00:00Does a player like Giannis coming to the Lakers actually make sense?
00:08Here's why it's exciting.
00:10It's because, one, he's Giannis, MVP, champion, all the accolades,
00:15one of the best stories in sports.
00:17And offensively, he can provide a ton by being a large athletic body.
00:22Defensively, he provides even more because assuming you have Luka Doncic
00:25and Austin Reeves, who can be liability sometimes defensively,
00:29what they can do is just funnel everything inside.
00:32You look at how Oklahoma City and San Antonio play defense.
00:36There are elite defensive guards on both of those teams,
00:40but one way that they're elite is because they can just funnel everything inside
00:44to the big guy.
00:45If you try to take a shot inside the paint, Chet is swatting it,
00:49Vic is swatting it, and that makes any guard's life so much easier.
00:54So on paper, the Giannis situation, I understand why it's exciting.
00:57I do feel it is important to mention, looking at the Western Conference Finals,
01:03and I think it's comfortable to say the winner of that's probably the heavy
01:05favorite to win the championship, right?
01:08They should.
01:08Go back to the original Big Three in Boston when you had Paul Pierce,
01:12Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett.
01:14Then when the Big Three moniker became a thing in Miami with the Heatles,
01:18with Bosh, Wade, and Braun.
01:20But look at the two teams now that we expect to win this.
01:22Yes, Victor Wambinyama is unlike anything we've ever seen.
01:25I mean, there's no Big Three there.
01:27Stephon Castle won Rookie of the Year last year, but by all means,
01:30a lot of people are learning his name for the first time in these past couple of weeks.
01:34Look at Oklahoma City.
01:35Yes, Shea Gojus-Alexander wins back-to-back MVPs.
01:37There's no Big Three there.
01:38Chet's going to be great.
01:40He is great.
01:40He's on his way.
01:41Lou Dort's incredible from a defensive standpoint,
01:44but I do feel there is a shift towards depth, like you said, youth, versatility,
01:50guys like Caruso who can do multiple things, guard multiple spots,
01:54against a Big Three.
01:56So that is where the hesitance comes in.
01:59Is the tide changing of what roster construction looks like?
02:02Definitely.
02:03I mean, we're seeing a whole shift in this new kind of NBA era,
02:08which is exactly what we needed because the whole conversation before –
02:14That's okay.
02:15I'll take the pump up.
02:16I was like, oh, what am I saying?
02:18Is it really exciting?
02:19Well, no, he just found out that I was sitting next to a Gracie Award winner,
02:23and he said, oh, my goodness.
02:25Yeah, baby, let's go.
02:27So we're moving away from – because the conversation, I mean,
02:30even the last few years, a couple years ago,
02:32was who is going to take the reins as that new face of the NBA
02:36when we don't have like a LeBron James or a Steph Curry going deep into a playoff run
02:42because obviously once Golden State's dynasty, you know, slowly dwindled out
02:49and LeBron reaching the end of his career and not on a team that was –
02:56I don't like saying this because it's our team –
02:58sustainably a championship team over multiple years.
03:02Yeah.
03:03Where was the next move that the league was going to go?
03:07And there was a couple years where I was like,
03:09oh, maybe this guy will be the face of the league.
03:11Nah, I don't know.
03:12Maybe this guy will be the face of the league.
03:13Nah, I don't know.
03:14And now we've reached a point where it's –
03:17we have a very definitive, oh, this is the direction that the NBA is going.
03:25And OKC and SGA, whether you love it or you hate it, it's the conversation.
03:31He is the back-to-back MVP.
03:34You don't do that by accident.
03:35No, they're the reigning champions.
03:37And then you have Wemby and the Spurs finally back.
03:42I mean, how long was their drought?
03:45Like, were they like a seven plus years since the Spurs have been like a competitive,
03:50dominant team?
03:51Yeah, at least.
03:53And it's all led by an alien dinosaur.
03:59A pterodactyl.
04:00A Wemby.
04:00But, like, it's crazy because we were watching it the other night.
04:03And obviously, like, my husband's not – like, he's like a casual sports fan.
04:08OK.
04:08And he's watching Wemby.
04:10And he goes, and he can shoot.
04:13It's like, yeah, because he watched him do almost a half-court three from the logo.
04:17Right.
04:17Hit the three in OT.
04:18With 20 seconds left.
04:19And he was like, what?
04:20I was like, yeah, I told you.
04:22I've been trying to tell you this whole time.
04:25He's an alien.
04:26Like, you watch him and it's real-life Space Jam.
04:28Yes.
04:28You watch Wemby and it's real-life Space Jam.
04:30It's like, there's no – if he has – it's just – it's must-watch TV.
04:34And that is the future.
04:36And that is the direction of the NBA.
04:39And it's really exciting.
04:40And it should be exciting for every other franchise and organization because, like, now you have something to build towards.
04:49Right?
04:50And it sucks it's not you that's at the top sometimes.
04:53Sure.
04:53But now you have a goal.
04:54And now you have, like, a vision of, like, OK, how do we compete with that but be better?
04:59Yes.
04:59So now you have a time to get creative.
05:01And so that brings us back to the Giannis situation with the Lakers.
05:06And we – an exec was talking, sharing his thoughts on the whole Lakers situation.
05:12And he said, Luka Doncic is 27.
05:15He just turned 27.
05:16Yes.
05:16Austin Reeves is 27.
05:18That's what they're looking for.
05:19Guys in their early prime who can grow alongside those two.
05:24And you get the sense they're tired of constantly cycling the roster.
05:29And they're looking for the right role players to emphasize those two guys.
