The Lakers Fired Darvin Ham... But Will Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka Hold Themselves Accountable?

Speaker 20s - 7.22s

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Speaker 010.06s - 70.04s

Your sex life is important, and if you've ever felt like you could use a little boost in the bedroom, then listen up, because now you can get your confidence back and do it without leaving the comforts of your own home. Hems provides access to doctor-trusted ED treatment options such as chewable hardmints and brand name treatments like Viagra for up to 95% cheaper. The process is simple and 100% online with no annoying scheduling complications and no uncomfortable doctor's visits. Hems will ship your medication to you for free with no insurance needed either. You can start your free online visit today at Hems.com ORG slash locked on. That's H-I-M-S.com slash locked on for your personalized ED treatment options.Hems.com ORG slash locked on. Hardmins are chewable compound products which are not approved by or verified for safety or effectiveness by the FDA ORG. Prescriptions require an online consultation with a health care provider who will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for details and important safety information. Subscription required. Price varies based on product and subscription plan.

Speaker 371.22s - 89.78s

Mike Brown, Mike Dan, Tony, Byron, Scott, Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, now Darwin, Ham PERSON. Is the next guy going to last a little bit longer? That's next. You are lockedon Lakers ORG.

Speaker 190.4s - 102.04s

Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network ORG, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked-on Lakers ORG.

Speaker 3102.16s - 172.28s

First listen of Every Day, Monday through Friday, no matter how or where you get your podcast. It's always free, never behind a paywall, and Locked on Lakers. First listen of every day, Monday through Friday no matter how or where you get your podcast. It's always free. Never behind a paywall and Locked on Lakers ORG on YouTube is where you can go to see the show, hang out with over 24,000 subscribers to the channel. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komenetsky, this is locked on Lakers for Monday.I do want to let everybody know that today's episode is brought to you by Monopoly Go PRODUCT. We've got to talk more about Monopoly Go, Andy PERSON. It's a fast-paced game that lets you team up with friends for tournaments to unlock awesome prizes like unique stickers for trading, cool playing pieces, and hilarious emojis for taunting your friends. So download Monopoly Go now for free on Google Play or the App Store ORG.You and I, Andy, were hoping when we sat down last week to record our show for Friday, the Lakers would at least do us the courtesy of waiting until Friday, their traditional Friday news dump to do something like they did and let Darwin PERSON go. And they obliged. They didn't do it until Friday, late morning, early afternoon. It was pretty polite of them, I thought.

Speaker 2172.78s - 220.08s

By the way, just to put that list in perspective, since Phil Jackson's last season, the 2010, 2011 season with the Lakers ORG, they've had six official head coaches, the ones that you named, Brian, which ties them during that period for second in the league with the Knicks, the Timberwolves ORG,the Magic, the Sons, the Nets ORG, and the Milwaukee Bucks for second in the league for most official head coaches during that period. Two teams, Sacramento and the Cavaliers have had seven. The Lakers ORG, the only reason they have not joined the list is because technically they have not hired that seventh person yet, but obviously not a great look for the organization.

Speaker 3220.08s - 241.64s

And that's reflective of any of a point I think that you've been making too, is like, they've never been able to really settle on what they want the coach to be because they're so star-oriented. And their last coach that they kept for more than an hour was arguably the biggest coaching star of the last 40 years.

Speaker 2242.44s - 251.04s

Well, I mean, if you don't count, say, Pat Riley, who also coached for the Lakers ORG and was a massive star as well, the inspiration, by the way.

Speaker 3251.04s - 254.4s

I should have said 30 and then Pat PERSON wouldn't have been in there. Right.

Speaker 2254.52s - 257s

I was going to say he was the inspiration, by the way,

Speaker 0257.04s - 296.14s

for Kurt Russell's character and Tequila Sunrise WORK_OF_ART, for those who were not aware of that. They actually, they act, the true story, Pat Riley PERSON was actually pursued for that role, like to actually play the role that Kurt Russell ended up playing in Tequila Sunrise WORK_OF_ART. But, um, I did not know that.Yeah. So there you go. But it speaks to the, the star power that the Lakers ORG have had at coach during their apex, which feels like an extension of the star effery ethos that has been the best and the worst thing, depending on how things are going at the moment,about this organization.

