November 21, 2025 • 40 mins
Do you realize that the Rams are the favorites to win the Superbowl and Matthew Stafford is the frontrunner for MVP? Dan Woike talks about the Lakers' front office and scouting shakeup and the roles of Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, we continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Peach on five
seventy LA Sports. Be safe in the rain. Be careful.
It's gonna rain tomorrow too. Then that should be it
for a while, so be careful as we head into
the Thanksgiving weekend. Later this hour, Dan Reykiel joined the
show or Budding from the Athletic. He's got everything. He
(00:22):
broke the story yesterday about the buses losing their job Rodney,
So he's pretty plugged in.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, no, he's he's definitely dialed in. He's got some insights,
I think because he talked to I think Jesse talked
to and figuring out, you know, kind of how this
all played out and timelines and all that kind of stuff. Dialard,
you know, Dan, he's always dialed in.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, let's talk about what's big this weekend. You got
the Rams and you've got Tampa Bay. Are you amazed
by the fact that right now the Rams are the
favorite to win the Super Bowl? First of you know that?
Are you a hear of that? Yes, yeah, well you are.
I would hope we do this for a lift, But
(01:05):
I'm aware, okay, And are people aware of that? Matthew
Stafford is the favorite now to win the MVP. To
be honest, be honest, the Rams are the favorites to
win the Super Bowl. Do you think the majority of
people in Los Angeles know that?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
What?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
No, That's the crazy thing. I think more people outside
of LA appreciate and know the Rams are for real
and that Matthew Stafford is having an MVP type of
season than people in LA. People in LA are still
watching highlights of the Dodgers winning the World Series. It's
just true, like the NFL season, it's just getting started
(01:49):
now for most people in LA. And yes, I mean
people go to the games and they're there, but in
terms of the tension and the and all those things,
it's it's still it's still about the Dodgers. I mean
even even I Fred. It pops up on my my
(02:11):
social and I obviously algorithm have something to do with it,
but popped in my social something is the highlights come
up and I find myself stopping and going, oh, gotta
watch this. I gotta watch the Migey home run again.
I gotta watch the last inning of Game seven. Well,
I gotta watch Key k you know, turn the double play.
(02:33):
I gotta watch Will Smith's home run. Yeah, it just
I still watch the Dodger highlights and I just gonna
go through them and and and still feel like it
was yesterday. But yeah, I think most people outside of
here appreciate what the Rams are doing right now, more
so than people in LA at this point. No, initially
(02:53):
I think it's gonna change, but well, yeah, I think
right now people are not oblivious that Matthew Stafford is
the leading candidate for MVB.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Think back a couple of years before Lebron got here,
the Clippers were better than the Lakers. Clippers got to
the Western Conference final one year if you remember, Yeah,
they got beat, but the Clippers were pretty good. And
even in this city people are talking about, oh god,
it's changed, the Clippers are better. But really, aside from
(03:24):
a few people saying, yeah, the Clippers are better, the
Clippers were better known nationally than they were in LA.
And this is when they were okay, this is when
they were good. More people knew that. Remember the charges
a couple of years back, you're thinking, oh, these guys
got a shot here. Yeah, I mean they're playing well.
You wouldn't know that if you live here. Nationally people thought, boy,
(03:46):
the Chargers are a pretty good team. Yeah here, not
even a whisper. And now you get to the Rams,
and the Rams are really well run. And we talked
about that. I mean, Stan Krocky, Kevin Demma, those guys
know what they're doing. I mean, Kevin is a master.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Kevin less Neat, I mean, all those guys over there,
they do a fantastic job.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yeah, they're like an organization.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
They're like the Dodgers of football. Yeah, okay, as well
as they do and as much as they interact with
their fan base, and they do, I don't think the
majority of people here even realize this, honestly, And now,
just from talk, I think more people believe Matthew Stafford
(04:32):
is having a good year than the Rams could win
the Super Bowl. I think that has caught people's attention.
Oh the Rams quarterback yeah, oh yeah, the guy with
a wife. Yeah that guy. Yeah. Oh he's pretty good
this year. Yeah he is, He's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I think that's even more prominently stated now than the
Rams could win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's pretty amazing. I mean, eva
even for for us, and we I.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Said this, you know, I'm obviously football guy but I
was like I I was not even into football until
the World Series was over, and it was like eight
games in, you know, and then here we are, you know,
in the back nine of the of the NFL season,
where it's nitty gritty, big time games. Who got the
(05:28):
Bucks coming into town this weekend to play the Rams
on Sunday Night football?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
And now I.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Think it's it's time that people start paying attention. I think,
you know, we get the Thanksgiving, it starts to be real,
like fall football, this is the nitty gritty of football.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
College football is winding down.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It's figuring out who's gonna be in these bowls and
the playoffs and all those things, and people really get
into it. And they would have been into it prior,
but the Dodgers had to phenomenal season and run and
that World Series. I think I think had it been
a four game sweet World Series have been different. But
the fact that it went seven games, and many people
(06:10):
believe that it was the best World.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Series of all time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I think people don't want to let go of the
Dodgers winning the World Series.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, the best World Series of all time?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, many people have said that, even Ben Baseball insiders,
I think we heard, uh, what's the guy from MLB
network or he's a big time sports writer, Tim Kirchin, Right,
he said it was the best World Series of his lifetime.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
You think it was the best World Series. And I'm
trying to think, I'm trying to.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Think, not the best, it's it's it's in the top two.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
I thought.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I thought that the the the World Series after nine
to eleven with the Yankees and Diamondbacks was phenomenal. The
back and forth, the drama. Remember the Yankees came back
and back to back games where they were down in
the ninth and they brought the reliever, came into the game,
and and and guys hit home runs and the ninth
(07:14):
inning to tie it up, and then the Yankees won
in Yankee Stadium. And then I think that's when Derek
Jeter hit the home run. They called him mister November
in that series. And you know, the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
Of you know, everybody from New York going to Arizona
for Game six and seven and all that kind of stuff,
and Shilling and Johnson pitching and coming back and then
they win it in dramatic fashion off off of Mariano Rivera.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That to me two thousand and one was the greatest
world series for me. This is a close second.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay, So if the Dodgers had not won this World series,
was this still the second greatest world series of all
time if the Dodgers had not won.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
No, no, no, I'm being honest about no. No.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
So it's only great because Dodgers won it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, which is different because I'm I'm a I'm a
Yankee fan. I like Yankees. I've always liked the Yankees,
not more than the Dodgers. But which is weird? You
can't like It's like liking the Lakers and the Celtics.
But I like the Yankees and always have, and so
I was rooting for the Yankees in that series. I mean,
the sentimental favorite was the Yankees because of nine to
(08:36):
eleven during two thousand and one, and the Yankees did
not win that World Series, Arizona won it. And yet
I still believe that that was the best one. But
in this case, yeah, if Toronto wins the series, I'm like, eh, yeah,
it was a good series.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
It was a good series.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Suddenly not the best of all time.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
The secondly, not the best, ain't not the best? You
had the drama you had the drama though, because you.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Had you want the Miggy row and you had you know,
real and yeah, you had the rotten motal coming in.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You had the drama. Because your team won, you had
the drama.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (09:20):
But if they would have if somebody that you really
unexpected came in for Toronto and hit a home run
to tie it up in the bottom of the ninth,
it would have been something kind of special for them
when you think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
But the question is would that still be? But the
question is does that still make it in your mind?
Speaker 4 (09:44):
What of the great world Circay I'm trying to rationally, No,
it would have what I'm.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Saying series i've ever seen. Okay, what if they lost?
It would have been so good?
Speaker 6 (09:55):
Yeah, I think everybody outside of Toronto believed it was
a great, one of the greatest, top two three World
Series of all time outside of Canada.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well, and be fair, how many people were rooting against
the Dodgers here. Let's at least say the people in
Los Angeles believed.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
No, no Fred because I you know, it was a
scroller after that World Series for about five straight days
and I had I saw people from New York and
from and and from San Francisco. Go I'm a Giants fan,
but that was the best World Series I've ever saw,
(10:36):
And I had people from New York say the same
thing that that was. That was the best World Series
that I've seen in a long time, you know, going
seven games back and forth, the drama, the drama that
that that it had. So it's not just LA folks.
