Lakers Start Their NBA Cup Title Defense vs. Spurs and Wembanyama. Should They Try to Repeat?

Last season, the Lakers became the first team to win the NBA's in-season tournament.

That means this year, they're the first team to try and defend that title. Of course, while the in-season tournament (now the NBA Cup) was a much bigger success than most anticipated, fans certainly remember how much the Lakers struggled following the tournament. It was miserable, in part because LA clearly used a lot of energy to try and win the thing and it took a while to recover. So with their portion of the NBA Cup opening tonight in San Antonio against a quickly improving Spurs team featuring a red hot Victor Wembenyama.

But while Friday's game will get the most attention, a very solid argument can be made that Saturday's game in New Orleans is more critical. The Lakers, currently sitting at 7-4 in an extraordinarily crowded Western Conference, can't afford to give any games away. The best teams in the conference will almost certainly dominate against sub-.500 teams. Teams that fall to the bottom of the playoff ladder wil almost certainly have given away some games they shouldn't have.

A 2-0 weekend, where the Lakers play better, establish themselves as a competent road team, and add tons of optimism would be idea.

1-1, though, is the minimum.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: It's Cup time!

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers need a strong weekend.

SEGMENT 3: Let's say the Lakers were ready and willing to make a deal, likely for a big. Is there anything out there?

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[brodrickbaker]

Robert Williams + Lakers training staff = Crippled for life 😂😂

[TheIntellect-qe]

Robert Williams would be a huge mistake, Kessler is our best option the problem is Danny Ainge knows it!

[sharonb.]

The NBA has ruined basketball by putting so many games behind a paywall! You have to first create “casual” fans to eventually build the “super fan”, the NBA Pass buying fan. The current structure has locked out potential future fans of the game.

[theguru]

No Robert Williams too injury prone, Jonas is too slow the only option I see is Kessler. I dont think Lopez will be available

[dennisknowles]

Wr need to FIRE PELINKA... Like you said Brian he knew this since last summer 😮

[gregpollard]

I think 🤔 We’re gone have to wait til @ least DEC to make a Trade for a 1) Young/Big Body/Athletic Big Man and possibly a 2) Ball 🏀 Handling Guard and a 3) 2-Way Wing 🪽 Player.

In My Opinion 🤔 Our Best Trade Partners are CHA & BKNY and a Trade for 1) Richards or Sharpe 2) Schroder or Tre Mann and 3) DFS or CamJ. Walker Kessler is a Baller but, Ainge will want 2-1st for Him.

📌 PLEASE No Older/Big Body/Slower Big Men like Jonas and Lopez bcuz these Young Athletic Big Men are Playing Them off the Court.

[Tim_Dunkin]

Really watching point differential? Point differential in this case doesn't really mean much bc they lost 2 games by a big margin. It should say how much it matters when a losing team has a positive one.

[alk]

Can someone explain to me why dwight howard is not getting looked at or considered? He may not be the player he once was but he still has athleticism, toughness and defensive intelligence to help more than anyone else at this point. He has also said multiple times he would like to coke back. Seems like a no brainer to me.

[jourdanzero]

need them to go 5-0 again and then get bounced immediately and go rest

[JasonBrendan-tdqb]

Lakers haven’t had a 6 game winning streak since the 2020-2021 season. 3 years. Nothing more than a 5 game winning streak.