Speaker 2296.44s - 360.92s

But to me, the big reason that they've been on this treadmill for a while in this revolving door is is I don't think they have a clear vision of what they want in a coach because I don't think they think the role of coach is all that important. I really don't think that they consider it nearly as important as landing your stars. And to be clear, the Lakers are not the only franchise in the NBA ORG that want stars. All 30 of them do.But I think the Lakers ORG are unique in how incredibly star-focused they often are at the expense of everything else. Or if you looked at, say, like the pyramid of things that are important to them, the bottom portion of that pyramid is stars. And then there's like a little bit left over at the upper part of the triangle for like coach, supporting cast, analytics, yada, yada, film.

Speaker 3361.7s - 488.88s

What that does, and I mean, you're right. Like, you need, stars are what dictate this thing. But it makes it really hard for any coach. Well, that's not necessarily true. There are certainly coaches who are very skilled at adapting their style, their philosophy, there was a event very well to the personnel that they have.But almost every coach comes into a job with a certain philosophy, those events, very well to the personnel that they have. But almost every coach comes into a job with a certain philosophy, with a certain set of preferences, with a certain skill set. And when, and this is where the continuity thing comes in to play and why the Lakers ORG, why it wasn't probably so as cut and dried to the Lakers organization that they wanted to fire Darwin as it was to 87% at least of the fan base is because it is hard to maintain continuity, even if you have a lot of the same players when you change coaches all the time. And so you don't have that organizational base. I know people don't like the term. It gets abused and overused, but an organizational culture. You need aconsistent voice as your coach to provide that. And, you know, it's genuinely, and I 100% believe that Darwin PERSON needed to go. We both had been saying that for a long time. And you start seeing the reporting from people like Ramona Shelburne over the weekend at ESPN about how Darwin PERSON really just did not have the star players anymore. He did not have their trust. And you can't, it's over at that point.It doesn't matter if it's your fault. And we'll talk about that in the next segment. It doesn't matter if it's your fault. And we'll talk about that in the next segment. It doesn't matter if it's your fault. LeBron PERSON and AD or stay. So something, someone's got to go. And it's not going to be those two.So here we are. But it's just, that's the catch 22 is you, you create churn where you don't want to create churn, but to avoid the churn, you might have to keep a coach that you can't keep.

Speaker 2489.3s - 568.84s

Like I said, unless I brought this up on a few shows leading up to where we are now when it was seeming inevitable, when you kept hearing reports or in my mind just seeing the obvious discontent, whether you're talking about body language, whether you're hearing comments from players like Anthony Davis PERSON, LeBron, Dilo, Reeves, Rui PERSON, really questioning,what are we doing? Why are we doing it? I don't understand why we're doing it. Short of Rob Polinka this offseason, acting as a mediator and sitting down with Darwin PERSON, whoever on the staff was retained who matters,and like LeBron, A.D., Reeves PERSON, and whoever else that matters on this team, that was going to be around longer, unless Polenko PERSON got them all in a room together, acted as a mediator, hashed everything out, and put everyone on the same page moving forward. Short of that, I do think it was unsalvageable, even if you think, and we'll talk about this, because I know I heard a lot of this or saw a lot of it in the YouTube comment section of theshow I did reacting to the news officially of Darwin PERSON getting fired, a lot of people feeling like Darwin was the scapegoat for players, for Rob Polinka PERSON, for Jeannie Bus PERSON for all of the above.

Speaker 3568.84s - 612.86s

And I want to talk about that because there are really two things. There's what's next, the names of the coaches, all that stuff. And the question that you're talking about. And they're both really important because to some degree, like you you can solve the coaching problem, but if there are other issues that are deeper and deeply rooted, the next coach is going to be set up to fail too. And so I want to get into that accountability question and whether or not Darwin PERSON is beingset up as a scapegoat that I guess this is like the 7% or whatever that didn't want him fired are saying. So we'll get to all that next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Monopoly Go PRODUCT.

