Bobby Marks gives major UPDATE on Lakers & Warriors BLOCKBUSTER Trades to become Title contenders

Bobby Marks gives major UPDATE on Lakers & Warriors BLOCKBUSTER Trades to become Title contenders

aon get up approaching the bottom of the hour and with the Rockets landing Kevin Durant in the early blockbuster deal of the summer They have seemingly positioned themselves in a crowded Western Conference to be a step ahead of the Lakers and the Warriors the Nuggets Their odds to win the West next season are second only to the OKC Thunder So we have some burning questions for Bobby Marks ahead of an exciting NBA off season beginning in LA Bobby what do the Lakers need to accomplish here in the next week or thereabouts to become championship contenders they need two things They need a center and that is priority A And then of course they need some perimeter shooting here Now listen they’ve got expiring contracts to go out and make a deal over $60 million Keep an eye on the draft pick they have in 2031 or 32 We saw they tipped their hand in the Mark Williams trade that was voided back in February that they are willing to go out and make a big deal if they can get a center for Luca a lob threat rim protector that they sorely needed What what feels realistic Wendy here in the next couple weeks well if the Lakers are committed to playing Luca Donuch and Austin Reeves and it seems like that they are they are going to need some defensive protection from them because teams are going to attack there So ideally you could have somebody that could defend a little bit more on their perimeter to use them and you need a backline center The Lakers are going to come into any uh negotiation as Bobby said knowing that they gave what they gave for Mark Williams last year So teams are going to be looking for that first round pick on the pick swap So good luck to Rob Pelinka for trying to keep those on the table if he is going to try to make a bargain deal Yeah he he made the great move for Luca and now we’ll have to make a few more Keith you were there with the Lakers Yeah I’m gonna I’m gonna ask you a complicated question I understand it’s not easy to answer this honestly How close did you guys feel i I you know the Minnesota that we sort of described it as a bad matchup How close did you guys feel to being a championship team oh we felt extremely close honestly Right That the matchup like you just said was was the big thing But if you look back at a couple weeks before we started the playoffs we played OKC and OKC two games One of the games we won by almost 20 and another game Luca was was was teched out of the game in the fourth quarter of a really good game So they didn’t bother us that much So with that being said I felt like we were super close Next thing uh uh and to piggyback off Wendy we do they do need a big right Um I don’t think they should give up their core pieces to get a big They just need somebody that can you know protect the rim screen and roll and just you know beat Luca and AR’s backside But the those that that piece is is the main thing and get a little bit of perimeter shooting But I think the guys they have D there can actually get it done Feels like a year ago But remember in that series that game three Luca was sick doesn’t play LeBron plays all those minutes Then they come back no bench minutes at all in the second half of that game four and that almost won that game The Lakers had chances there One thing about that LeBron actually put it on Instagram yesterday He was back on the court yesterday for the first time in eight weeks because that injury that he suffered to his knee at the end of that series which nobody really remembers It was a sprained knee He actually I don’t know if he would have been able to play So they had some bad luck with LeBron help at the end as well Fair enough So So the Lakers obviously always the center of the conversation and with new ownership to boot Bobby back to you with the big questions Do the Golden State Warriors in order to keep up with the Joneses do they have to go big hunting again they don’t Similar to the Lakers they need to go out and get some front court help also They need to put not Draymond Green at the center here The hard thing that I’m I’m coming to grips with is what do you have to offer in a contract standpoint they’ve got the draft picks They got four first round picks They can go out and do a deal Let’s pay attention to Jonathan Kaminga What happens with him in restricted free agency That’s their big trade asset Unless they want to dip into you know certainly they’ve got Draymond Green sitting there I don’t know if you want to part ways for him but they’re all two to tango There’s got to be a big name out there for them to go out and get So Winman in advance of what we know meaning or in advance of what is about to happen sitting where we’re sitting today the three preeminent stars the the faces of the NBA over the past generation LeBron James Steph Curry Kevin Durant all aging all still playing great and now all on contending teams in the the jam-packed Western Conference Which one of them do you think feels closest to having a chance at one more ring well I really like the team that Houston is building I like them for the next three to five years I’m not sure that I know if Durant’s going to be there for the next three to five years but he certainly is going to be there in the short term The Lakers have an opportunity to truly upgrade their roster They have the the the assets that it takes to really help them and they have the top end of their roster They have Luca and LeBron there and they have Austin Reeves who’s on a really good contract this year They have a window where they can make something happen But hitting that deal is going to be vitally important They don’t have a lot of time with LeBron left We’re not even 100% sure if he’s going to even do multiple more years He may at this point only really be going yeartoear So they have to focus on making a big decision Do they look to try to build more about around Luca or do they try to go for it this year looking how the tightly packed the Western Conference is he he will turn 41 this December We’re literally in uncharted territory with this NBA star who is still playing at an allNBA level