It’s always news when someone talks about the Los Angeles Lakers, for some reason or other. Maybe it’s because they have “Los” at the front of their name, and the way that’s pronounced in the U.S. is a homophone for “loss.” I guess it’s really exciting when they don’t succumb to the sound of their name and win some games sometimes.
It’s the best theory I got.
Michael Malone talked about the Lakers. Daniel Starkland has the quote:
Michael Malone on the differences he's seen from the Lakers since the trade: pic.twitter.com/EMrKbyWR24
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) March 20, 2025
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I feel nothing. Am I dying?
No.
Well, yes.
Technically we all are. Just a solemn, steady march to that one final step where we don’t or can’t march anymore. Day after day. Getting closer and closer. Weaker and weaker.
Anyway, I think “nothing” is the point. The fact that Michael Malone felt it best to be complimentary probably indicates that he’s truly impressed with what the Lakers have done since acquiring Luka Dončić rather than he’s scared or anything of that sort.
Not many teams can say they have a better player than Luka or LeBron. The Nuggets are one of them. Nikola Jokić is almost universally in the top two of people’s mid-season MVP rankings. While LeBron is the arguable GOAT and Luka is MVP-tier, it’s one more step up to being a multi-time MVP rather than one of the betting favorites before the year starts.
Michael Malone just wanted to give some deserved praise, it seems, to the trade itself, to the performance of the players, and JJ Redick's coaching. Just take it at face value. Sometimes people just say what they mean.
What seems more interesting is hearing Malone’s thoughts on the Kings trade and the team they’ve become since moving on from De’Aaron Fox. He’s always been a bit more verbose about the Kings.
I bet he’s just really happy for them. 😀