Nothing is easy about this season for the Lakers, and nothing will be easy about this offseason for them, either. Tons of huge decisions to be made. Now, that includes the future of LeBron James. Not just from the POV of what James wants, but also whether the Lakers would be wise to commit to a core comprised of James and Anthony Davis, since now neither guy can be considered reliable from a health/availability standpoint.
Then again, what exactly are the alternatives? Trading James? Trading James and AD? Letting LeBron walk? The team is in a tight spot, because doing better than that core will be hard, but it's reasonable to ask now if that core is enough to win more titles without a stronger supporting cast... something the Lakers don't have much ability to build. On the other hand, there may not be a team in the league with more obstacles in front of them for a total rebuild than the Lakers.
So nothing is easy, and it's a question (questions, really) we'll all be talking about for a while to come.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook's postgame comments Monday about the treatment his family has received from some fans and media continues to be a topic of conversation around the NBA. There are a lot of layers, starting with Westbrook himself but expanding beyond into issues of athlete empowerment, evolving standards of language and behavior and more.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: LeBron's knee is bothering him. How much does a potential injury put L.A.'s tenuous hold on the play in in jeopardy? What does it say about LeBron's future in LA?
SEGMENT 2: If the Lakers decide to move on from LeBron, or LeBron and AD, what could they do to replace them?
SEGMENT 3: Westbrook starts a big conversation about the way athletes move through the world of fans and media, what's fair game and what isn't. And whether Westbrook is a strange messenger to an interesting message.
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