The Lakers have ENOUGH to contend! – Austin Rivers & Perk debate LA’s chances at a title | NBA Today

The Lakers have ENOUGH to contend! – Austin Rivers & Perk debate LA’s chances at a title | NBA Today

We just got to figure out ways to win you know compete at the highest level and try to do everything to get wins so uh we got enough to do it you know we’re guys in and out of the lineup but you know when we get healthy then we can

Start figuring things out even more No 5 they’ve been pretty much our most consistent guys throughout the season thus far so just put them together and like I said for the foreseeable future that’s going to be our lineup baring any type of injury um and I thought it went

Well okay so the Lakers they reverted to their opening night starting lineup good amount of success right in the 19 minutes on the floor together they’ve tinkered with 11 different lineups this season you were in the building last night Ramona I’m I’m a little sick of

Asking this but here we go again is this the turning point for the Los Angeles Lakers well they just need to pick a lineup and go with it right so everybody can settle into a role and I think what became very obvious over the last month

Is that they were asking way too much of LeBron James offensively and when you when you have LeBron James playing point guard he’s bringing the ball up 70% of the time since December 12 12 he before that it was 60% of the time so that’s that’s a lot more on LeBron James cuz

They were going with a defensive minded lineup and in those LeBron minutes I’m going to say this and know let this sink in in those LeBron minutes they were getting killed they were minus 120 teams were out scoring them by 120 points with LeBron on the court that is never true

Of a LeBron James team they are always better with LeBron on the court and so you put D’Angelo Russell in there you get him Austin Reeves in the starting lineup you get some shooting around him some other playmaking so that he doesn’t have to do everything there’s space out

There last time he was just plus two but that’s at least we’re in the positive category and not minus 120 since December 12th I look forward to April 1st game 78 April Fool’s Day a game 78 is this the turning point for the Lakers there’s four more games left is this

First the steering wheel has to work before you can turn it anywhere so like can we win a few games in a row before we start talking about turning points look I don’t really even even care who starts as long as it’s Austin Reeves LeBron James and Anthony Davis I want

Those three people in the starting lineup I’ve been beating the start Austin Reeves drum all season when he was coming off the bench he does need to shoot better from three I like that Darin ham went with a lineup That leans offense because this team’s offense has

Been stuck in mud for a long time and the only way out is to get it out of the mud me personally I think their best four guys together are those big three and ruy haimura I think needs to play is the fourth guy with them I like his size

But I don’t mind leaning into deander Russell as a playmaker secondary playmaker shooter I like this group let’s roll it out and see what happens they got to dig this offense out okay perk how are they going to do that well I don’t want to overreact as

Well because last night I just feel like with this matchup with the Lakers at OKC like Anthony Davis is going to own Chad H home GD in this match up we saw it the last time they played Oklahoma City I believe believe ad had 28 and 11 and

Then last night he had a monster double double but credit Darin ham not to just changing the lineup but also he went Zone majority of the game the Oklahoma City Thunder had I thought I think they shot like 49 three-pointers last night like that’s not in their character right

They’re a team that’s used to getting downhill getting out transition I thought the Lakers did a great job of one uh keeping down their turnovers and also getting turnovers out of Zone and getting out transition but you know to think that the Lakers season has like

This might be the turning point I’m not there yet matter of fact I’m not there at all because I mean out of the next two two two out of the next three games it should be wins for sure I believe it’s the the Blazers and the Wizards but

No I still think in order to get where they’re trying to in order to get where they’re trying to go and that’s winning the NBA Championship anytime you have LeBron James on your team they’ll far away from that it’s clear that it is our job to overreact to everything they do whether

They win a couple lose a couple with that being said a big win can change the momentum of a season sure uh if we are going to overreact let’s overreact when they win a game they won a game versus a key young team last night a talented

Young team who’s been playing well all year uh this is a Lakers team that we have been questioning the entire season and whether they have the right pieces uh do they have enough is can LeBron lead them again months right before before this we talked about how pinka

Had the most successful summer and had a a great job putting all these assets together you never know when things click there’s no Rhyme or Reason sometimes they’ve switched lineups they’re back to the lineup they had before uh I do agree I with Zach I I I

Like Reeves and I like Anthony Davis and Lebron in that lineup I do think they have enough I really do I I I think it’s a matter of them coming together and consistently getting good play I think they can contend par who who is Denver is Denver that much better than this

Team like just that dominant they have a great first first lineup but second their benches they did sweep them huh so they swept them last year that they they’re that the Clippers are also a better team than them right now so I’m I’m saying like are we really going to

Say you really going to go out on the limb and jump off the porch and say that right now with this team that the Lakers have that you could actually pick them to come out of the West no no no no no I didn’t say I pick I’m not picking them

To come out of the West I I’m not I’m not under that this team just needs to blow it up and that they can’t go to the playoffs and so can we expect any tinkering or moves in the next three weeks well I think you look at what they have right

Now and they don’t outside of Austin Reeves and and maybe a first round pick in the future they don’t have much to offer and Austin re of Zach just detailed needs to be in there and so I think if they continue to lose the way they did the other night against Phoenix

With a non-competitive game then then you look at it but if you if you show sign signs like they did in this game against Oklahoma City where you put that lineup back together then I think you let that group play and see if they come together get gave Vincent back and see

There was a reason they went out and got Gabe Vincent yeah we got to see him play and look the Lakers first- round pick the one they can trade distant into the future that has a lot of value around the league some teams like Jordan Hood chafino who they just drafted like they

Can put together a package without Austin Reeves in it but if they want to get somebody really really impactful that’s not on a contract they’re worried about like Zack LaVine for instance they want to get a player other than him people mentioned Murray Austin Reeves is