Obviously LA folks are extremely biased and going, yeah, one
hundred percent, that's the best in the world. But I
(10:57):
saw a number of people that had to give it
up for that World Series and the Dodgers way they
win it, the way they the way they won it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
All right, when we come back, let's get more into
the dramas around in the Lakers and what is really
going on. Dan Whyite joins us.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Hello, Rogan and Rodney listener. Did you know Am five
seventy LA Sports has a wide range of LA sports podcasts,
shows like Petros in Money. We are streaming Matt Dodger
Talk with David Vasse.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
The Dodger Podcast of Record.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Clipper Talk Without a Muss, follow us all and many more.
Just go to AM five to seventy LA Sports on
the iHeartRadio ap.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh Yes, welcome back on a beautiful Friday. Sometimes we
don't care, but we care today on a beautiful Friday.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Rodney p. Fred Rogan.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All Right, a lot of talk about the Lakers and
the shakeup and what's going on since the sale and
people being fired and replaced in all those things. A
man to kind of explain it all is our insider,
our NBA insider from the athletic our man, Dan Wiki.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Dan.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Thanks for joining us, Rodney, how are you? This is
interesting times in the Lakers kingdom, and I think we're
just getting started.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
We are just getting started, all right. Let's start with
the news man. All right, So the.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Mark Walters group is officially now engaged with the Lakers.
It was no longer now that the sale has gone
through and it's been approved. Now they're putting their footprints
on this team. And it started with eliminating several members
of the Lakers organization in the scouting department and other places,
including the bus brothers. Man, what can you tell us
(12:55):
about all that?
Speaker 7 (12:57):
Well, I think, first and foremost, I mean, I think,
let's I want to take a step back, and like,
let's I'm not totally sure, totally sure that this was
like a Mark Walter's, you know, like driven decision in
the immediate the sources that I've spoken to around the
NBA and by the way, like there's no there's no
(13:17):
hint in this. I spoke to Jesse Buzz. Jesse Buss
expected to be fired from his assistant general manager position.
He did not expect it to happen yesterday. He expected
it and a lot of people around the league expected
this to happen after the season, and the that that
was going to be kind of like seemingly like the
(13:39):
timetable to modernize, will use that word in quotes, was
that it was going to it was going to be
this summer more so than like right now. I'm not
I think, you know, in speaking to Jesse he didn't
know why it was right now.
Speaker 8 (13:53):
I talked to some people around the league.
Speaker 7 (13:54):
They're not totally sure why right now was the time
to do it.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, Why why did he see the riding on the wall?
As you mentioned, he saw it coming, Well.
Speaker 7 (14:04):
The team got because because the team got sold.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
So he eventually yeah, he's saying, yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:11):
Right, like you know, the team got sold and the
team was going to you know, when you when you
spend to a ten billion other evaluation, like you put
your people in place, you know, and I think he
understood that, and he does understand that. I think. You
know what's interesting though now is like and we'll see,
Like I've reached out to see with the Lakers, I
(14:32):
haven't heard back on this yet. Like, you know, they
didn't fire their entire scouting staff, but they.
Speaker 8 (14:36):
Lost scouts.
Speaker 7 (14:38):
You know, I think either four or five and what
was already not a huge staff, And like this.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
Is a pretty important NBA draft, but the.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
Lakers do have their pick this year. It's a stacked
twenty twenty six draft. You know, who is how are
they going to handle that scouting? You know, as they're
you know, moving forwards with this, you know, a new
front office in some a new front office organization will
in some ways. How are they going to handle the
trade deadline?
Speaker 4 (15:06):
You know?
Speaker 7 (15:07):
What does this say about Rob Blake's future with the organization?
Like these are all like really valid questions. They are
all ones that we're going to get asked anyways. I think, like,
what's I don't want to say disappointing, but like what's
strange is that we're asking about a team that's eleven
and four. Yeah, right, Like the going is pretty good. Yeah,
the going is pretty good. And so you know, this
(15:30):
does this does kind of speak to a little bit
of sloppiness and messiness. I think, you know, in the
short term, and this is I like, I was speaking
to a Laker source the other day about this, and
it's like, you know, as this organization transitions from being
the family business that it was to you know what
it'll be next, it may end up being more efficient
(15:50):
and man up being more buttoned up. It'll certainly be
somewhere between fifteen to twenty percent less fund Yeah, as
a reporter with you.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But I'm with you on the timing of it, because
they're fifteen games in, they're eleven and four. If you
if you know, and like you mentioned, and you you
talk to Jesse if you know this is going to happen,
and he knew it, and I think the you know,
Mark Walters and his team knew it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Why not do it before the season starts? Why not?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Why not just get it out of the way before
the season starts, not fifteen games in, or if you're
going to do it, like you said, after the season
or even at the All Star break or after the
trade deadline, because you still need those scouts, not only
to the scout, because it's going to be at.
Speaker 7 (16:40):
These are mostly college scouts, college and international scouts who
laid off, so these weren't pro scouts. The Lakers don't
really have pro scouts.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, but still but still college.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
The college game is going on right now and their
guys playing, you know, and so the timing of it
is very interesting. The other question I have is it
was reported that that Andrew Friedman obviously has had a
relationship with Rob Palinka and it's been talking to them,
but also far Anxiety has been involved in as an
advisory role. What do you know about those two and how.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Much are they I mean, I think, you know, I
think the reporting on them has been accurate. You know,
I remote a Shelburne or a story for est canaday
about that. And I think these are like these are
bridge people, and this is common fairly common when you
have particularly successful ownership and that that spans across multiple sports,
(17:33):
where you have people that kind of work in these
roles that oversee I don't want to say oversea both
because like that's not what this is right now, Like
this from my understanding is like these are advisory positions
as they moved to a transition. But like I wouldn't
be stunned in a world where people had you know,
hands in both. I mean, like you know, really this
(17:54):
this is what Bob Myers is doing. You know right now?
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Right stand cast did it?
Speaker 7 (18:01):
Did it in Atlanta? Yeah? Right? Like so like that
I think is it is a it is a like
fairly like normal thing to happen. But we'll see, right.
I mean, look, I think when I've spoken to people
around the league about what they think the Walter effect
could be long term, you know, the way that it's
been positive to me, like the simplest way to positive,
(18:24):
Like what the Dodgers have done is you take the
brightest small market minds and give them all the big
market advantages. Right, That's like the easiest way to put it. Now.
That doesn't exactly work the same way in a salary
cap business like the NBA, but I think like it
does sort of. There are advantages that the Lakers have
(18:44):
and teams like and premier markets have when it comes
to signing say minimum free agents or mid level free agents,
people that are that are operating at like you know,
where money is not the deciding factor, you know, finding
the right people to target those people and have those
people and so you're winning on every margin. I think
was the way that it's been put to me. You know,
(19:07):
it's it's hard to say what happened yesterday. I mean,
it doesn't move them closer to that down the line.
I think it does, right, like this was like I
said it was going to happen. There was gonna be
a further sort of I would say, reimagination of the
front office. We don't really know what that still looks like.
I would imagine that it involves, you know, a bigger
(19:31):
scouting and analytics presence. You know, the Atlantic staff at
the Lakers has gotten bigger. You know, it's fairly well regarded.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Did you say.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
That the Lakers don't have a giant pro scouting department.
