Lakers Lounge

Anthony welcomes Daman Rangoola back into The Lounge to discuss the Lakers finishing 2025 almost exactly how they began the year despite landing Luka Doncic. They cover topics like the leadership void, Doncic and LeBron James’ lack of a relationship, where the Lakers go from here and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One unfortunate lesson this season has taught Lakers fans so far is that the team looks great against lesser competition, but wilts against playoff-caliber opponents. Anthony and Daman discuss how they’ve arrived at this conclusion. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The guys explain how the culture of feelings over facts at the top of the organization has trickled down through the ranks. If the Lakers are ever going to turn things around, it’ll need to start there. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony reacts to another blowout, once again calls the Lakers leadership into question, wonders if this will ever change and wanders into the welcoming blackness of the night. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony recaps the game and dives into this being a result of the organizational questions he's raised for years. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is probably the question we get more than any other. Once again, live viewers of the show wanted to know whether Mark Walter would ever step in if the Lakers remain in neutral under Rob Pelinka. Anthony offered a glimmer of hope. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers are 20-10 and have been led by some superstar-caliber play at the top of their roster but, based on the results from all star voting so far, you probably couldn't tell. Anthony explains how frustrations from the fan base are being reflected on the wrong people. He then answers a bunch of questions from the mailbag and live audience. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have a good record. There have been some fun moments to this season, highlighted by stellar play from superstars. And yet... Fans don't believe in this team. The first returns on all star voting provide clear insight on the matter. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LeBron is in one of the final seasons of his career. He's still playing at a high level. His team is 20-10. Yet he is outside the top 10 in fan voting. How? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A listener asked about JJ's coaching and it led to a conversation about accountability, something the Lakers from the top of the roster on down. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers needed to get right and they played the exact team they needed to. Anthony breaks down the game, the tweaks he noticed in approach and execution, some comments from after the win and then wraps with questions from the live audience. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sure, the starters are still uninspiring, but the Lakers did do a few things differently in this one. Anthony outlines and celebrates those tweaks. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony expounds on his tweet from Christmas about the Lakers' leadership issues. For what it's worth, Luka Doncic agrees that it's something that needed to be addressed and still needs work. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony and Aaron the age-old question: Who are these Lakers? Are they the guys who raced out to a hot start or are they the team that's fallen back to earth lately? If they're somewhere in-between, how close are they to either end of the spectrum? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have been bipolar this season and it's led to a mostly meh point differential and underwhelming record against good teams. More concerning than anything is the fact that they force us to wonder if they're more of an 82-game team than a 16-win team. The answer to that question probably isn't the one we'd prefer to acknowledge. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JJ Redick is, by most standards, a stellar regular season coach -- especially when you factor in his inexperience. Still, he tends to default too often to favoring the offensive side of the ball during games and, if games don't go his way, he mostly refuses to accept accountability. If the Lakers are going to join the group of upper tier contenders, a listener asked whether Redick can be a part of that equation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony is now officially concerned about the statistical profile of this Lakers team. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have hovered at mediocre all season in one pretty important stat. Is it time to listen to said stat? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OH COME ON THIS IS THE EXACT SAME HEADLINE AS LATE STAGE LEBRON-AD ROSTERS. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're nearing Christmas and the new year, which means the fork in the road which will force Rob Pelinka into a decision about the team's intentions this year is just ahead on the horizon. Anthony and Harrison discuss what they want from Pelinka this year, and it's basically what they've wanted from him for almost a decade. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony knows what he wants from Santa this year and it's exactly what he's wanted for the last several years: Rob Pelinka committing to winning with a promising basketball team. Harrison laughs and Anthony's commitment. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harrison drops the line of this episode. That's all we're gonna say. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony and Harrison agree on which direction they'd like to see Rob Pelinka take this roster. Now they discuss which moves they'd like to see made. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony opens with a question from the iTunes mailbag asking about how Lakers assets tend to be talked about compared to others teams'. He then offers up an update on all the Lakers' injuries and answers as many questions from the live audience as he could before the end of the hour. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony explains why Lakers assets always seem underrated compared to other teams' and the impact that has on the analysis after the Lakers make their trades. Then, he offers up an update on the Lakers' injuries and launches a fun Q&A with the live audience. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A listener wanted to know why Ben Mathurin would potentially be available, so Anthony explains, then he offered up his stance on whether the Lakers should pursue Mathurin, even given some of the defensive questions. The Q&A continued from there. