What Did the NBA Finals Say About How Close the Lakers are to a Title? Plus, Keep or Trade the Pick?

Heading into the NBA Finals, we were curious to see how the results might give a little more context to where the Lakers stand, both relative to the Nuggets, but also to other contenders (from Miami to Phoenix to Memphis and beyond) as everyone heads into the offseason.

Well, after Denver dispatched the Nuggets in five (in pretty convincing fashion) we have an answer: The Lakers definitely have a gap to make up on the champs, but after the Nuggets? Feel free to put LA right in the mix with virtually every other would-be contender. Most have real questions to answer (for the Lakers, they're primarily centered around who they do, and don't, bring back), and it's hard now to forecast who rises to the top by the time training camp rolls around.

But the Lakers are definitely right there.

We answered some viewer/listener mail from the LoL YouTube page, talking about the possibility of Brook Lopez (great idea... no way to make it happen) and also how expectations and popularity of players shifts with context. Take Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell, for example. One listener suggests that recency bias is playing a really big factor in how fans view the two of them.

Finally, with the draft coming next week, we delve into the results of some polling across Lakers Nation. Should the team keep or trade the selection?

Not surprisingly, folks are split.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What did the Finals teach us about the Lakers?

SEGMENT 2: Viewer mail! On Hachimura, Russell, and totally unrealistic free agency/trade targets.

SEGMENT 3: Keep or trade the 17th pick?

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