Speaker 7 (19:44):
They don't have a pro scouting department.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
They don't even have one.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
That's not really how they do things now. I mean,
now look they like that's not to say. I mean
you're in a world now right where you I mean
every game is on League Pass. You can see and
see it, like you can see everything their scouts like,
you know, they may have one pro scout. It's hard
to know exactly where people are assigned, but it's not
the way their front office structure is in structured that way,
(20:11):
you know currently, I think like that to me is
like when you talk to people about what's going to
come next, is like a pretty hefty beef up, you know,
on that on that side in terms of how they
do stuff, and you know there's there's other areas Rodney,
you know, like some teams use advanced scouting right where
you send you send scouts out two games before you
(20:32):
play a team, right to like listen to play calls,
the like. The value in this is like pretty widely
debated around the league as like do you really need
to be doing this in a world again where you
have cameras on everything where stuff like that, and you
know there's probably something yes to know to that. I
would say like a big part of advanced scouting currently
(20:52):
in the NBA is intelligence gathering. M you know, where
you're you're gossiping with hacks like me at games and
and trying to figure out what's going on with teams
and stuff like that. And you know, the Lakers don't
have that right now, Like maybe they will.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yeah, if you're digging football where it's you know, games
are once a week, but when you're playing two or
three games before you play your next opponent, I get it.
You know, everything's everywhere. So what do you think this?
What do you think this means? And I get what
you're saying. Look, when somebody spends ten billion dollars on
a purchase of a team, they're gonna put their own
people in there. We get that. And I'm sure the
(21:31):
best brothers understood that. Where does this put Rob Polinka?
Speaker 4 (21:34):
You think?
Speaker 7 (21:36):
I mean, it's a really good question again eleven and
four right now, you know, for you know his critics,
I would say, like, I mean, he helped author what
certainly seems like a pretty like pretty much like an
all time heist and Luka Dacic, you know, and the
like he's like in that way, I mean, that's pretty inarguable,
(21:59):
you know. I think obviously, like we'll see where the
roster goes from there. You know, I think everybody, I
think the best way I would put this, at least
the sense I've gotten everybody in the organization right now
knows that a new day in some SA fashion is coming,
right Like things are changing and so does that mean
(22:21):
everybody feels like they're on Notice that that doesn't seem
like exactly the way that I would I would phrase it,
but it does certainly seem like, I don't know, like, yeah,
I mean, we're all like if if Rodney, if iHeart
was sold tomorrow right and new, like, we all we'd
(22:44):
all wonder, you know, And I think I think the
the vibe a on the Lakers is very similar to that.
While most people operating under sort of the what's interesting
is that up until about this this decision.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
People had been you know, it'd been more.
Speaker 7 (22:58):
Of a back of mine thing, I think is the
best way to put it, you know, business as usual
was kind of the phrasing generally put like as I
wrote that story. I mean, Jesse Buss hasn't been a
day to day presence, you know, he admitted hadn't really
been talking much to Genie or Rob over the last
few years. It's been dealing with the elf stuff, you know.
Speaker 9 (23:18):
But like this was also Yeah, I want to I
want to point that out because you also reported let's
let's not forget you know, they they actually are are
responsible for Austin Reeves and Jordan Clarkson and and you
know and and really hot.
Speaker 8 (23:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Yeah, they get credit, they get credit. I mean credit
is a funny thing sometimes around the Lakers, but like
you know, they are wildly widely credited for you know,
the two ways the back the back half of the
first round. That that those types of picks. I mean,
that's I mean, that's their department, you know. And I
think like when you talk to people around the lead,
(24:00):
like there was always a pretty hearty respect for the
work done in that part of the draft. Now, you know, cool, like,
I mean, this is how it works, right, and Jesse
would know this, and the staff knows this too. It's like,
you know, for every Max Christie you get in the
second round, you sometimes think Maxwell Lewis, Yeah, like like
(24:21):
that happens, you know, all the time. But but I
think that their system in the in the second round,
their system late in the first round over the past
decade has been has been pretty solid, you know, And
they do still have people that have been involved in
that process are still in the organization, you know. But
I do think, like I said, this was all stuff
(24:43):
that people sort of expected eventually, I think eventually just
came faster.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, you think this is so do you think this
is much like they did with the Dodgers? And this
happened quicker than what they did with the Dodgers because
they bought the Dodgers and then kind of let it
develop for a year or two and then they brought
the folks in from Tampa with with Stan and Andrew
Friedman and let them run the show. Like you said,
(25:09):
the small market with big, big dollars in a big city.
Is this all about a culture change for the Lakers?
I know they won in twenty twenty in the bubble,
and people question, you know, whether that's whatever asterisk.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
I still think it's yeah. But but but do.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
You think it's a culture change that they're trying to
create with the Lakers because it's kind of gone a
little stagnant.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
So I'm not totally sure that front offices create culture,
you know, I mean maybe a little bit. I think
it happens more on the ground, right, And you know.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
When ownership puts money into the into the organization. I
can tell that.
Speaker 8 (25:48):
First Dand but I mean I I think I.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Went from Detroit to Dallas now, Dan Wykee, come on, now,
it's it's ownership too.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
Okay, so let me ask you this about culture though too, right,
and this was I think this was true share prior
to the sale. I mean, I think when you'd watch
the Lakers play, knew they were gonna play really hard, right,
like that culture Like that's culture now now or now
that to get everybody aligned inside your organization is like
(26:16):
that's another thing too, and it's not easy. But I
but I think like this is an organization that does
have a vision right now and is moving in that direction.
Now we'll see, Like I said, That's why I'm a
little hesitant. And and I don't know this right, I
don't know who made the decision on this, who didn't
make the decision, like or who initiated it and who
(26:36):
signed off on it. I would assume Mark Welters signed
off on it and his group signed off on it
again to their billions. But you know, I mean, Genie
Buster around Plink are still people in the organization as well,
and I think, like you know, I mean, Jesse certainly
thinks that this was a genie decision, you know, in
his conversation with me, yeah, you know, or certainly thinks
(26:58):
it was more of them, and he had really nice
things to say about Mark Walter. He didn't have as
nice things to say about his sister and Rob Pelinka.
If you're retwing the lines, I don't think that's that
hard to come across.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
So so yeah, he felt he felt x out from them, right,
Like he was like.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Yeah, I can use the word siloed and stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
So, I mean I think, like, you know, again, I
think it's possible that these are like that there are
two trains moving on the same on the same on
this in the same direction, parallel tracks. Like that's certainly
possible too, if that makes sense, that you know, where
you have what was gonna eventually happen under the Walter group,
and then there's this that sort of runs in concert
(27:39):
to it, but might be, you know, might might be
triggered by different factors. I think that's a possibility. I
don't think we really know yet. I do, though, think
big picture for the organization again New Day, and that
was true when they sold I think you know, there
were some of that. The sort of the New Day
stuff has come a bunch of different ways, right. It
(28:00):
came when they traded for Luka Doncic. I mean, ultimately,
like we talk about culture. All you want you trade about,
you trade for Lucadaci. Guess what, like that dude is
your culture, you know. And and you see it in
the way they play right now. You see it in
the way they talk trash to one another and give
each other a hard time. Everything you see on camera
(28:22):
with Mike Trudell after games, I'm telling you I hear
and see in much more explicit detail in the locker room,
you know, like there was a I don't know, maybe
you saw the clippers, some people saw the clip. There
was a you know. The other day, Luca and I
were the only people in a press conference and he
teased me about how long my questions were, and I said,
(28:44):
I was just giving him English practice, and he said,
you know, he speaks of better English than really and Austin,
you know, there's like that's like, that's stuff that happens,
you know, And and I think, like, and.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That's good, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's great, It's great, totally great.
Speaker 7 (29:01):
And like I said, I don't so while I understand
the interests and excitement and curiosity over what happened with
Joey jesse Buss, that does sort of feel more like
upstairs in back of house, you know, Like I mean,
I can tell you right now, like I talked to
(29:22):
one of you know, I'll say a star player on
this team that they weren't aware of this until after
it happened.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
I get it. I get it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Dan Wiki joining us Dan and got all the insights.
I appreciated Dan one more before we let you go
on a basketball level, Laker level. Lebron is back his
role now and much has been made about him taking
a back seat and letting Luca and Austin do their thing.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Does that continue? Is that okay with him?
Speaker 9 (29:53):
How?
