Even as the Lakers are winning more games (7-3 over their last 10, 18-8 over their last 26), it's still a little tricky to figure out exactly what they are. How good are they? Are they more contender than pretender? What do you make of some of the big wins, like Milwaukee I and II, Minnesota, OKC, etc?

They're clearly much too good to be the genuinely mediocre/middish team they looked like they might be after the post-IST slump. Likely the Lakers finish 10-12 games over .500, which last year would have been enough for around a 4-seed in the West. Now? Likely ninth. But they're clearly not among the elite, either. Unless you're just thinking of results against the high end teams, in which case... they kind of are?

So much to sort out.

One big Q: Do the Lakers themselves- players and coaching staff- feel like they know? And more importantly, do they agree on the answer?

Meanwhile, the Lakers are getting nothing from their bench. Two points on Sunday, and not much more than that on most nights. How important is that, especially as we get closer to the playoffs, and a theoretical return for Jarred Vanderbilt, as well?

Finally, LeBron's greatness creates hard questions for Rob Pelinka now, and down the road.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, with Guest Aaron Larsuel!

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are winning, but do we really know what they are?

SEGMENT 2: Is the bench really a problem?

SEGMENT 3: LeBron now, LeBron down the road...

Because the Lakers are fairly set heading into the 2023-24 season - the primary members of the rotation are more or less set, there are no big controversies, no huge position battles - fans are intensely curious about the one big thing that isn't yet settled:

Who's gonna start at small forward?

Darvin Ham, not surprisingly, hasn't yet committed to answering that question - they haven't even had three practices or played a preseason game - but different players are getting a chance to audition for that spot. Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura will all get reps with the named starters (Russell, Reaves, James, Davis). Ham's decision will probably be less about who "wins", and rather which player makes the most sense with that group, and how the choice impacts the rest of the rotation. Which combinations in the second unit would make the most sense? Well, you can't always put those together as easily if one of those dudes is a starter.

The good news? Nobody in that crew is going to complain if they're not in the opening five. Hachimura has already made it clear he's much more concerned about finishing games than starting them.

Other things to watch: Anthony Davis.

His jumper has been receiving a fair amount of attention, with Reaves praising it on one of the many, many podcasts on which he's appeared. The perception is that Davis's outside game has fallen off over the last couple of seasons... but is that really the case? 3-point shooting, for sure, but is that the only thing that matters? Does it really matter anymore if Davis stretches a defense all the way past the arc? It seems like he's a lot less interested in that part of his game, based on shot attempts over the last few seasons.

Finally, Denver head coach Michael Malone said Wednesday that he's not paying attention to the Lakers, and hasn't heard what players have been saying about having a little extra interest and motivation to play his Nuggets following all the post-playoffs chatter this summer. From Denver. Mostly from Malone.

He was very complimentary towards the Lakers... but is he really being serious?

Just another reminder, whether talking about the Lakers or other teams, never ever expect the things they say to motivate their team, frame the challenge or anything similar to actually reflect reality. That's not how this works.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Who is going to start at small forward?

SEGMENT 2: What are the tradeoffs Ham is balancing?

SEGMENT 3: AD's jumper and Mike Malone's amnesia.

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The dirt has barely settled on the 2023-24 season for the Cleveland Cavaliers after they lost to Boston in Game 5 Wednesday night, but that means it's now time to talk about the future of Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs star has the opportunity to sign an extension worth A LOT of money to stay where he is for a while, but at the same time, there have been persistent rumors that Mitchell wants out.

And if he does, many teams are ready to jump on the opportunity. One, of course, is the Lakers.

Reports indicate the Lakers have their offer ready to go, should Mitchell become available. It would like have to be, basically, everything. Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, all the picks and pick swaps the Lakers can muster. Cleveland should ask for Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie (rules for RFAs notwithstanding) and everything else not nailed to the floor.

Should the Lakers jump at the chance? Would they be better with Trae Young? Giving up much less for Dejounte Murray? Trying use assets to upgrade the depth?

They only get one swing at this, if they go for a star. Is Mitchell the right one?

More reports indicating that JJ Redick is at the front of the line for the Lakers in the coaching search, this one from Marc Stein. It might be his job to lose? But would the perception that he's too much a LeBron hire keep the Lakers from pulling the trigger? It kept them away from Ty Lue...

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are ready to make an offer for Donovan Mitchell.

SEGMENT 2: Is Mitchell the best way to go?

SEGMENT 3: Why would the Lakers back away from Redick?

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The Lakers and their two stars got some good news Wednesday, when the league announced its All-NBA squads for the season. LA was represented by Anthony Davis (2nd Team) and LeBron James (3rd Team). Not super surprising, but still a nice honor for two very worthy players. (You could argue, too, that LeBron deserved Kawhi Leonard's spot on the 2nd Team, were you the type of person who likes these sorts of arguments.)

The question, though, becomes how these performances reflect on the team's larger goals.

On the one hand, the Lakers are going nowhere if those two guys can't perform at an elite level. And this year, they did, and (health aside) there's no reason to expect a big drop off from either guy next season. On the other hand, they had about as healthy a run from both Davis and James that could be reasonably expected, but the Lakers still couldn't manage to get out of the first round. So is the window open a little wider than thought? Shutting faster?