Speaker 2613s - 679.2s

All right, game off. Got a pause here to talk more about Monopoly Go PRODUCT. I know you're saying technical file. You've already talked about Monopoly Go PRODUCT before. But there is just so much good stuff in this game. And Monopoly Go PRODUCT, you can team up with friends for timed tournaments where you worktogether to build up each other's boards. The more you win together, the more awesome prizes you unlock. And there's a lot to grab unique stickers. You can trade with friends to complete albums for cool prizes, cool, new playing pieces to travel the boards with awesome, funny emojis for taunting your friends when you smash their buildings, heist their vaults. It's a game of awesome rude behavior, which I love.Plus Monopoly Go feels exciting and new every day with constantly changing tournaments and challenges a ton include your own unique mini games like digging for treasure or for a robot Pachinko machine. And there's always new timed events that help you win big, like massive multipliers for everything you win or rent frenzies. There's always something fun to discover in Monopoly Go PRODUCT. So get off the bench and go download it now for free on Google Play ORG or the app store.

Speaker 3679.62s - 801.9s

Game on. Locked on Lakers also brought to you by Fandul ORG. It's winner take all time in the NBA and NHL. And Fandul ORG is giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own. Right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. Yeah, you heard that right. That's $150 to bet on spreads, money lines, player props, and more.Visit fandual.com ORG slash locked on, make every playoff shot count. Again, NHL, NBA ORG, both going strong right now. If you're in Dallas right now, you've got conflicting games.The Mavs ORG and the stars are playing at the same time. It's a lot. So again, fanduel.com slash locked on, make every playoff shot count. FanDuel, America's number one sports book. One of the things that I think,Andy PERSON, obviously always seems to happen with sports debates is, you know, you get locked into, like, and or kind of things.Like, you know, it's not Darwin Ham's PERSON fault that they, you know, Darwin Ham's not the reason the Lakers ORG law. Okay, that is correct. Darwin Ham is fault that they, you know, Darvinham's not the reason the Lakers law. Okay, that is correct.Darvinham PERSON is a reason. The Lakers struggled this year. The Lakers ORG didn't meet their, you know, he has a certain set of responsibilities that are made easier or harder by the players, by Rob Polinkas PERSON, roster construction, all that. And then he can be judged on whether or not he did a good job.I don't think he did a very good job this year. That consensus seems to be he didn't do a very good job this year. But when you reduce it to the problem, he's not the reason. You miss all that other stuff. There is no single reason. There's not one person responsible for the Lakers not performing and not meeting expectations this year.So I get what those people are saying, but I think their way of thinking about it, the way of their way of framing the question when it comes to Darwin PERSON is wrong.

Speaker 2803.24s - 822.58s

He's the easiest thing to change. Whether he is the most pressing thing you should change or the most pressing thing that would immediately help the team in the most tangible ways, he's the easiest thing to change. It only costs you,well, it costs you money because they owe Darwin about $10 million.

Speaker 0823.84s - 830.44s

And, you know, unless he gets hired in the next two years as a head coach somewhere,

Speaker 2830.44s - 836.06s

they're going to be paying him out that money on top of whoever is the new coach moving forward.

Speaker 0836.5s - 846.92s

So it cost them money. And it also cost them reputation because this is now building on the Lakers ORG' reputation as an organization that has no effing idea what it wants in a coach.

Speaker 2847.48s - 896.04s

I think Darwin has had certain obstacles, namely the management of LeBron PERSON over the course of a season that is more complicated than people often recognize. I think they typically just look at how many games did LeBron PERSON play what were his numbers? And if both were good, like during this season, well, how hard could it be? The answer is a lot harder than people realize. Right.And we will talk about this. There is the question of Rob Polinka PERSON and the job he's done and whether he is the best possible option to be running basketball ops for this team. But I think we both know for the time being, whether that is a change that should happen or not, it ain't happening right now.And it's very clearly the one that Jeannie Bus PERSON wants to make the least.