Speaker 2 (29:53):
How do you see this working out going forward as
he continues to find his way and getting more games.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
In sure, winning is one of the great elixers. Vibes
are one of the great elixirs in this league. They
go together. This team is winning and has great vibes
right now. There are no role problems currently. I don't
think it necessarily has to be a clean one two
three situation. I do think Luca is the head of
the snake, you know, on the court, it is very
(30:20):
much his team. I think the one of the I
would say one of the areas in which Lebron and
Austin have bonded over the years. Is they're both incredibly
smart basketball players who are both incredibly adaptable. And I've
kind of long said that. I think, like, you know,
the most the best skill that Austin Reeves possesses possesses
(30:46):
is like, you know, knowing how to figure it out,
figure it out ins or whatever. That would be, like
you can just kind of like he's a problem solver.
Lebron James an excellent problem solver. He's changed how he's
played before around people. I would anticipate more of that
here as long as the going is good. If the
team starts to struggle, if it gets a little clunkier,
it'll be a little harder for people to accept smaller
(31:07):
roles and things like that. So yeah, that's that's the challenge.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So yeah, if they need him to score thirty as
they have a good lull, he'll he'll be.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
Ready to do We'll see, you know. But I mean, look,
I think Lebron James is certainly capable of impacting winning
in more ways than taking the most shots.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Yeah, yeah, Dan, thanks for the insight.
Speaker 9 (31:26):
Man.
Speaker 4 (31:26):
Appreciate it. You're always the best, always dialed in brother.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (31:30):
You know I'm gonna get my shots up, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
You go, Hey, you never saw a shot you didn't like,
Dan Wiki.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
I love it, ay man. It sounds like you were
in New Orleans with me.
Speaker 4 (31:42):
Good stuff, Thanks Dan?
Speaker 7 (31:43):
All right, take care ready, all right? Bye bye?
Speaker 4 (31:50):
All right.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Dan took his shot, and uh, I'll tell you what.
You better not take any shots on the court. A
different kind of court.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
That's next.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Make am fine. I have seventy LA Sports a preset
before you plug in your foot presets in the iHeartRadio app,
now available with Apple car Play and Android autom Just
another easy way to listen to LA's best sports talk.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Let's go, Let's keep it moving on a Friday.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Sun's coming out, Fred Sun's coming out.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Let's do this all right, Bennie, Bounce Andior joined this
next hour'll get more into the Rams and the fact
that they're the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but
nobody seems to know that. All right quickly. Carmel, Northern California,
beautiful place, great golf courses. Hope you've been up there.
The people of their are upset, and I don't know
if you feel the same way. Living in Los Angeles
(32:44):
if you live near a park or a recreation area,
because the people up there are really ticked and they
want to banned pickleball. They want to ban the sport
of pickleball.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Don't know if you.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Play, I have, Actually it's fun, yes, it is. You
knock the ball around a little bit, you have some fun.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
It's not as grueling as tennis, not a big as
not a you know, as big a court. You can
move around, you can play as you get older, that's
the good thing about it. And you play doubles and yeah,
it's pretty cool. Yeah, you go out, you're knocking around,
you have a few laughs.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It's great. Yeah, you know, and you can get good
at it too. Absolutely, so they they're gonna ban it
outdoors in the park and Carmel.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
You know, why, why the noise.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
We're going to hitch the racket ball back and forth.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Clint Eastwood said that.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I don't think Clint said it, but the people that's good.
But the people in Carmel said no. They went to
the city council and said, we can't have this noise.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
So it's not it's not like somebody's yard next to
next door neighbor is doing it, and they're saying it
even at the park where they play pick a ball
and they have these pickaball courts in the city of Carmel.
It's saying it's too loud for the residents that they
still hear it. Yeah, we don't, we don't need to
hear that.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
What's with these people? I mean, what is wrong with them?
Speaker 1 (34:03):
It's not like there's twenty thousand people playing and yeah,
you can hear the racket hit the ball. You can
hear that, or it wouldn't be a racket to be
a paddle basically. Yeah, but it's not overwhelming, it's not
too loud. It's and I thought, what either the people
(34:23):
there are really really really old or exceptionally entitled with
a lot of money. I think I can see a
bitch and about it.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
Might have been both, probably both.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Yeah, well, I can see you complaining about a lot
of stuff, seriously, stuff that would annoy you, and trust me,
complain about that, right, And that's my point. I mean,
given where I spend some time now in the Coachella Valley,
you can't imagine the things that upset people as they
get older. You can't imagine things that you would have
gone ten years ago. Who cares? Suddenly it's like a
(34:57):
major to do. That's a problem. Do you ever see
the old show Parks and Recreation? Yeah, okay, I didn't
even know what this meant, but I know now. In
Parks and Recreation they would have committee meetings, if you remember,
and that gave the public a chance to come and
address issues to the council.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Right, okay.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I thought that was like made for TV, like a
made up thing. You didn't think that they really had
meetings like that. Oh yeah, not until I came here,
and then I realized, not only do they have meetings
like that, they got a lot of meetings like that.
Everybody got a meeting.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
Have you been to those meetings for I've seen.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Them on tape and I've run them on the air,
and I stand in amazement watching what people are complaining about,
and they are really And here's the funny thing. You know,
you get so much time, you get to go stand
before the council or the committee, and you get to
tell your story.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
You do.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
And I tell the people here when they say, well
we went to the city council and said that, I
tell them the same thing every time. I said I
don't want to be cruel, but I need to ask
your question. They go, sure, what is it? Do you
think anybody cares what you think? Do you really think
these people care what you think? Do you think that
because you're wrong, They're going to sit there and listen
(36:25):
to you and do whatever they want. They do not care,
They don't.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
They don't. And people complain about everything. Oh.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I can remember years ago when we first first got married.
One of our first houses we lived in Beverly Hills,
and we were we just had the twins, so we
were doing some remodeling to the house. You know, every
time you do remolint, you gotta get permits, you gotta
do all those things. And the people in our neighborhood said,
(36:54):
just beware, there's this one guy. He will show up
to every single meeting and complain and try to ban
you from doing anything. And I was like, nah, we're
just doing a little stuff. He'sa trust me. He will
show up. He will have all kinds of paperwork and
all kinds of history and all kinds of everything, but
he will show up and dispute your remodel. And sure enough,
(37:19):
that guy showed up, sewed up and had all these times.
Last time this happened has happened three years ago. And
then they disrupted the neighborhood and the noise factor was
so bah blah blah blah blah blah blah, bah blah
blah blah blah blah. And it must have been ten
other people that said that warned us, this guy's going
to show up. Trust me, he's going to show up.
(37:39):
And he never wins, but he never He always shows
up to try to block whatever somebody was doing.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
So I get it.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
I get there are people that are just it's not
really affecting them, is it really?
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Pickleball? Pickleball?
Speaker 2 (37:55):
People are exercising, playing pick a ball, having a good
time in the park, and they're trying to.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Ban it, trying to ban it. Yeah, you cannot imagine.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
I can imagine where you are now. You are now
the people that have lived there forever thinking they, Hey,
we own the place, we're entitled to have, you know,
to have our say on everything.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Oh, you can't, there's no way you can even process
how this works. They were going to recede, in other words,
recede a piece of land that was a dog park,
all right. They were gonna put seed so new grass
will grow.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
Are you with me?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Yes, I'm dead serious.
Speaker 4 (38:36):
Simple.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
They had four meetings inviting the public to discuss where
they should place the bench to sit on in the
dog park. Four four meetings, and everybody got to say,
now you only had really four choices left right, front,
(38:59):
back where you going to put the bench. It took
them four hours of different meetings to decide where to
put the bench. It's like, are you kidding me? When
people have nothing to do, that's what they do. If
you have nothing to do, you're gonna bitch about the
sound of pickleball. If you have anything remotely intriguing or
(39:25):
interesting about your life, you're not going to care. But
that's what happens when you have nothing to do. I mean,
I could understand if the people and Carmel were saying,
my problem is one of these pickleball players comes up
and tries to paddle us all the time, and some
of us have to like it. But that's another story.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Yeah, there's like fifteen all these pickleball players drive. They
ride in Harley Davison's through the neighborhood and it's loud
at six o'clock in the morning. Can we just you know,
maybe have a start time of nine or something like that.
