The NBA currently finds itself in a strange place. Beyond the more serious goings-on in Brooklyn, the league as a whole feels like it has been flipped on it’s on head to start the year. Perhaps the best example of this is what is currently transpiring in the Western Conference standings.
It is still early, and small sample caveats are absolutely the correct way to navigate through the murkiness, but it’s probably safe to say not many had the Jazz and Spurs sitting in the top four of the conference on their bingo cards. But that is where we find ourselves, Utah and San Antonio up top, and Golden State and both L.A. teams near the bottom.
Things may be soon looking up for the Lakers however, as their upcoming slate does present the path for digging out of the 1-5 hole they’ve dug themselves in to start the year.
After the tough opening stretch of games, not only do seven of the Lakers’ next eight games take place in Los Angeles, but the team may also be the beneficiary of such aforementioned clubs like the Jazz and Spurs (who make up three of those eight games) falling back to earth after their hot start. Their next game against New Orleans should also be a prime place to get the ball rolling as the team will be shorthanded as Brandon Ingram remains out after suffering a concussion.
The combination of less travel and lighter competition could be the exact thing that helps the team build momentum after their first win. That is, if they are able to capitalize on this golden opportunity. This brings us to today’s episode.
On this week’s edition of “Talk-O-Tuesday,” hosts Alex Padilla and Alex Regla detailed the team’s upcoming stretch of winnable games, and debated whether or not the team is in a position to take advantage.
The duo then also discussed the latest trade murmurings still surrounding the team, including Myles Turner’s recent comments, the deterrent in Charlotte and the Jazz still motivated to swing a deal.
You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Podcasts.
And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.
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