Speaker 3896.52s - 1041.4s

Both of us, and it would be wildly revisionist of us and totally dishonest for both of us to say that we didn't think that Rob Polinca had a good offseason last year. We think he did. We both thought that the trade, the getting, the way they finally got themselves out of the Westbrook PERSON deal was skillfully done. Like that was a pretty good outcome. I still think I had preferred Miles Turner PERSON. We talked about that at the time. I lobbied for that one. Yeah. And all of that. But in the end, the end result was very good. And the result of the result,a run to the Western Conference Finals EVENT, was excellent. But we've also both talked about how it didn't undo it. It didn't fix them. It didn't get them back to neutral or above where they were before the trade and all that kind of stuff, it just was him being able to climb out part way out of this hole and that the hard work would still continue to try to make this team good enough. Both of us thought this team had a real chance to contend.And when you're right, when people say, and this is a place where Darwin PERSON wasn't wrong, when he said injuries hurt us. Like you say, people count the games that AD and LeBron played and underestimate how much of the Lakers' rotational depth was eaten away at over the course of the year. How much they missed Gabe Vincent, how much they missed Jared Vanderbilt PERSON, especially Jared Vanderbilt. Different guys coming in and out of the lineup. They missed some games. Rui PERSON, like, they were not able to settle on something consistent.And he, that is true. And I think where that gets people is starting to look again at Polinka PERSON. And it's fair to say that Darwin deserved to be fired and that the Lakers ORG could not continue going along with Darwin and that if Rob Polinka PERSON doesn't do a better job, the next coach is going to have the same set of circumstances befall. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.And I think that's where the people who are sympathetic to Darwin PERSON and I am in some ways, he still has to be responsible for his part of it. And I can be sympathetic to some degree while still questioning the person who set him up to do the job.

Speaker 21042.26s - 1047.34s

Yeah. Darvin PERSON has to be held responsible for ultimately losing the locker room because that's

Speaker 31047.34s - 1048.84s

really why he lost his job.

Speaker 21048.84s - 1099.12s

And the reason why he lost the locker room is a combination of decisions that he made with the rotation and the lineups that all of which I think on an individual basis could be seen as defensible or logical. But when you put them all together, how they seem like Darwin pretty outwardly and in a lot of ways, inexplicably, avoiding what got them to the Western Conference finals in the first place, going very much against the grain in a way that pretty obviously confused his players and frustrated his players. Darwin PERSON has every right to go against the grain with these decisions and follow whatever his gut is telling him.That's his right as coach. But you got to nail it.

Speaker 31099.12s - 1104.36s

If you're doing the opposite of what everybody thinks you should do. You have to bring the people with you. Right.

Speaker 21104.88s - 1145.56s

Or you have to look like you are willing to say, I got it wrong. And I got to do better, and I'm going to do better. And I think the combination of not doing the things that your players wanted and seemingly never taking any responsibility for any of the issues that they were having, that's how you ultimately lose the locker room. That's how you, again, ultimately lose your job. But like you said, that is a separate question from whether the Lakers ORG are situated well moving forward,no matter who the coach is, whether you're talking about the players on the roster, whether you're talking about the guy who puts the players on the roster. And the question that Lakers ORG fans have every. whether you're talking about the players on the roster or whether you're talking about the guy who puts the players on the roster.

Speaker 31147.96s - 1181.76s

And the question that Lakers ORG fans have every right to ask is this one. You just said, Darwin PERSON never said, I got it wrong, I've got to do better.He never did the Sean McVeigh. Nope. Ever this year, especially this year. Will Rob Polinka PERSON. Curious your thoughts about that next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by DoorDash ORG.

