Exploring the LA Lakers' Strategy with Bronny James

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00:00Okay, let's let's start with number one. Now, let's let's start with the Bronnie thing.

00:07You actually wouldn't have got Kevin a peep out of me. And I think the Lakers are foolish

00:11for doing this. Opening night, you knew you're going to get that moment with Bronnie and

00:16his son. And it was almost like I had the whole preamble on the show. And I thought

00:20that was okay, because you knew it was coming. The Lakers knew it was coming. Don't put them

00:24in the starting lineup. Don't put them in with eight seconds to go. Put them in a meaningful

00:27part of the game where even if he doesn't play well, or if it's only two minutes, it's

00:30not a big deal. And you knew that moment was coming. Kevin, why didn't they at least play

00:35him for one or two minutes over the past couple games? Just knowing they're going to have

00:40that moment in Cleveland again, and maybe it doesn't look as staged. Why bury him on

00:45the bench only to bring him back out in Cleveland? Like, why would you do that?

00:49Yeah, I think it's odd, right? Because the first moment they did was just so they could

00:54do it, right? And everybody kind of understood some people were angry. Clearly, though, they

00:59looked at the schedule and they were like, hey, listen, if we could just wait the first

01:0210 games, and then we can do this thing in Cleveland as well. And I understand why you're

01:09like, ah, come on. But it's not some big reveal, Donnie, right? Like, I think we all know the

01:15score. They believe he'll be better suited off in the G League. You believe he'll be

01:19better suited off in the G League. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. That's the

01:25reality of it. And opening night was opening night. And, Donnie, if they were going back

01:30to Cleveland for game 45 and they kept him on the roster all the way until then, you

01:36know, that would be crazy. It's going to be their fifth game tonight.

01:40Yeah, but they would have brought him back, though. If it was game 45 and he only played

01:43game one, they would have brought him back just for game 45. They would have done the

01:46same thing.

01:47No, they probably would have, right? But what I'm saying is it would have felt even crazier.

01:51I guess my point is, Donnie, is he hasn't got in, neither has Jalen Hood-Shafina, who's

01:57one of the worst draft picks in the history of basketball. Can you believe they took this

02:00kid 17? Like, it's just one of those things, to me, where I don't know why we're still

02:06doing the up-and-arms stuff about Bronny. Now, it's just, it's pretty simple, DRS. He's

02:13LeBron's son, and they're going to give him a moment on opening night and they're going

02:17to give him a moment in Cleveland, and then we'll go from there. I see, I don't agree

02:22with that, though. See, to be honest with you, Donnie, you're a little, you're kind

02:27of on the idea of what Bronny deserves. The reality is, these are LeBron things. This

02:32is what LeBron has earned in the eyes of the organization and fan base and league and team.

02:38And that's the problem. That's like, if you could go back and let's just say, Kevin, it

02:42was different, right? And I know it's very rare in sports, but Ken Griffey Sr., who was

02:47a very good Major League Baseball player, his son was a phenom coming up. And we didn't

02:52have social media in that day and age. But if you would have brought that same thing

02:56around, like, let's just say you had a, who's an old, Justin Verlander, right? In his 40s,

03:02legitimately could have a 19-year-old son. And it's like, this kid is like Bryce Harper

03:07and he's coming up right now. You'd be like, wow, the dad's pitching, the son's playing

03:11center field. Like that's a moment, but more of deserved. And again, I didn't preface it

03:16by saying, even though Bronny plays this kid everywhere, he's in the NBA, he's going to

03:21play opening night. It's just the way it is. But I just see now, like, we're not going

03:25to, and I think a lot of things could have been avoided because we know Bronny's going

03:29to the G League. And it would have changed my mind, even though I knew it was a farce

03:32where J.J. Reddick goes, it's not going to be any difference in the grand scheme of things.

03:36Let me play him for two minutes every second quarter till we get to Cleveland. And then

03:41he goes away because at least in my mind, I would say, well, I think I know what's going

03:46on, but Bronny's actually logging some minutes. The fact he came in just for a photo op, never

03:50played again. It's going to get one more photo op and we might never see him in the NBA again.

03:54Yeah. I mean, I, I personally think you will. I think Donnie though, if they would have

03:59done it the other way, then the complaints would have been, can you believe LeBron's

04:02making them play his son? Like, and then that's what we would have, we would have done there.

04:07Now the thing is, I know sometimes when you can get your claws into a topic. So

04:13I say I'm surprised, but for whatever reason, you're going to do the Bronny thing until he's gone.

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