Keith what do you think think if if I told you one of these three guys what do they have 10 championships between them combined If if I told you one of them is going to add the 11th which one would you which one would you pick i’m going with LeBron and the Lakers right everybody had the Lakers winning the championship last year Nobody was was choosing OKC or or or or it was a Lakers versus Boston So with with that being said they was in prime position last year They make a couple tweaks uh and keep this core the same Add a big add some more perimeter defense They’re right back in contention I want to say Houston but on paper it looks good I have to see how it looks first Right You you you see they had a great last year but you just don’t know So I’m going to go with the team that I’m more certain of and I’m going to go with LeBron and the Lakers Final word Bobby Houston for me with Kevin Durant just because they still have the players when you look at Aman Thompson Shangon certainly Fred Van Vleet and then you have other things to go out and make another deal if another player becomes available Look all this is going to get reordered in the next week two weeks three weeks and more So we’ll keep a close eye on it Should be a very interesting NBA summer They always are Meanwhile speaking of interesting back in the N2 Indiana was the second favorite last week to win next year’s NBA title Now they don’t even appear on this screen of Eastern Conference favorites Their odds are 15 to1 um with the injury to Jason Tatum and Dame Lilly excuse me that you see the Celtics are down there Um with those all these injuries a team like Orlando is suddenly in it Let me let me reset here The Cavs are the favorites followed by the Knicks and the Magic Then you get to the injuries with the Celtics They’re still in the conversation and the Sixers who sit there as well relatively healthy for a team that we always say can never stay healthy So how do we look at the big picture of the East well and the Cavs are headed into the second apron starting on June 30th and I’m not sure they’re going to be able to resign Sam Merrill and Ty Jerome two key backup pieces for them Um Ty Jerome was a sixman of the year candidate Um so I don’t know where they’re going to be Meanwhile the Knicks because of Jaylen Brunson’s willingness to take less money they actually can add to their roster And so I would even not be surprised if in a week to 10 days that the Knicks close that gap or maybe even pass them if they add and the Cavs lose a piece And so you look at the other teams the Magic have never won a playoff series I don’t know what Joel Embiid is going to look like in the fall much less next spring The Celtics may be taking more pieces off Like if you’re in the Eastern Conference right now this is an opportunity And certainly as more teams you know look at this it’s possible that other teams could say maybe we should take a shot and try to move in there or a team like Detroit like the Eastern Conference right now is in a big swinging flux There is by the way one addition the Knicks will most certainly make and that is they will at some point here hire a new head coach And Shams is reporting this morning that they have interest in a Minnesota assistant named Micah Nory What can you tell us i believe that interview already took place Okay And Micah Nory uh has been a longtime assistant in the league He stepped in for Chris Finch last year when Finch had that knee injury He was in the front of the bench while uh Finch was behind the bench Um the Knicks are going to interview I think some more candidates as well They are not settled They are not done They’re almost certainly going to move through the draft without a head coach They don’t have a first round pick That’s not that big of a deal They interviewed Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown here in New York last week and did not make either of them an offer So you move on from there and say that they’re still searching So this whole idea that they fired Tom Thiodo because they had someone or something in mind clearly didn’t look that way now Or at least they were trying to get some guys but those guys were working for other teams Right Exactly And they didn’t wind up getting them And so now here they are without that And so as as we sit here this minute Bobby who do we like in the East i like New York just based on because they’re healthy They have their top seven players under uh contract for next year I think there’s so many question marks with every team as Brian laid out whether it be Cleveland I don’t trust Philadelphia with Joel Embiid’s health Uh certainly Boston I would have put pro I would have probably taken um Philadelphia out and I would probably put Detroit in that mix just based on but they’ve got decisions this off seasonason also they’ve got to bring back whether Dennis Rudo or Tim Hardway Jr or Malik Beasley There’s some questions there We might even see like a like a sleeper team like Atlanta and throw them out jump in here just because there’s so much uncertainty in the Eastern Conference Isn’t it ironic that the coach who runs his players into the ground ha leaves behind the only healthy team in the entire Eastern Conference the Knicks are the only team that didn’t wind up losing one of the most important players to an injury Markeffee who’s the team to beat in the East right now Yeah I would go with Bobby on this one I would say I would say the Knicks just because of their core pieces that was able to keep together But look it’s wide open I think teams like like Orlando might step in and be a top three team top four team with the move they made with with with uh moving some pieces around I think also Detroit they had a great year and took the Knicks and it was a pretty good a pretty good series versus the Knicks So this is wide open I I really can’t put my finger on anybody but uh seven core players being back under contract I I think I think I have to I have to roll with that one Watch the Pistons Kade Cunningham is as good Get up Wow She make Good book for speech the tail Yep T Fore foreign foreign fore speech Tell me Get the tail [Music] Fore black

Bobby Marks gives major UPDATE on Lakers & Warriors BLOCKBUSTER Trades to become Title contenders