don't think
38:55championships are guaranteed,
38:56even with a player
38:56as special as Luka.
38:57Yeah, no,
38:58it's going to be interesting
38:58because I still can't believe
39:00the Lakers have Luka.
39:01That's my thing.
39:02I still can't believe
39:02that trade went down
39:03and they have Luka.
39:05It's going to be
39:05very interesting.
39:06I had to open a PTSD
39:07walking through MSG
39:08yesterday.
39:10Yeah, I wonder
39:10how many people at MSG
39:11were worried about the fact,
39:12will another trade
39:13go down here
39:14a year later?
39:15Same team's playing.
39:16Could this happen again?
39:17It didn't happen.
39:18Although, you know,
39:19I will have checked
39:19my phone here in recent
39:20to make sure there's no trades.
39:21No trades.
39:22I checked,
39:23I looked at my phone.
39:23No trades here
39:24for the Knicks
39:24or the Lakers.
39:25So, it'll be good.
39:26Everybody,
39:27that is the great
39:28Kobe Price.
39:29Check him out
39:30with the California Post, man.
39:31Welcome to the Post family
39:32and the team.
39:33I'm glad to have you out here.
39:35You in town.
39:36We got to chop it up.
39:36I know most people
39:37watch the show,
39:38they're like,
39:38they talked a lot
39:39a bit of Lakers,
39:39but I had to talk
39:40some Lakers with my guy.
39:42We talked some Lakers.
39:42We talked some Knicks.
39:43We had some fun.
39:44Yeah.
39:45Next time I'm out in LA,
39:46I got to stop doing
39:47and kick it with you out.
39:48No, for sure.
39:48Absolutely.
39:49Yeah, definitely.
39:49You're welcome.
39:50You know,
39:50if you come out to LA,
39:52you know,
39:52reach out.
39:52Hey, man,
39:53the weather there
39:54is better than it is here right now.
39:54I can't wait to go back home.
39:56It is too cold.
39:57I can't wait.
39:58It is too cold.
39:59Appreciate you, brother.
40:00Thank you so much for coming, man.
40:01We'll definitely do this again.
40:02Kobe Price,
40:03check him out.
40:04And thank you for watching
40:04and joining us
40:05on another edition
40:06of New York Got Game.
40:10And thanks for watching
40:11New York Got Game.
40:12Boop-shakalaka.
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