05:35And that's not Giannis who's in his early 30s.
05:38He turns 32 in December.
05:39And it just doesn't fit the timeline that the Lakers are on right now.
05:45So how much – how much weight do you put on that?
05:49Like, is that going to be the determining factor?
05:52A lot.
05:52A lot.
05:52There is – I understand the instinct of you are in the prime of Luka Doncic's career.
05:59Yeah.
05:59You are in the prime of Austin Reeves' career.
06:03You need to maximize that prime by getting the best players possible right now.
06:08Yeah.
06:09Giannis turns 32 – he will be 32 before next season is over.
06:13I believe his birthdays are on Christmas or something like that.
06:15Okay.
06:15So kind of in the midseason.
06:18And I understand if you say, yes, we're not going to have Giannis for five years for some six-year
06:24run.
06:24But we need to maximize this.
06:26I do believe it is the opposite.
06:28I believe it is about consistency.
06:31And it is about young talent that gets better.
06:33Why is OKC so good?
06:35Because they were terrible for a long time.
06:38Stockpile draft picks and now are using those draft picks to draft guys who they don't need right away.
06:43Sure.
06:44Chet was able to go right away.
06:46But for the most part, it's guys who learn.
06:49They get a role.
06:50Yeah.
06:50And then when the opportunity is provided, they start.
06:53That is the formula.
06:55Now, the Lakers are not ever drafting early enough.
06:58Because they're kind of in this success purgatory of even when we're not competing for championships, we're making the playoffs
07:04because that is the expectation.
07:05So you can't do it that way.
07:07So you can't do what Oklahoma City did.
07:10No.
07:11Because we're not going to be drafting.
07:12Or the Spurs.
07:13Or the Spurs.
07:13They were both in the same situation.
07:14Exactly.
07:15Because we're not going to be drafting where they drafted.
07:17So I am currently of the camp of do not draft Giannis.
07:23But there is more evidence to draft him because the Lakers have to find a new way to create depth
07:34outside of draft picks.
07:36And that's very difficult to do.
07:37Yeah.
07:37And if they trade for Giannis and Luka is very vocal about, hey, I don't want Austin Reeves to be
07:44a part of any trade conversation.
07:47I want him as my number two.
07:48And you have to, if you're trying to build a team around Luka Doncic, if you take away his favorite
07:55guy as number two, someone who's become his best friend both on and off the court.
07:59We've seen the chemistry on the court, but also they're like big brother vibes.
08:03If you take that away, don't underestimate the power of a locker room vibe booster.
08:10And if he's happy, he's going to be playing better on the court.
08:14He's going to be performing better all around.
08:17That would be such a bitter taste in his mouth if right out of the gates, you take away his
08:23favorite guy when he specifically asked you as the face of your franchise.
08:27And only in the NBA do we see this where star players get to make the decisions, right?
08:33It's only in the NBA that you go to your star player and like, hey, who do you want?
08:36What do you want to do?
08:37You're not seeing that in baseball.
08:39You're not seeing that in the NFL.
08:41Absolutely not.
08:42But this is the league that it can happen.
08:45And if you're saying he is the new face of your franchise and you are building your franchise around him
08:50and he specifically asked you, keep my guy Austin Reeves.
08:53I don't see how you get a Giannis if you're not able to play an Austin Reeves card.
08:58So they're keeping Austin.
09:00They're keeping Luka Jancic.
09:01They're keeping Austin Reeves.
09:03And then they need to get younger.
09:05They need to get more athletic and they need to get deeper.
09:09They need like 10 guys deep here.
09:11And if you're trading for Giannis, I don't know how you're going to get 10 guys deep because you're going
09:14to have to give up so many names.
09:16You're not bringing back Rui.
09:18No.
09:19Obviously, if you're Milwaukee, you're not doing this trade.
09:22If you're not getting Austin Reeves back, Marcus Smart, you're probably not going to be able to get him back.
09:26And you're not rolling out the same team, but you are rolling out the same issues of here is 32
09:34-year-old Giannis who he's not as hurt as Milwaukee is making him seem.
09:40It was more so, hey, we're shutting you down because we're going to trade you in this offseason.
09:44He was very vocal about that.
09:46But with his style of play and being banged up over his career, you are not looking at Giannis to
09:53be able to play 70 games of the season.
09:56Luka Doncic has proven 70 games a season is also not really a thing.
10:00So now it's what makes San Antonio so special is when Wemby is not on the court, they are a
10:07fluid team.
10:08He was on a minutes restriction up until a couple weeks ago, and this team was rolling along just fine.
10:13In a scenario where you have a 27-year-old, maybe two 27-year-olds, and a 32-year-old
10:19as your focal point, you are not being built for a lasting playoff run.
10:24The season is just too long and you're asking too much.
10:28It would be so exciting.
10:29Ticket prices would be even more through the roof than they are now, maybe.
10:32But outside of that, the business aspect isn't even enough to justify you're not winning.
10:40You can convince yourself that you're going to win a championship, and if San Antonio and OKC had to deconstruct
10:46this year, maybe.
10:47But I still can't comfortably say that this is a winning formula.
10:51It's a winning formula.
10:52It's not a championship formula.
10:53Yeah, it's like, it sounds nice, and it sounds like it would be a cool thing, but would it actually
11:01work, and is it the best thing for your future and the Lakers franchise?
11:04I don't know.
11:05What do you guys think, LA?
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11:11Get in that comment section.
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11:14You can also call us at 855-LA-FAN, 855-975-2326, because we want you to be a part
11:23of this conversation as well.
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