Probably depends on the work Rob Pelinka does this summer. And, to be completely honest, a degree of luck as well. With matchups, with health (for the Lakers and their rivals) and about 500 other things.

Finally, we dip into the mailbag to talk about D'Angelo Russell, the Everlasting Gobstopper of players spending time on the block.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: AD and LBJ to the All NBA teams.
SEGMENT 2: Are you encouraged or discouraged by the news of the day?
SEGMENT 3: The Lakers, again, have a D'Lo Dilemma.

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The Lakers head coaching search is going slowly, in part because the apparent frontrunner still has a gig calling games for ESPN. Reports from Shams Charania (and others) continue to put JJ Redick at the front of the line for the Lakers, even while more interviews are set to happen this week, followed by another round of more intensive interviews as June rolls around. Marc Stein reports there is even chatter around the league about who the Lakers might target to be on Redick's staff. (Hint: It includes guys who are theoretically in the running for the head gig, which feels at least potentially a little ambitious.)

Nothing, at the least, has been said/done to dispel the idea that it's Redick's job to lose. Maybe that changes as the interview pool widens. Keep an eye on what leaks -- in multiple directions -- after guys like David Adelman, Micah Nori and Chris Quinn sit down for a rap sesh with Rob Pelinka.

Meanwhile, Rich Paul is on the record saying the Lakers really should be focusing on Anthony Davis in this process, not LeBron James. Which is true - AD is going to be a Laker, almost surely, longer than James. It's also another tea leaf that points to Redick's candidacy, because Team James is going the extra mile to separate themselves from the perception that Redick would be LeBron's hire... which of course is required because people see that, you know, the guy is LeBron's podcast partner.

Finally, a report over the weekend said the Phoenix Suns plan to make a full court press on James if/when he opts out of his Lakers deal. Which he surely will. The notion of him going to Phoenix for a veteran's minimum or taxpayer midlevel (can the Suns even offer that?) or whatever is far fetched. But is it 100% guaranteed he comes back to the Lakers if he ops out?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: JJ Redick is still the clubhouse leader.

SEGMENT 2: Rich Paul reiterates that LeBron isn't pulling the strings.

SEGMENT 3: We're sure LeBron returns if he opts out, right?

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Things are taking a turn.

Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Bronny James has been invited by 10 or so teams to work out with them ahead of the NBA Draft. Nothing unusual there. Except James is only going to accept two of them. Phoenix, and the Lakers. Now that, if it holds is unusual. Bronny is not exactly in a position, based on consensus mock drafts and so on, to be dictating terms or turning down workouts. You'd think he'd be trying to take as many as he could in order to maximize the chances of getting drafted.

So is he, a player with some potential, sure, but hardly an elite draft prospect, big-footing the process? Or is there something else going on? This on the heels of news over the weekend that Bronny wouldn't be accepting a two-way contract (this coming straight from Rich Paul), only a standard deal. Was this a way to push his stock a little higher? Or again, is he trying to dictate the terms of where he lands?

And when it comes to the Suns, at first glance it seems crazy for that team to even consider using their first round pick, one of the only picks the team controls for the next 872 years, on a player highly unlikely to help them next season. Unless, of course, they really, truly thought it would bring them LeBron James, too, as a free agent. Because if that's the case, and Pops really would take a massive, massive paycut to play with Son, that's the most profound improvement a team like the Suns could make this offseason, given their cap sheet.

So are the Suns a real threat, if/when LeBron opts out? How about Philadelphia, who can't give James as much money as the Lakers, but they can give him a lot.

Finally, mailbag questions! This time, it's about the coaching search. Does it matter that JJ Redick left Anthony Davis off his DPOY ballot? Who are the candidates we'd like to see hired?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Bronny dictating Draft terms?

SEGMENT 2: Are Phoenix or Philly a threat to steal LeBron away?

SEGMENT 3: Coaching mailbag!

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Lots of response to Monday's show, looking at the relative value of potentially available players like Chicago's Zach LaVine and Washington's Kyle Kuzma, and why raw talent isn't necessarily the best metric to use when deciding who to do after. There's a tricky calculus in play that also involves cost in salary and cost in talent, what's left over after a trade and what holes that trade in theory fills.

Can the Lakers make a deal for LaVine that overcomes the major questions about his salary (owed about $130 million over the next three years) even if they can keep the cost in talent low enough? Does Washington jack up the price on Kuz precisely because he doesn't make nearly as much money? (In fact, his contract declines in value going forward, as league revenue is expected to pop.)

It's just one reason Rob Pelinka's job isn't easy. Aside from the part about never ever getting fired.

More questions, too, about coaching. Austin Reaves, speaking in a conference call to ahead of his appearance in a golf tournament, didn't exactly go out of his way to defend Darvin Ham. He, like the rest of us, wants to see the Lakers bring in a coach with some kind of system. Something they can build with over time. And to that effect, the Lakers are apparently considering some high profile names to be assistants to (presumably) JJ Redick. But what kind of coach does Redick need?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The LaVine/Kuzma Equation.

SEGMENT 2: The difficult challenge for Pelinka, figuring out relative value and balancing it against need.

SEGMENT 3: What kind of assistant coaches does JJ Redick need, if the Lakers hire him?

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