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony is sick and tired of NBA referees ruining an otherwise great product. The guys discuss an ugly win and what to take away from it. Raj doesn't understand the rip off the bandaid analogy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Watching an NBA basketball game doesn't have to be this bad. And a lot of the league's watchability problems can be traced back to the referees who, on any given night, can decide how entertaining a game can be. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony compares JJ Redick to a couple football coaches JJ probably wouldn't want to be compared to. Raj follows this up with not understanding the point of the rip-off-the-bandaid analogy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Knicks are not going to hang a banner. Anthony offers up a bit of life advice: Never have anything in common with James Dolan. Then, he dives back into some trade thoughts with a couple archetypes and hypothetical examples. He wraps with some thoughts about the buyout market, then answers a couple questions from the live audience. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony opens with some advice just in case the Lakers are considering pulling down their NBA Cup banner: You never want to have anything in common with James Dolan. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers need to find a way to open another roster spot and take back a little less money so they can benefit from what might be a fruitful buyout season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Obviously the hope for most is that they wind up acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo but if they don't, there are still ways for the Lakers to benefit from him being traded. Anthony discusses this as well as other trade scenarios and answers questions from the live youtube audience. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Milwaukee is getting ready to make yet another desperation play to try to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stick around. Anthony wonders if this is the time to take advantage of the Bucks' desperation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony makes the case for Giannis being traded somewhere else actually being better for the Lakers, especially if they can land the wing they need for a discount and maybe even wait for Antetokounmpo's impending free agency. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcomes to trade season, everyone! Anthony gives some initial thoughts on how this one will play out, then dives into the iTunes and Youtube mailbags to answer all kinds of questions on everything from the Lakers' trade targets to orcas. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers clearly need a couple more athletes even after JJ Redick finally balanced out the rotation. How they'll get them is another question altogether, especially as the Giannis trade situation looms so large over trade season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony has been doing this for more than a decade and mailbags have been a popular podcast type all this time and finally, after all those thousands of episodes, he was asked about a subject he truly cares about: the orcas. That and more trade stuff. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony and Raj talk about one of the dumber basketball games we'll see this year. Anthony is out on Dillon Brooks after that performance. Vando finally got some minutes and looked great. What does that mean for the rotation? Anthony gives a new Rui analogy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dillon Brooks cost his team that game. The guys debate to what extent that should be taken into account when talking about Brooks as a trade target. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony has had enough with Rui Hachimura. Raj pushes back a bit, which leads to a fun conversation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once again, there's a big difference in what maybe should happen versus what probably will happen here. The guys talk out the rotation tweaks that might be coming. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony welcomes Khobi Price (SCNG, OC Register) to discuss the glass ceiling the Lakers keep bumping up against. Is there a way to improve the collective athleticism in the Lakers rotation internally? Or is a trade required to address this clear deficiency? The guys talk this, the starting lineup and the Giannis trade rumors that hang over everything. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony and Khobi discuss that ugly loss to the Spurs and why they seem to keep getting blown out. Is there anything that can be done before trade season? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JJ Redick has made the decision to keep Jarred Vanderbilt out of the rotation completely. Anthony and Khobi talk about the implications of this decision and whether it's something Redick should reconsider. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers lost in an all too familiar way, which has Anthony pulling out his hair for having to have the same conversation all over again. Please, JJ Redick, we're begging. Change up the starters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony once again notes the ways the Lakers are getting blown out and the specific problems that lead to these lopsided losses. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Austin struggled against length and athleticism again, so the familiar criticisms popped back up. Anthony addresses those criticisms (and doesn't necessarily disagree), but thinks Reaves' struggles are indicative of a flawed roster moreso than of Reaves' own shortcomings being some fatal flaw as a player. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony answers some questions from the live audience and, in doing so, addresses Rich Paul's comments about the Lakers not being a championship organization. Those comments rang a little hollow seeing as LeBron and his camp butt heads with Pat Riley and the championship organization that the Heat was. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

These episodes where Anthony and Harrison basically wandered around a subject like Rich Paul launching his new podcast with some Lakers takes are usually when they're at their best. So let's see how this one goes! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices