WEBVTT - Lakers Willing To Overpay To Run It Back

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<v Speaker 1>If you follow my rep reports on social media, then

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<v Speaker 1>you know the name Eric Lewis. If you don't know

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<v Speaker 1>the name Eric Lewis, you probably don't care about the

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<v Speaker 1>NBA because he is no stranger to the ref reports.

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<v Speaker 1>He's one of the NBA's most respected refs. For the

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<v Speaker 1>first time in ages now, Lewis will not be working

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<v Speaker 1>in the NBA Finals. And the reason is not because

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<v Speaker 1>he's missing calls. It's not because the body of work

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<v Speaker 1>is so bad. He is being told host it down

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<v Speaker 1>because he got caught.

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<v Speaker 2>With a burner account on Twitter.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me just say that again, one of the most

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<v Speaker 1>respected refs in the NBA is not reughing the premiere

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<v Speaker 1>event of said league because he has a account on

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<v Speaker 1>Twitter and is spending all hours of the day defending

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<v Speaker 1>his brethren and him on social fucking media. Yes, he

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<v Speaker 1>seemed if you look at the receipts there, he seemed

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<v Speaker 1>at it's tim to be spending all of his free

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<v Speaker 1>time defending his calls against angry fans, which if you

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<v Speaker 1>follow NBA Twitter at all, you know that's probably like

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<v Speaker 1>seventy eight percent of NBA Twitter, So it was probably

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<v Speaker 1>like a second full time job for mister Lewis the

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<v Speaker 1>truth though, from what I can see is that there

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<v Speaker 1>really wasn't a lot of stuff in there that you

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<v Speaker 1>can get mad about, just him and his little burner

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<v Speaker 1>account and his Twitter fingers defending himself and other refs.

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<v Speaker 1>So why is this a big deal? I mean, it's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a big deal because Adam Silver knows that

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<v Speaker 1>you don't want to mess around with the perceived propriety,

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<v Speaker 1>the reputational integrity of NBA refs. Why because it's.

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<v Speaker 2>Already been damaged. There was a guy and he like

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<v Speaker 2>took money and he changed calls. His name was Tim

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<v Speaker 2>Donnie and there was an old documentary about him, and

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<v Speaker 2>you don't want to have a controversy, especially a controversy

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<v Speaker 2>cloaked in secrecy like secret burner accounts, because it makes

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<v Speaker 2>other fans wonder what other refs are using burners. If

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<v Speaker 2>they're using burners, are they coming after players with those

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<v Speaker 2>burners like Fred van Fleet who criticized those refs by name,

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<v Speaker 2>and does that translate into ref retaliation? Are we gonna

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<v Speaker 2>get a full scale KGB versus the CIA versus.

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<v Speaker 1>Player interaction here? Are we gonna get some espionage? That's

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<v Speaker 1>a can of worms that the NBA just can't have it,

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<v Speaker 1>does not want to open. According to my guy, Mike Bass,

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<v Speaker 1>he's longtime NBA spokesperson, had communications regarding Eric Lewis and

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<v Speaker 1>the social media posts. We are continuing to review the matter.

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<v Speaker 2>And he will not be working the finals.

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<v Speaker 1>Shit, you are not gonna be seeing Eric Lewis this year,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe never in the finals again, all because he couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>stand being criticized on social media. NBA refs. They also

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<v Speaker 1>put on their pants one at a time, NBA refs.

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<v Speaker 1>They also defend themselves on Twitter.

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<v Speaker 2>They're just like us.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's move forward. I almost opened this segment by saying,

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<v Speaker 1>now that the Lakers have been safely eliminated from the playoffs,

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<v Speaker 1>but I thought that would be I thought that would

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<v Speaker 1>be a little rude. I thought that might be piling

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<v Speaker 1>on a little bit, even though I can't stand them.

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<v Speaker 1>As you know, the Lakers, if you remember, were swept.

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<v Speaker 1>They took no games from the Denver Nuggets in the

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<v Speaker 1>Western Conference Finals. They as if they did not win

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<v Speaker 1>one game at all. But really, ESPN now has stopped

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<v Speaker 1>its week long freak out over whether Lebron James is

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<v Speaker 1>going to retire. So I did want to take a

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<v Speaker 1>quick moment to survey how things are going in Purple

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<v Speaker 1>and Gold laker Land, because the Purple and Gold Kingdom

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<v Speaker 1>is having some trouble, mostly because they're a victim of

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<v Speaker 1>their own success. What do I mean, Roth Polinka, I've said.

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<v Speaker 2>Some mean things about rock Plinka. I'm not gonna lie.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of it's warranted.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of it's warranted. But he also made a ton

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<v Speaker 1>of great moves. Let's be real, what he did to

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<v Speaker 1>get rid of Russell Westbrook at the trade deadline was

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<v Speaker 1>nothing short of David Copperfield. Two guys that he ended

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<v Speaker 1>up picking up at the deadline incredible Ruyachi Mura, but

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<v Speaker 1>then picked up as an undrafted free agent two years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves. And now that they've played really well down

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<v Speaker 1>the stretch, now that they played really well in the playoffs,

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<v Speaker 1>it just might cripple the Lakers franchise to the point

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<v Speaker 1>where they're deep into the luxury tags, which Genie bus

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<v Speaker 1>does not want to be and like truthfully, they are

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<v Speaker 1>kind of having a hard time keeping him for the

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<v Speaker 1>long term. Let's start with ruey Hachi Mura. He was

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<v Speaker 1>jettison largely given up on. I think he actually asked

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<v Speaker 1>for a trade out of Washington. But he looked really

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<v Speaker 1>good for the Lakers, like really really good. Lakers insider

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<v Speaker 1>Jovon Bouja noted that the Lakers have stated on multiple

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<v Speaker 1>occasions that they are going to match any offer for

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<v Speaker 1>Ruey Hachimura, since he already turned down fifteen million dollars

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<v Speaker 1>from the Wizards. The market for Rui is rumored to

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<v Speaker 1>be in the fifteen to eighteen million dollar range, but

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<v Speaker 1>could go up to twenty million dollars per year. That's

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<v Speaker 1>Abney Simon's money. Anything over fifteen is a problem for LA.