Probably going to have to be in that deal and to me that’s just a lateral move that’s not really changing their life as a team and we can sit here and talk about can the Lakers contend can they win a play winning three playoff series in the west you just perk just

Listed off a Litany of teams it’s just good team after good team after good team and the Lakers are 10th like I don’t think we can start having the contend conversation until they’re sixth or fifth or seventh it’s the same thing we said last year and then they made a

Run and went all confence different confence I know theug not they’re not as good I don’t think the nuggets are as good as a whole confence might be better it’s a hard harder conference harder conference no man all all I’m saying is this this team proven that on a night

Where they’re playing their best basketball they can beat anybody they’ve had injuries this year it’s always going to be up and down for the Lakers bro we overreact everything they do they’re they’re so that they’re so I’m not overreacting that’s why I didn’t overreact to this game last night that’s

Why with this star lineup dvin ham had to go Zone because they can’t guard the perimeter like you have quick guards and that was a nice strategic move by himam to go Zone because he know if he wouldn’t have they would have got cooked around the perimeter but what I’m saying

Is Oklahoma City knows what to expect I’m not saying that the Lakers can’t make it to the playoffs and make noise but that’s not the goal when you have a LeBron James and Anthony Davis is to make noise just like we put Steph on the ceiling to compete for a championship we

Do the same thing for LeBron James it’s either finals or nothing well that okay well then by that by that argument then yeah I don’t I don’t know if they’re going to win the championship I’m just saying I don’t think this is a team that

Needs to go up and blow up and make all these different moves to and I agree because and I agree look check me feel me on this Austin stay with me even if they make a move it’s not a move out there that’s going to make them a

Contender in my eyes in the west of come well they’re six and 12 over their last 18 games and Austin just in case you needed a reminder about how the Denver Nuggets are playing in our Wednesday double header we have Yannis and Dame in Cleveland to take on Donovan Mitchell in

The Cavs at 7:30 Eastern so Austin is that a fair depiction of what’s going on for the New York next a little bit let’s roll a tape cuz I’m going to show you what stagnant Is For Real CU this this is interesting first off you always want

To see your key player hitting the big free throw but it happens it’s an imperfect game guys are going to miss free throw Lord knows I’ve been there but this is what you don’t want compiling mistakes hands on his knees he gets back cut Cole Anthony goes right

Behind him gets the rebound that would have been his rebound he leaks out and then this is even another mistake he makes this is his third of the play he runs the fults leaving Paulo the best player for the magic open for a midi so

Now which was a one-point game is now a three-point game these are the mistakes that cause losses not only in the regular season but a loss in the playoffs and can lose a series if there’s any coach that I know doesn’t put up with that type of effort is Tom

Tibido so you know that’s on the film today I expect him to be much better especially when Brunson gets back that is absolutely right we know that Nick fans exact clip has certainly been making the rounds but wo it wasn’t that long ago we were talking about the Knicks and their five-game winning

Streak since getting OG an anobi now they’ve been a little bit up and down it’s it’s important to point out that Jaylen Brunson hasn’t been there for their losses right but what makes sense for the Knicks right now as again we’re getting closer and closer to that trade

Deadline yeah the Knicks made their big trade line deadline deal they did it in December with ogn and Obi they’re optimistic they’ll get Mel Robinson back before the playoffs that’s going to be big for this team the Knicks still are in the market for a big time NBA star

That’s what they want that’s what they want to use their assets on he is probably not going to be available to them at the trade deadline but what they can do they can improve their bench they can get another playmaking guard uh for Jaylen Brunson they have some they can

Do some small things around the edges without compromising themselves on the big stuff uh but the Knicks made their Splash uh he he starts it forward for them now well and it certainly looked like that Splash was well wor particularly how they started off perk I just want to check one thing really

Quick with you you said a couple of weeks ago that you think the New York Knicks are the second best team in the Eastern Conference do you still believe that I see what you’re doing H but yes I I do believe it I see what you’re doing

Here because because I know Phil I know I know Philly didn’t won a few games and I know we just saw Dame dollar hit a a gamewinner against the Sacramento Kings but I’m still standing on what I’m standing on right now with the Knicks because we know know what we’re going to

Get out of them every night we know what they’re going to do every single night on both ends of the floor right they have an identity and Julius Randle He has to be better when he’s at an all NBA caliber player the Knicks could compete with anybody but when he’s moping around

And doing what Austin showed he did last night that’s bad and he will correct it Tom Tibido will correct it but this team is not ever going nowhere without jayen Bronson and let me constantly remind y’all the New York Knicks I mean the Miami Heat they did the unthinkable last

Year with Jimmy Butler leading away the New York Knicks they may not have a whole lot of household names but they got some hoopers over there gotta be careful well playoff Jimmy Butler is better than anybody that the Knicks have uh but look I think the Knicks are the

Fourth best team in the East but I don’t think they’re far from two or three given Milwaukee’s struggles on defense and Philadelphia is kind of bit up and down now Joel’s back we’ll see how they look I think the Knicks would have some chance to beat either of those those

Teams in the playoff series this is a good deep nasty team physical that nobody’s going to want to play against and what w said co-sign all of it you don’t need to rush this process and go all in for some Mega trade this year keep the powder dry two trades in the

Last two years just little fringey trades should really be held up as examples of how teams can help themselves without shelling out too much one is a Knicks trade one little piddling pick in the 20s for Josh Hart totally Chang their team Celtics one first round pick for Daren white totally

Changed their team the Knicks have enough ammo that they can look for one more guy like that with one pick and still have enough left over for the big thing cosign all that the Knicks are good oh and perk is loving clearly what he is hearing Here

Austin Rivers joins Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Ramona Shelburne and Zach Lowe on NBA Today to discuss the Los Angeles Lakers’ current roster which sparks a debate from Perk saying “I think the Lakers can contend.”

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