But I can't imagine. I can't imagine the complaints, Oh,
(40:06):
the paddles are too loud.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
Come on, come on, next hour.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
Much has happened today, and Kevin will get us caught
up with its lip and when we come back, we'll
let up. Bennie bon signor
Okay, we continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Peach on five
seventy LA Sports. Be safe in the rain. Be careful.
It's gonna rain tomorrow too. Then that should be it
for a while, so be careful as we head into
the Thanksgiving weekend. Later this hour, Dan Reykiel joined the
show or Budding from the Athletic. He's got everything. He
(00:22):
broke the story yesterday about the buses losing their job Rodney,
So he's pretty plugged in.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, no, he's he's definitely dialed in. He's got some insights,
I think because he talked to I think Jesse talked
to and figuring out, you know, kind of how this
all played out and timelines and all that kind of stuff. Dialard,
you know, Dan, he's always dialed in.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, let's talk about what's big this weekend. You got
the Rams and you've got Tampa Bay. Are you amazed
by the fact that right now the Rams are the
favorite to win the Super Bowl? First of you know that?
Are you a hear of that? Yes, yeah, well you are.
I would hope we do this for a lift, But
(01:05):
I'm aware, okay, And are people aware of that? Matthew
Stafford is the favorite now to win the MVP. To
be honest, be honest, the Rams are the favorites to
win the Super Bowl. Do you think the majority of
people in Los Angeles know that?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
What?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
No, That's the crazy thing. I think more people outside
of LA appreciate and know the Rams are for real
and that Matthew Stafford is having an MVP type of
season than people in LA. People in LA are still
watching highlights of the Dodgers winning the World Series. It's
just true, like the NFL season, it's just getting started
(01:49):
now for most people in LA. And yes, I mean
people go to the games and they're there, but in
terms of the tension and the and all those things,
it's it's still it's still about the Dodgers. I mean
even even I Fred. It pops up on my my
(02:11):
social and I obviously algorithm have something to do with it,
but popped in my social something is the highlights come
up and I find myself stopping and going, oh, gotta
watch this. I gotta watch the Migey home run again.
I gotta watch the last inning of Game seven. Well,
I gotta watch Key k you know, turn the double play.
(02:33):
I gotta watch Will Smith's home run. Yeah, it just
I still watch the Dodger highlights and I just gonna
go through them and and and still feel like it
was yesterday. But yeah, I think most people outside of
here appreciate what the Rams are doing right now, more
so than people in LA at this point. No, initially
(02:53):
I think it's gonna change, but well, yeah, I think
right now people are not oblivious that Matthew Stafford is
the leading candidate for MVB.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Think back a couple of years before Lebron got here,
the Clippers were better than the Lakers. Clippers got to
the Western Conference final one year if you remember, Yeah,
they got beat, but the Clippers were pretty good. And
even in this city people are talking about, oh god,
it's changed, the Clippers are better. But really, aside from
(03:24):
a few people saying, yeah, the Clippers are better, the
Clippers were better known nationally than they were in LA.
And this is when they were okay, this is when
they were good. More people knew that. Remember the charges
a couple of years back, you're thinking, oh, these guys
got a shot here. Yeah, I mean they're playing well.
You wouldn't know that if you live here. Nationally people thought, boy,
(03:46):
the Chargers are a pretty good team. Yeah here, not
even a whisper. And now you get to the Rams,
and the Rams are really well run. And we talked
about that. I mean, Stan Krocky, Kevin Demma, those guys
know what they're doing. I mean, Kevin is a master.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Kevin less Neat, I mean, all those guys over there,
they do a fantastic job.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yeah, they're like an organization.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
They're like the Dodgers of football. Yeah, okay, as well
as they do and as much as they interact with
their fan base, and they do, I don't think the
majority of people here even realize this, honestly, And now,
just from talk, I think more people believe Matthew Stafford
(04:32):
is having a good year than the Rams could win
the Super Bowl. I think that has caught people's attention.
Oh the Rams quarterback yeah, oh yeah, the guy with
a wife. Yeah that guy. Yeah. Oh he's pretty good
this year. Yeah he is, He's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I think that's even more prominently stated now than the
Rams could win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's pretty amazing. I mean, eva
even for for us, and we I.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Said this, you know, I'm obviously football guy but I
was like I I was not even into football until
the World Series was over, and it was like eight
games in, you know, and then here we are, you know,
in the back nine of the of the NFL season,
where it's nitty gritty, big time games. Who got the
(05:28):
Bucks coming into town this weekend to play the Rams
on Sunday Night football?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
And now I.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Think it's it's time that people start paying attention. I think,
you know, we get the Thanksgiving, it starts to be real,
like fall football, this is the nitty gritty of football.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
College football is winding down.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It's figuring out who's gonna be in these bowls and
the playoffs and all those things, and people really get
into it. And they would have been into it prior,
but the Dodgers had to phenomenal season and run and
that World Series. I think I think had it been
a four game sweet World Series have been different. But
the fact that it went seven games, and many people
(06:10):
believe that it was the best World.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Series of all time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I think people don't want to let go of the
Dodgers winning the World Series.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, the best World Series of all time?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, many people have said that, even Ben Baseball insiders,
I think we heard, uh, what's the guy from MLB
network or he's a big time sports writer, Tim Kirchin, Right,
he said it was the best World Series of his lifetime.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
You think it was the best World Series. And I'm
trying to think, I'm trying to.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Think, not the best, it's it's it's in the top two.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
I thought.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I thought that the the the World Series after nine
to eleven with the Yankees and Diamondbacks was phenomenal. The
back and forth, the drama. Remember the Yankees came back
and back to back games where they were down in
the ninth and they brought the reliever, came into the game,
and and and guys hit home runs and the ninth
(07:14):
inning to tie it up, and then the Yankees won
in Yankee Stadium. And then I think that's when Derek
Jeter hit the home run. They called him mister November
in that series. And you know, the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
Of you know, everybody from New York going to Arizona
for Game six and seven and all that kind of stuff,
and Shilling and Johnson pitching and coming back and then
they win it in dramatic fashion off off of Mariano Rivera.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That to me two thousand and one was the greatest
world series for me. This is a close second.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay, So if the Dodgers had not won this World series,
was this still the second greatest world series of all
time if the Dodgers had not won.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
No, no, no, I'm being honest about no. No.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
So it's only great because Dodgers won it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, which is different because I'm I'm a I'm a
Yankee fan. I like Yankees. I've always liked the Yankees,
not more than the Dodgers. But which is weird? You
can't like It's like liking the Lakers and the Celtics.
But I like the Yankees and always have, and so
I was rooting for the Yankees in that series. I mean,
the sentimental favorite was the Yankees because of nine to
(08:36):
eleven during two thousand and one, and the Yankees did
not win that World Series, Arizona won it. And yet
I still believe that that was the best one. But
in this case, yeah, if Toronto wins the series, I'm like, eh, yeah,
it was a good series.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
It was a good series.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Suddenly not the best of all time.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
The secondly, not the best, ain't not the best? You
had the drama you had the drama though, because you.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Had you want the Miggy row and you had you know,
real and yeah, you had the rotten motal coming in.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You had the drama. Because your team won, you had
the drama.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (09:20):
But if they would have if somebody that you really
unexpected came in for Toronto and hit a home run
to tie it up in the bottom of the ninth,
it would have been something kind of special for them
when you think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
But the question is would that still be? But the
question is does that still make it in your mind?
Speaker 4 (09:44):
What of the great world Circay I'm trying to rationally, No,
it would have what I'm.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Saying series i've ever seen. Okay, what if they lost?
It would have been so good?
Speaker 6 (09:55):
Yeah, I think everybody outside of Toronto believed it was
a great, one of the greatest, top two three World
Series of all time outside of Canada.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well, and be fair, how many people were rooting against
the Dodgers here. Let's at least say the people in
Los Angeles believed.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
No, no Fred because I you know, it was a
scroller after that World Series for about five straight days
and I had I saw people from New York and
from and and from San Francisco. Go I'm a Giants fan,
but that was the best World Series I've ever saw,
(10:36):
And I had people from New York say the same
thing that that was. That was the best World Series
that I've seen in a long time, you know, going
seven games back and forth, the drama, the drama that
that that it had. So it's not just LA folks.
