Podcast: Are the Lakers really the best team in the Western Conference?

Coming off of a rare blowout win, the Los Angeles Lakers are riding high, but injuries could slow down their momentum. We talk about the latest on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Davis and other things on today’s podcasts.

Can You Dig It?

The Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference — that is an indisputable fact. However, what isn’t objective is whether or not they’re the best team in the West, even if their record suggests they are. In fact, it’s not even clear if they’re the best team in the Pacific Division.

While the Lakers have handled their business against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, they still have the season-opening loss to the LA Clippers hanging over their head. With almost a month of regular season basketball in the books, Jacob and Christian break down how much the Lakers have improved, and whether or not they match up any better with the Clippers than they did before. They also preview the team’s game against the only Pacific Division team they haven’t faced yet: The Sacramento Kings.

Last but not least, they talk about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s injury, and how it could affect Frank Vogel’s rotation, which looked like it was finally starting to take shape.

You can listen to the latest episode below, and for more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

Locked on Lakers

The episode starts with a few notes from a fun Lakers win. More importantly than any individual player, it was nice to see the Lakers not make life harder on themselves than it had to be. On a night where Anthony Davis got some much needed rest, getting LeBron James some minutes on the bench in the fourth was pretty huge.

Individually, no one stepped up more than JaVale McGee. Given some of the criticism levied against him this season, it was great to see him step up to the opportunity that came with Davis taking the night off.

Kyle Kuzma also continued his improved play, and appears to be figuring out where his shots will be coming from. I explain why that’s a big deal.

After updating the situation as best I could with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s injury, I opened up the mailbag and got a little pumped about the idea of not just winning the title, but beating the Boston Celtics en route.

You can listen to the entire episode below, and make sure to subscribe on iTunes, where you can also leave questions in the form of a five-star review to guarantee your topic makes the show.