Speaker 21182.16s - 1262.08s

Mother's Day, it is next week. It's important to make your mom or the mother of your children or a mother figure in your life. You want to make them smile. Moms are a gift. They deserve gifts, maybe some flowers or a surprise delivered the very same day withDoorDash ORG. You can surprise mom, the mother in your life, the mother of your kids with anything from roses to chocolate to some fashion item that she really, really, you think she'd love. Or is my advice, don't go for clever points. Cut out the guesswork and just say, what do you want? And then order that for because you know it'll make her happy. But no matter what the strategy is, all these gifts can arrive at the doorvia DoorDash ORG. Shop with savings that would make Mom proud. With the DoorDash membership, you will save with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders from DoorDash ORG merchants that meet the minimum subtotal. Other fees, including service fees, apply and terms apply as well. Get all your Mother's Day gifts, all in one place, and get 50% off your next order up to 15 bucks when you spend $15 plus on your next flower, convenience, grocery or retail item now with locked on NBA ORG.Use that code. Locked on NBA ORG. Order using DoorDash today. Terms apply. You know, we're going to obviously, we'll get into candidates.

Speaker 31262.38s - 1280.3s

We'll do all that kind of stuff because I guess we'll talk, Andy PERSON, over the course of the week, as if Ty Lou and Jason Kidd PERSON are candidates for this judge. Do we have to do that? Are we obligated to while they are still on the Lakers ORG radar? I know that we have to talk about this stuff,

Speaker 21280.82s - 1318.28s

but I feel like we already spent so much time you and I, when we were covering the Lakers for the athletic. We had to write so many different pieces about like Ty Lou PERSON and Jason Kidd and all this other all this other nonsense that for one reason, another never ended up coming to fruition. The Lakers bricked the obvious hire in Tai Liu PERSON. and then they didn't at the time want to hire Jason Kid as the head coach because they were too concerned about the off the court stuff thatJason Kid has in his life, namely domestic abuse in his past, but they were hiring him as

Speaker 31318.28s - 1327.9s

assistant, the very obvious plan of, you know, Frank Vogel PERSON's going to suck. And when he gets fired, hey, Jason, kids right there. We didn't hire him. He just happened to be here.

Speaker 21328.08s - 1332.92s

And then, but I don't know necessarily why it would bother you then, but not now, but whatever.

Speaker 31334.04s - 1338.26s

You know. Plus he's employed. Right. He's got a job.

Speaker 01338.68s - 1339.8s

They're not letting him go.

Speaker 21341.16s - 1345.52s

And the notion that the clippers, I know we talked about it.

Speaker 01345.66s - 1346.76s

I just find it so mind about it.

Speaker 31346.76s - 1379.84s

The notion the clippers would let tie out of his contract, would let Lou out of his contract a year early for anyone, short of them offering like 700 first round picks or whatever is absurd. The idea that they do it for the Lakers is like absurd to the nth degree. But you know, you hope this isn't something that realistically the Lakers ORG thought about and thought they, you know,

Speaker 21380.16s - 1388.6s

well, no, they thought about, but like we're going to fire Darwin and we think one of these guys are going to shake loose.

Speaker 31388.6s - 1403.1s

Like, we're like, to be, to be that cannot be what, and I don't think it was. That cannot be anywhere in their plan A, B, and C. It just can't be.

Speaker 21403.22s - 1417.92s

And I don't think it is. I don't think it is, but to be fair to the Lakers ORG, there has been some scuttle butt over the course of this season about whether or not Ty Loo would try to getout of his contract at the end of this season

Speaker 01417.92s - 1424s

when things were getting kind of nutty with the clippers. That is stuff that I've heard before and seen

Speaker 31424s - 1506s

reports of. If Ty Lou PERSON became available, great. I think they would jump, obviously would jump on that in a heartbeat. But you have to approach this offseason and this coaching search. Basically with the assumption, there's a zero percent chance you can get Tyler. And if it happens phenomenal. And so, you know, the question really is, like,and as we get into these candidates and, you know, the first time guys, you know, the David Adelman's PERSON of the world who are, you know, very well respected, assistant in Denver under Michael Ballone PERSON, very well respected assistant coaches that are seen as future head coaches, very much like Darwin Ham PERSON was. Or like literalfirst time coaches, Rajon Rondo, JJ Reddick, or the wooden holzers and Statses PERSON and those guys and the, you know, Kenny Atkinson PERSON, the non-sexy names out there for people, although who am I to tell you that Kenny Atkinson PERSON isn't sexy? We'll get to that stuff. But like this foundational thing with Rob Polinka PERSON really is a big deal. Because if at the very least, it would be great if Palinka got out in front of a microphone,I think, and said, here's where I screwed up. I don't know if he'll do that. I'm pretty sure he's not going to.