Obviously LA folks are extremely biased and going, yeah, one
hundred percent, that's the best in the world. But I
(10:57):
saw a number of people that had to give it
up for that World Series and the Dodgers way they
win it, the way they the way they won it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
All right, when we come back, let's get more into
the dramas around in the Lakers and what is really
going on. Dan Whyite joins us.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Hello, Rogan and Rodney listener. Did you know Am five
seventy LA Sports has a wide range of LA sports podcasts,
shows like Petros in Money. We are streaming Matt Dodger
Talk with David Vasse.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
The Dodger Podcast of Record.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Clipper Talk Without a Muss, follow us all and many more.
Just go to AM five to seventy LA Sports on
the iHeartRadio ap.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh Yes, welcome back on a beautiful Friday. Sometimes we
don't care, but we care today on a beautiful Friday.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Rodney p. Fred Rogan.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All Right, a lot of talk about the Lakers and
the shakeup and what's going on since the sale and
people being fired and replaced in all those things. A
man to kind of explain it all is our insider,
our NBA insider from the athletic our man, Dan Wiki.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Dan.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Thanks for joining us, Rodney, how are you? This is
interesting times in the Lakers kingdom, and I think we're
just getting started.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
We are just getting started, all right. Let's start with
the news man. All right, So the.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Mark Walters group is officially now engaged with the Lakers.
It was no longer now that the sale has gone
through and it's been approved. Now they're putting their footprints
on this team. And it started with eliminating several members
of the Lakers organization in the scouting department and other places,
including the bus brothers. Man, what can you tell us
(12:55):
about all that?
Speaker 7 (12:57):
Well, I think, first and foremost, I mean, I think,
let's I want to take a step back, and like,
let's I'm not totally sure, totally sure that this was
like a Mark Walter's, you know, like driven decision in
the immediate the sources that I've spoken to around the
NBA and by the way, like there's no there's no
(13:17):
hint in this. I spoke to Jesse Buzz. Jesse Buss
expected to be fired from his assistant general manager position.
He did not expect it to happen yesterday. He expected
it and a lot of people around the league expected
this to happen after the season, and the that that
was going to be kind of like seemingly like the
(13:39):
timetable to modernize, will use that word in quotes, was
that it was going to it was going to be
this summer more so than like right now. I'm not
I think, you know, in speaking to Jesse he didn't
know why it was right now.
Speaker 8 (13:53):
I talked to some people around the league.
Speaker 7 (13:54):
They're not totally sure why right now was the time
to do it.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, Why why did he see the riding on the wall?
As you mentioned, he saw it coming, Well.
Speaker 7 (14:04):
The team got because because the team got sold.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
So he eventually yeah, he's saying, yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:11):
Right, like you know, the team got sold and the
team was going to you know, when you when you
spend to a ten billion other evaluation, like you put
your people in place, you know, and I think he
understood that, and he does understand that. I think. You
know what's interesting though now is like and we'll see,
Like I've reached out to see with the Lakers, I
(14:32):
haven't heard back on this yet. Like, you know, they
didn't fire their entire scouting staff, but they.
Speaker 8 (14:36):
Lost scouts.
Speaker 7 (14:38):
You know, I think either four or five and what
was already not a huge staff, And like this.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
Is a pretty important NBA draft, but the.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
Lakers do have their pick this year. It's a stacked
twenty twenty six draft. You know, who is how are
they going to handle that scouting? You know, as they're
you know, moving forwards with this, you know, a new
front office in some a new front office organization will
in some ways. How are they going to handle the
trade deadline?
Speaker 4 (15:06):
You know?
Speaker 7 (15:07):
What does this say about Rob Blake's future with the organization?
Like these are all like really valid questions. They are
all ones that we're going to get asked anyways. I think, like,
what's I don't want to say disappointing, but like what's
strange is that we're asking about a team that's eleven
and four. Yeah, right, Like the going is pretty good. Yeah,
the going is pretty good. And so you know, this
(15:30):
does this does kind of speak to a little bit
of sloppiness and messiness. I think, you know, in the
short term, and this is I like, I was speaking
to a Laker source the other day about this, and
it's like, you know, as this organization transitions from being
the family business that it was to you know what
it'll be next, it may end up being more efficient
(15:50):
and man up being more buttoned up. It'll certainly be
somewhere between fifteen to twenty percent less fund Yeah, as
a reporter with you.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But I'm with you on the timing of it, because
they're fifteen games in, they're eleven and four. If you
if you know, and like you mentioned, and you you
talk to Jesse if you know this is going to happen,
and he knew it, and I think the you know,
Mark Walters and his team knew it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Why not do it before the season starts? Why not?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Why not just get it out of the way before
the season starts, not fifteen games in, or if you're
going to do it, like you said, after the season
or even at the All Star break or after the
trade deadline, because you still need those scouts, not only
to the scout, because it's going to be at.
Speaker 7 (16:40):
These are mostly college scouts, college and international scouts who
laid off, so these weren't pro scouts. The Lakers don't
really have pro scouts.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, but still but still college.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
The college game is going on right now and their
guys playing, you know, and so the timing of it
is very interesting. The other question I have is it
was reported that that Andrew Friedman obviously has had a
relationship with Rob Palinka and it's been talking to them,
but also far Anxiety has been involved in as an
advisory role. What do you know about those two and how.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Much are they I mean, I think, you know, I
think the reporting on them has been accurate. You know,
I remote a Shelburne or a story for est canaday
about that. And I think these are like these are
bridge people, and this is common fairly common when you
have particularly successful ownership and that that spans across multiple sports,
(17:33):
where you have people that kind of work in these
roles that oversee I don't want to say oversea both
because like that's not what this is right now, Like
this from my understanding is like these are advisory positions
as they moved to a transition. But like I wouldn't
be stunned in a world where people had you know,
hands in both. I mean, like you know, really this
(17:54):
this is what Bob Myers is doing. You know right now?
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Right stand cast did it?
Speaker 7 (18:01):
Did it in Atlanta? Yeah? Right? Like so like that
I think is it is a it is a like
fairly like normal thing to happen. But we'll see, right.
I mean, look, I think when I've spoken to people
around the league about what they think the Walter effect
could be long term, you know, the way that it's
been positive to me, like the simplest way to positive,
(18:24):
Like what the Dodgers have done is you take the
brightest small market minds and give them all the big
market advantages. Right, That's like the easiest way to put it. Now.
That doesn't exactly work the same way in a salary
cap business like the NBA, but I think like it
does sort of. There are advantages that the Lakers have
(18:44):
and teams like and premier markets have when it comes
to signing say minimum free agents or mid level free agents,
people that are that are operating at like you know,
where money is not the deciding factor, you know, finding
the right people to target those people and have those
people and so you're winning on every margin. I think
was the way that it's been put to me. You know,
(19:07):
it's it's hard to say what happened yesterday. I mean,
it doesn't move them closer to that down the line.
I think it does, right, like this was like I
said it was going to happen. There was gonna be
a further sort of I would say, reimagination of the
front office. We don't really know what that still looks like.
I would imagine that it involves, you know, a bigger
(19:31):
scouting and analytics presence. You know, the Atlantic staff at
the Lakers has gotten bigger. You know, it's fairly well regarded.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Did you say.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
That the Lakers don't have a giant pro scouting department.
Speaker 7 (19:44):
They don't have a pro scouting department.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
They don't even have one.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
That's not really how they do things now. I mean,
now look they like that's not to say. I mean
you're in a world now right where you I mean
every game is on League Pass. You can see and
see it, like you can see everything their scouts like,
you know, they may have one pro scout. It's hard
to know exactly where people are assigned, but it's not
the way their front office structure is in structured that way,
(20:11):
you know currently, I think like that to me is
like when you talk to people about what's going to
come next, is like a pretty hefty beef up, you know,
on that on that side in terms of how they
do stuff, and you know there's there's other areas Rodney,
you know, like some teams use advanced scouting right where
you send you send scouts out two games before you
(20:32):
play a team, right to like listen to play calls,
the like. The value in this is like pretty widely
debated around the league as like do you really need
to be doing this in a world again where you
have cameras on everything where stuff like that, and you
know there's probably something yes to know to that. I
would say like a big part of advanced scouting currently
(20:52):
in the NBA is intelligence gathering. M you know, where
you're you're gossiping with hacks like me at games and
and trying to figure out what's going on with teams
and stuff like that. And you know, the Lakers don't
have that right now, Like maybe they will.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yeah, if you're digging football where it's you know, games
are once a week, but when you're playing two or
three games before you play your next opponent, I get it.