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<v Speaker 1>So this is what Bouja wrote. I think where it

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<v Speaker 1>gets a little dicey is if there's a team that

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<v Speaker 1>sells themselves on Ruey and offers three years sixty million

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<v Speaker 1>or four years eighty million. The impact, though, of having

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<v Speaker 1>to overpay for Rui has ripple effects and at one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred percent impacts how the Lakers deal with what do

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<v Speaker 1>they call him the Arkansas Bird or whatever they call

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<v Speaker 1>him the Nashville I don't know when no one has

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<v Speaker 1>played themselves into a bigger contract than Austin Reeves. As

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<v Speaker 1>you know, he's from Arkansas. As I just said, He's

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<v Speaker 1>become a real two way threat this past season, and

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<v Speaker 1>the Lakers problem with Reeves is that you have an

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<v Speaker 1>undrafted rookie. They signed him to a two year, two

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<v Speaker 1>and a half million dollar contract, but unlike second round

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<v Speaker 1>draft picks, he became a free agent after two years

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<v Speaker 1>because they were stupid, duteo dumb about how they negotiated.

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<v Speaker 1>And the bigger problem now is that the Lakers have

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<v Speaker 1>his bird rights and they can technically match any offer

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<v Speaker 1>for Reeves. But let's be real, they can only offer

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<v Speaker 1>him four years fifty two million dollars, as mark Stein

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<v Speaker 1>and others believe, there's gonna be multiple offers for Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>as high as twenty million dollars again for him. Again,

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<v Speaker 1>another problem for the Purple and Gold. So here's what

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<v Speaker 1>could happen. A team like San Antonio could offer Austin

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<v Speaker 1>Reeves four years eighty million dollars, certainly plausible. The Spurs

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<v Speaker 1>would be on the hook for twenty million dollars per year,

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<v Speaker 1>but if the Lakers choose to match, there's all kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of ramifications here. The Lakers will get Reeves in his

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<v Speaker 1>first two years of his extension of eleven point four

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<v Speaker 1>million and twelve point two million. But then here's where

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<v Speaker 1>it gets interesting. The final two years become a bomb

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<v Speaker 1>on their cap sheet, and Reeves will make more than

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<v Speaker 1>twenty seven million dollars per season after that. This is

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<v Speaker 1>what the folks and the biz call a poison pill

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<v Speaker 1>for a reason. Michael Scoto notes Orlando, Houston, and San

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<v Speaker 1>Antonio will all have their eyes on Reeves in the offseason,

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<v Speaker 1>and others may be watching and waiting as well. So

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<v Speaker 1>to recap, the Lakers are in a precarious situation with

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<v Speaker 1>Ruey and Reeves the cornerstones of the depth that Braun

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<v Speaker 1>and Anthony Davis need. Let's be real, it will cost

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<v Speaker 1>them dearly in the first two years, probably around thirty

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<v Speaker 1>million dollars per year, and could balloon to fifty million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars a year for both of them the final two

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<v Speaker 1>years of their contract, which will get make it very

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<v Speaker 1>difficult for the Lakers to do the things that the

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<v Speaker 1>Lakers need to do to compete. But hey, Brod'll be

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<v Speaker 1>retired by then, right, it's only two years away. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>they still also have to find a point guard, and

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<v Speaker 1>now rumors are that they're either gonna have to sign

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<v Speaker 1>d lo in a sign and trade or try to

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<v Speaker 1>get him to take a team friendly deal, which, let

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<v Speaker 1>me be honest with you, our guy was sitting on

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<v Speaker 1>the bench getting straight no minutes in crucial playing time,

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<v Speaker 1>and so do you think he's gonna want to be

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<v Speaker 1>a team friendly to the team. No, I sincerely doubt

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<v Speaker 1>that Delo is going to sign any deal that is

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<v Speaker 1>not worth his market, even for the team that treated

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<v Speaker 1>him so well AKA drafting him and then jenisitting him

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<v Speaker 1>out of town the first time, which weave is the

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<v Speaker 1>point guard option as Fred Vanfleet, who they will not

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<v Speaker 1>be able to afford and to just start signed with

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<v Speaker 1>Clutch Sports. Clutch has use the Lakers like a piggy

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<v Speaker 1>bank for a long time, so we'll see how that goes.

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<v Speaker 1>So don't expect to be Fred van Fleet to be

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<v Speaker 1>giving the Lakers a discount either. The Lakers are at

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<v Speaker 1>a precarious cross. A lot of it has to do

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<v Speaker 1>with them being victims of their own success and just

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<v Speaker 1>mismanaging the roster. Funny how raw Polinka might lose again

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<v Speaker 1>now for winning