Speaker 21506.8s - 1511.34s

I feel very confident saying, we're not going to get a press conference where he says,

Speaker 31511.52s - 1513.16s

here's where I made a mistake.

Speaker 21514.04s - 1520.66s

I'm like 99% sure that's not going to happen. Yeah, that's probably true.

Speaker 31521.34s - 1527.56s

You're right. I'd love to be wrong, but I don't think I will be.

Speaker 21527.56s - 1547.12s

The processes, though, how confident are you that they're really having those kind of introspective internal processes in their basketball department where Polinka is, if only internally with the staff, with the scouts, with Jeannie PERSON, with whatever, figuring out where

Speaker 31547.12s - 1574.06s

the mistakes were made, were there mistakes in the process, were there just things that didn't work out, was the process that got us Darvin PERSON a good process? Because we all thought, and most people thought they landed on a good guy. How confident are you that that process is going to be a strong and thorough one? Because again, if it isn't, we're going to end up in the same spot in two and a half years. Not very.

Speaker 21575.18s - 1608.82s

I mean, like I said before, I am not convinced that they consider coach all that important of a thing for the organization. And this has never seemed like an organization that's that big on introspection. It's very insulated. I feel like there's a lot of CYA ORG that goes on, that goes on in this organization. It's very small.Like, you know, as far as like the people, we said before, like, you know, get together with this basketball staff. I'm like, what is he going to call him Kurt Rambus PERSON? Like, you know what I far as like the people, we said before, like, you know, get together with his basketball staff.I'm like, what is he going to call him, Kurt Rambus PERSON? Like, you know what I mean?

Speaker 31608.86s - 1613.08s

Like it's actually, that's going to be my, my question. Like, I know who Rob PERSON.

Speaker 21613.14s - 1623.22s

I'm exaggerating a bit, but not by now. You're not. You're actually, you're kind of not. Because I mean, answer me this question. Like, I kind of know who Rob PERSON would talk to like, guys, let's get together and let's talk about where we might have gone with it.

Speaker 31623.22s - 1658.3s

Who does Jeannie PERSON ask whether or not to evaluate? Because the way she hold, the way Jeannie PERSON is held accountable is by hiring and firing the people who run basketball operations. Who does Jeannie ask about Rob PERSON? That's really the question, because that's the only way that Jeannie can hold Rob PERSON accountable is to,you know, that accountability can be there with the owner is to fire Rob Polinka PERSON. Where is, how does she go through that process? I don't know the answer to that question.

Speaker 21659.04s - 1659.6s

Look,

Speaker 31659.72s - 1662.5s

I don't know we here in Bill GPE. Look,

Speaker 21662.66s - 1691.2s

I mean, if that's the answer, that's a terrible one. I mean, yes, it is. My immediate thought, and I want to make it clear, this is not a dot at the person I'm about the name just because this person is often in the crosshairs.It just seems like the most logical answer. Linda Rambas seems like the first person Jeannie PERSON would go to to bounce thoughts off this, which is problematic in the sense that she's married to Kurt PERSON. So her perspective will likely in some way, I would think, insulate Kurt PERSON.

Speaker 01691.2s - 1699.76s

I mean, it's her husband. And Linda Rambus PERSON, I have no doubt has qualifications to be

Speaker 21699.76s - 1704s

in the organization high ranking. She's been with them for like decades.

Speaker 31704s - 1705.06s

She's known to be.

Speaker 21705.06s - 1710.36s

I'm sure a person who understands a lot about the operations of a basketball team.

Speaker 31710.7s - 1710.92s

Oh, yeah.

Speaker 21711s - 1711.28s

No, no.