You know, everything's everywhere. So what do you think this?
What do you think this means? And I get what
you're saying. Look, when somebody spends ten billion dollars on
a purchase of a team, they're gonna put their own
people in there. We get that. And I'm sure the
(21:31):
best brothers understood that. Where does this put Rob Polinka?
Speaker 4 (21:34):
You think?
Speaker 7 (21:36):
I mean, it's a really good question again eleven and
four right now, you know, for you know his critics,
I would say, like, I mean, he helped author what
certainly seems like a pretty like pretty much like an
all time heist and Luka Dacic, you know, and the
like he's like in that way, I mean, that's pretty inarguable,
(21:59):
you know. I think obviously, like we'll see where the
roster goes from there. You know, I think everybody, I
think the best way I would put this, at least
the sense I've gotten everybody in the organization right now
knows that a new day in some SA fashion is coming,
right Like things are changing and so does that mean
(22:21):
everybody feels like they're on Notice that that doesn't seem
like exactly the way that I would I would phrase it,
but it does certainly seem like, I don't know, like, yeah,
I mean, we're all like if if Rodney, if iHeart
was sold tomorrow right and new, like, we all we'd
(22:44):
all wonder, you know, And I think I think the
the vibe a on the Lakers is very similar to that.
While most people operating under sort of the what's interesting
is that up until about this this decision.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
People had been you know, it'd been more.
Speaker 7 (22:58):
Of a back of mine thing, I think is the
best way to put it, you know, business as usual
was kind of the phrasing generally put like as I
wrote that story. I mean, Jesse Buss hasn't been a
day to day presence, you know, he admitted hadn't really
been talking much to Genie or Rob over the last
few years. It's been dealing with the elf stuff, you know.
Speaker 9 (23:18):
But like this was also Yeah, I want to I
want to point that out because you also reported let's
let's not forget you know, they they actually are are
responsible for Austin Reeves and Jordan Clarkson and and you
know and and really hot.
Speaker 8 (23:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Yeah, they get credit, they get credit. I mean credit
is a funny thing sometimes around the Lakers, but like
you know, they are wildly widely credited for you know,
the two ways the back the back half of the
first round. That that those types of picks. I mean,
that's I mean, that's their department, you know. And I
think like when you talk to people around the lead,
(24:00):
like there was always a pretty hearty respect for the
work done in that part of the draft. Now, you know, cool, like,
I mean, this is how it works, right, and Jesse
would know this, and the staff knows this too. It's like,
you know, for every Max Christie you get in the
second round, you sometimes think Maxwell Lewis, Yeah, like like
(24:21):
that happens, you know, all the time. But but I
think that their system in the in the second round,
their system late in the first round over the past
decade has been has been pretty solid, you know, And
they do still have people that have been involved in
that process are still in the organization, you know. But
I do think, like I said, this was all stuff
(24:43):
that people sort of expected eventually, I think eventually just
came faster.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, you think this is so do you think this
is much like they did with the Dodgers? And this
happened quicker than what they did with the Dodgers because
they bought the Dodgers and then kind of let it
develop for a year or two and then they brought
the folks in from Tampa with with Stan and Andrew
Friedman and let them run the show. Like you said,
(25:09):
the small market with big, big dollars in a big city.
Is this all about a culture change for the Lakers?
I know they won in twenty twenty in the bubble,
and people question, you know, whether that's whatever asterisk.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
I still think it's yeah. But but but do.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
You think it's a culture change that they're trying to
create with the Lakers because it's kind of gone a
little stagnant.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
So I'm not totally sure that front offices create culture,
you know, I mean maybe a little bit. I think
it happens more on the ground, right, And you know.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
When ownership puts money into the into the organization. I
can tell that.
Speaker 8 (25:48):
First Dand but I mean I I think I.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Went from Detroit to Dallas now, Dan Wykee, come on, now,
it's it's ownership too.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
Okay, so let me ask you this about culture though too, right,
and this was I think this was true share prior
to the sale. I mean, I think when you'd watch
the Lakers play, knew they were gonna play really hard, right,
like that culture Like that's culture now now or now
that to get everybody aligned inside your organization is like
(26:16):
that's another thing too, and it's not easy. But I
but I think like this is an organization that does
have a vision right now and is moving in that direction.
Now we'll see, Like I said, That's why I'm a
little hesitant. And and I don't know this right, I
don't know who made the decision on this, who didn't
make the decision, like or who initiated it and who
(26:36):
signed off on it. I would assume Mark Welters signed
off on it and his group signed off on it
again to their billions. But you know, I mean, Genie
Buster around Plink are still people in the organization as well,
and I think, like you know, I mean, Jesse certainly
thinks that this was a genie decision, you know, in
his conversation with me, yeah, you know, or certainly thinks
(26:58):
it was more of them, and he had really nice
things to say about Mark Walter. He didn't have as
nice things to say about his sister and Rob Pelinka.
If you're retwing the lines, I don't think that's that
hard to come across.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
So so yeah, he felt he felt x out from them, right,
Like he was like.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Yeah, I can use the word siloed and stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
So, I mean I think, like, you know, again, I
think it's possible that these are like that there are
two trains moving on the same on the same on
this in the same direction, parallel tracks. Like that's certainly
possible too, if that makes sense, that you know, where
you have what was gonna eventually happen under the Walter group,
and then there's this that sort of runs in concert
(27:39):
to it, but might be, you know, might might be
triggered by different factors. I think that's a possibility. I
don't think we really know yet. I do, though, think
big picture for the organization again New Day, and that
was true when they sold I think you know, there
were some of that. The sort of the New Day
stuff has come a bunch of different ways, right. It
(28:00):
came when they traded for Luka Doncic. I mean, ultimately,
like we talk about culture. All you want you trade about,
you trade for Lucadaci. Guess what, like that dude is
your culture, you know. And and you see it in
the way they play right now. You see it in
the way they talk trash to one another and give
each other a hard time. Everything you see on camera
(28:22):
with Mike Trudell after games, I'm telling you I hear
and see in much more explicit detail in the locker room,
you know, like there was a I don't know, maybe
you saw the clippers, some people saw the clip. There
was a you know. The other day, Luca and I
were the only people in a press conference and he
teased me about how long my questions were, and I said,
(28:44):
I was just giving him English practice, and he said,
you know, he speaks of better English than really and Austin,
you know, there's like that's like, that's stuff that happens,
you know, And and I think, like, and.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That's good, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's great, It's great, totally great.
Speaker 7 (29:01):
And like I said, I don't so while I understand
the interests and excitement and curiosity over what happened with
Joey jesse Buss, that does sort of feel more like
upstairs in back of house, you know, Like I mean,
I can tell you right now, like I talked to
(29:22):
one of you know, I'll say a star player on
this team that they weren't aware of this until after
it happened.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
I get it. I get it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Dan Wiki joining us Dan and got all the insights.
I appreciated Dan one more before we let you go
on a basketball level, Laker level. Lebron is back his
role now and much has been made about him taking
a back seat and letting Luca and Austin do their thing.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Does that continue? Is that okay with him?
Speaker 9 (29:53):
How?
Speaker 2 (29:53):
How do you see this working out going forward as
he continues to find his way and getting more games.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
In sure, winning is one of the great elixers. Vibes
are one of the great elixirs in this league. They
go together. This team is winning and has great vibes
right now. There are no role problems currently. I don't
think it necessarily has to be a clean one two
three situation. I do think Luca is the head of
the snake, you know, on the court, it is very
(30:20):
much his team. I think the one of the I
would say one of the areas in which Lebron and
Austin have bonded over the years. Is they're both incredibly
smart basketball players who are both incredibly adaptable. And I've
kind of long said that. I think, like, you know,
the most the best skill that Austin Reeves possesses possesses
(30:46):
is like, you know, knowing how to figure it out,
figure it out ins or whatever. That would be, like
you can just kind of like he's a problem solver.