Speaker 31711.38s - 1716.32s

She's a smart, capable person, but she's not necessarily somebody whose perspective

Speaker 21716.32s - 1768.5s

you'd seek out for what went wrong in basketball ops. Unless I guess she's repeating things she heard from Kurt PERSON. I've been saying this for years. They need outside perspective in that organization. Like there's nobody high ranking within the organization that has not been connected to the organization by blood or by franchise ties for like decades.And it's not a great way to keep up with the Joneses ORG, especially when monetarily you can't compete with some of these teams anyway because relative to most teams, you're a mom and pop organization. So getting back to your original question, am I confident that the process is going to be great? No, I'm not. Doesn't mean that it won't work out. It could work out. No, you're right. So getting back to your original question, am I confident that the process is going to be great?No, I'm not. Doesn't mean that it won't work out.

Speaker 31769.16s - 1769.18s

It could work out. No, you're right.

Speaker 21769.26s - 1769.62s

No, sure.

Speaker 31770.62s - 1862.46s

So to go back to the question that originally prompted all this, and we can continue to love to get your comments on the YouTube page, and especially in the off season, we really dive into those things. We read them every day. But in terms of using them for the show and stuff like that, you know,questions, comments and whatever. It's a great time for that. This is, there are two, to me, there are two questions that are fundamental going forward.The first one is who do they hire as the coach? Who do they get? What kind of coach are they? who do they hire as the coach. Who do they get? What kind of coach? What kind of coach are they? What do they believe in? What are the expectations that they set up for this person?You know, can a rookie coach, head coach do the what they want them to do? All that stuff is interesting. And the second one is, is the guy responsible for running all this stuff? one is, is the guy responsible for running all this stuff? Continuing to trend into direction, we hoped he was trending at this point last year. Because there was a lot of skepticism, I think, certainly on this show and many others, about Polinka PERSON and whether or not he was very good at his job.And I think we both had serious questions. He did good work at the trade deadline last season. I thought had a solid off season and it didn't work. And he's got a lot of hard questions in front of them this year. So I think those are two of the basic framing questions for the entire off season. Yeah.

Speaker 21863.22s - 1867.4s

And like you said, we're going to have a lot of time to get into it over the course

Speaker 31867.4s - 1872.9s

of this week and over the course of the summer. Before we go, just wanted to, in case fans

Speaker 21872.9s - 1916.76s

were not aware of it. Saturday, the family of Darius Morris, former Lakers second round pick, made a statement that Thursday Darius was found dead in Los Angeles. They put out a statement, quote, with great sadness, we announced the passing of our dearly beloved son, Darius, Aaron Morris. During this time of transition, his family asks you that you please, that you please respect our wishes for privacy and grace. The Lakers tweeted out that they were heartbroken by the passing of Morris. Brian and I covered the team, and we were around them on a daily basis when Darius PERSON was drafted.He was a really nice, sweet, polite kid.

Speaker 31917.3s - 1919.5s

2011. Second round pick in 2011.

Speaker 21919.9s - 1931.66s

Yeah, it's just really, really sad news. I mean, he was just a very, very nice. It's the best way I really remember Darius PERSON as, you know, being around. It's just a really, really nice kid.

Speaker 31931.66s - 1936.64s

Nice kid. Truly local kid went to Winward in L.A. GPE, a little private school in L.A.

Speaker 21936.64s - 1943.74s

And, you know, and you just realize, you know, how young these guys are when they, when they're drafted, you know,

Speaker 31943.82s - 1975.92s

2011 pick. He was 33 years old. So, you know, obviously much, much, much too soon. So, you know, condolences to his family. But it was very sad news over the weekend. Locked on Lickers on YouTube is where you can go hang out, discuss all of this and more.Leave us your questions, leave us your comments, what you want to start talking about as we go deeper in the off season. Obviously, we'll also get into personnel as that stuff gets a little bit closer.

Speaker 11976.46s - 1987.6s

The coaching search is certainly A1 on the list, and we'll see everyone tomorrow.

Speaker 31993.74s - 1994.28s

A. Prime members, you can listen to this locked on podcast ad free on Amazon Music ORG.

Speaker 11996.44s - s

Download the Amazon Music app today.