Lebron James an excellent problem solver. He's changed how he's
played before around people. I would anticipate more of that
here as long as the going is good. If the
team starts to struggle, if it gets a little clunkier,
it'll be a little harder for people to accept smaller
(31:07):
roles and things like that. So yeah, that's that's the challenge.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So yeah, if they need him to score thirty as
they have a good lull, he'll he'll be.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
Ready to do We'll see, you know. But I mean, look,
I think Lebron James is certainly capable of impacting winning
in more ways than taking the most shots.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Yeah, yeah, Dan, thanks for the insight.
Speaker 9 (31:26):
Man.
Speaker 4 (31:26):
Appreciate it. You're always the best, always dialed in brother.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (31:30):
You know I'm gonna get my shots up, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
You go, Hey, you never saw a shot you didn't like,
Dan Wiki.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
I love it, ay man. It sounds like you were
in New Orleans with me.
Speaker 4 (31:42):
Good stuff, Thanks Dan?
Speaker 7 (31:43):
All right, take care ready, all right? Bye bye?
Speaker 4 (31:50):
All right.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Dan took his shot, and uh, I'll tell you what.
You better not take any shots on the court. A
different kind of court.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
That's next.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Make am fine. I have seventy LA Sports a preset
before you plug in your foot presets in the iHeartRadio app,
now available with Apple car Play and Android autom Just
another easy way to listen to LA's best sports talk.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Let's go, Let's keep it moving on a Friday.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Sun's coming out, Fred Sun's coming out.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Let's do this all right, Bennie, Bounce Andior joined this
next hour'll get more into the Rams and the fact
that they're the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but
nobody seems to know that. All right quickly. Carmel, Northern California,
beautiful place, great golf courses. Hope you've been up there.
The people of their are upset, and I don't know
if you feel the same way. Living in Los Angeles
(32:44):
if you live near a park or a recreation area,
because the people up there are really ticked and they
want to banned pickleball. They want to ban the sport
of pickleball.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Don't know if you.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Play, I have, Actually it's fun, yes, it is. You
knock the ball around a little bit, you have some fun.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
It's not as grueling as tennis, not a big as
not a you know, as big a court. You can
move around, you can play as you get older, that's
the good thing about it. And you play doubles and yeah,
it's pretty cool. Yeah, you go out, you're knocking around,
you have a few laughs.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It's great. Yeah, you know, and you can get good
at it too. Absolutely, so they they're gonna ban it
outdoors in the park and Carmel.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
You know, why, why the noise.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
We're going to hitch the racket ball back and forth.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Clint Eastwood said that.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I don't think Clint said it, but the people that's good.
But the people in Carmel said no. They went to
the city council and said, we can't have this noise.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
So it's not it's not like somebody's yard next to
next door neighbor is doing it, and they're saying it
even at the park where they play pick a ball
and they have these pickaball courts in the city of Carmel.
It's saying it's too loud for the residents that they
still hear it. Yeah, we don't, we don't need to
hear that.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
What's with these people? I mean, what is wrong with them?
Speaker 1 (34:03):
It's not like there's twenty thousand people playing and yeah,
you can hear the racket hit the ball. You can
hear that, or it wouldn't be a racket to be
a paddle basically. Yeah, but it's not overwhelming, it's not
too loud. It's and I thought, what either the people
(34:23):
there are really really really old or exceptionally entitled with
a lot of money. I think I can see a
bitch and about it.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
Might have been both, probably both.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Yeah, well, I can see you complaining about a lot
of stuff, seriously, stuff that would annoy you, and trust me,
complain about that, right, And that's my point. I mean,
given where I spend some time now in the Coachella Valley,
you can't imagine the things that upset people as they
get older. You can't imagine things that you would have
gone ten years ago. Who cares? Suddenly it's like a
(34:57):
major to do. That's a problem. Do you ever see
the old show Parks and Recreation? Yeah, okay, I didn't
even know what this meant, but I know now. In
Parks and Recreation they would have committee meetings, if you remember,
and that gave the public a chance to come and
address issues to the council.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Right, okay.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I thought that was like made for TV, like a
made up thing. You didn't think that they really had
meetings like that. Oh yeah, not until I came here,
and then I realized, not only do they have meetings
like that, they got a lot of meetings like that.
Everybody got a meeting.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
Have you been to those meetings for I've seen.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Them on tape and I've run them on the air,
and I stand in amazement watching what people are complaining about,
and they are really And here's the funny thing. You know,
you get so much time, you get to go stand
before the council or the committee, and you get to
tell your story.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
You do.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
And I tell the people here when they say, well
we went to the city council and said that, I
tell them the same thing every time. I said I
don't want to be cruel, but I need to ask
your question. They go, sure, what is it? Do you
think anybody cares what you think? Do you really think
these people care what you think? Do you think that
because you're wrong, They're going to sit there and listen
(36:25):
to you and do whatever they want. They do not care,
They don't.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
They don't. And people complain about everything. Oh.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I can remember years ago when we first first got married.
One of our first houses we lived in Beverly Hills,
and we were we just had the twins, so we
were doing some remodeling to the house. You know, every
time you do remolint, you gotta get permits, you gotta
do all those things. And the people in our neighborhood said,
(36:54):
just beware, there's this one guy. He will show up
to every single meeting and complain and try to ban
you from doing anything. And I was like, nah, we're
just doing a little stuff. He'sa trust me. He will
show up. He will have all kinds of paperwork and
all kinds of history and all kinds of everything, but
he will show up and dispute your remodel. And sure enough,
(37:19):
that guy showed up, sewed up and had all these times.
Last time this happened has happened three years ago. And
then they disrupted the neighborhood and the noise factor was
so bah blah blah blah blah blah blah, bah blah
blah blah blah blah. And it must have been ten
other people that said that warned us, this guy's going
to show up. Trust me, he's going to show up.
(37:39):
And he never wins, but he never He always shows
up to try to block whatever somebody was doing.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
So I get it.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
I get there are people that are just it's not
really affecting them, is it really?
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Pickleball? Pickleball?
Speaker 2 (37:55):
People are exercising, playing pick a ball, having a good
time in the park, and they're trying to.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Ban it, trying to ban it. Yeah, you cannot imagine.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
I can imagine where you are now. You are now
the people that have lived there forever thinking they, Hey,
we own the place, we're entitled to have, you know,
to have our say on everything.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Oh, you can't, there's no way you can even process
how this works. They were going to recede, in other words,
recede a piece of land that was a dog park,
all right. They were gonna put seed so new grass
will grow.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
Are you with me?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Yes, I'm dead serious.
Speaker 4 (38:36):
Simple.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
They had four meetings inviting the public to discuss where
they should place the bench to sit on in the
dog park. Four four meetings, and everybody got to say,
now you only had really four choices left right, front,
(38:59):
back where you going to put the bench. It took
them four hours of different meetings to decide where to
put the bench. It's like, are you kidding me? When
people have nothing to do, that's what they do. If
you have nothing to do, you're gonna bitch about the
sound of pickleball. If you have anything remotely intriguing or
(39:25):
interesting about your life, you're not going to care. But
that's what happens when you have nothing to do. I mean,
I could understand if the people and Carmel were saying,
my problem is one of these pickleball players comes up
and tries to paddle us all the time, and some
of us have to like it. But that's another story.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Yeah, there's like fifteen all these pickleball players drive. They
ride in Harley Davison's through the neighborhood and it's loud
at six o'clock in the morning. Can we just you know,
maybe have a start time of nine or something like that.
But I can't imagine. I can't imagine the complaints, Oh,
(40:06):
the paddles are too loud.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
Come on, come on, next hour.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
Much has happened today, and Kevin will get us caught
up with its lip and when we come back, we'll
let up. Bennie bon signor
Roggin And Rodney News
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