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The 1972 Lakers will be remembered for:

a) Ripping off 33 straight wins, about as safe as any record in sports, much less the NBA.

b) Providing Jerry West with his first championship.

c) Providing the franchise its first NBA title since moving to L.A.

d) All of the above... and even more.

The answer, by the way, is "d."

It's been 40 years since the 1972 Lakers, featuring West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, etc., etched an indelible identity as one of the best teams in league history. At halftime of Friday's game against the Rockets, that squad was formally honored for its greatness. Several members -- Jerry West, Goodrich, Jim McMillian, Pat Riley, Jim Cleamons, among others -- were on hand, along with people like Marge Hearn, widow of the late, great Chick Hearn.

Before the game, the media was given face time with several men of the hour. Below are some videos, plus the full transcript of our time with The Logo.

Q: What stands out most from that season?

Jerry West: Obviously, winning 33 games in a row stands out more than anything. It's just something in your wildest imagination, you could not imagine that happening. I think that, the kind of ironic thing, we always seemed to have a bunch of little injuries along the way that wouldn't keep you from playing, but wouldn't let you play at your very best. For the most part, that team stayed really healthy. It was just a magical year. That's all it was. Everything worked. The games weren't close. A lot of players contributed and a lot of people got rest. We won games, they were all laughers, most of them. But that was really a unique team and everything went great for us that year. Nothing ugly happened at all.

Q: You've spoken before publicly about your difficulties enjoying the game. But when you look back to that year is it pure joy?

JW: Well, you know something? I loved to play the game. That's not what I didn't like. Playing the game was great, but I thin being involved in the management part of it, that's the most difficult thing to do. Somebody asked me one time, do [I] need a coach to motivate me? And the answer is "hell no." I didn't need anybody to motivate me. I think the difference is that you're trying to deal with 10 people that you go to war with every night. And also not to have a coach to try to get you to play. We had a lot of guys you didn't have to say very much to. They were gonna play. They played every night.

Q: How much did it hurt you personally that Elgin Baylor was forced to retire early in the season

JW: Well, for me, it was probably like a stake in my heart, frankly, when I heard he was going to retire.

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ESPNLA has launched a Sweet 16, Los Angeles-style. The most beloved figures in L.A. sports history. As you can imagine, there are one or six Lakers in the bracket. Make sure you drop by and vote.

Vote here: The Most Beloved.

LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O’Neal was always afraid the day would never come.

When he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, he always dreamed he would one day see his jersey retired alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

As the Lakers continued to get eliminated in the playoffs early during his first three seasons in L.A. he worried it might never happen, and again thought his chance might have been lost when he was traded from the team in 2004 and finished his career with the Boston Celtics.

When the Lakers, however, announced they would retire his jersey next season, O’Neal said it was one of the highlights of his career.

“It means a lot to me,” O’Neal said. “I remember when I first signed with the Lakers, Jerry West told me to look up at the retired jerseys. He said either your name is going to be up there or you’re going to be a bust so it will mean a lot to have my name up there. That was always with me, especially when we didn’t have Phil Jackson and we were always losing in the playoffs, I was nervous I wasn’t going to be that good. Then we got Phil and we won championships and I was always hoping and praying my jersey would get retired one day.”

O’Neal, who was in Los Angeles this weekend to host the Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards, says he continues to watch the Lakers regularly after retiring in June and enjoyed watching Kobe Bryant pass him for fifth on the NBA all-time scoring list earlier this season. He did say, however, he should have been much higher on the list but injuries and an inability to hit his free throws held him back.

“Kobe’s one of those athletes like Michael Jordan and Karl Malone that doesn’t miss a lot of games because of injury,” O’Neal said. “I missed 250 games and I averaged 24 points per game so that’s 6,000 points and I missed 5,000 free throws so I could have easily been at No. 2. Kobe’s never really hurt and he shoots a lot so good for him.”

"No. It was inevitable."

This was Kobe Bryant's response when recently asked if it will mean anything to him to pass Shaquille's O'Neal place on the all-time scoring list. In some ways, this can be taken as little more than a matter-of-fact statement. Bryant's been putting up 20-30 points a night throughout the overwhelming majority of his career, a campaign now 16 seasons strong. Sustained excellence for so long does in fact make these achievements feel like a matter of "when" rather than "if." In that respect, Kobe was presenting the facts, and little more.

But contextually, this milestone represents more than just yet another player exhaling Bryant's dust as he climbs the list. Passing Shaq was inevitable in Bryant's mind, and on every level, before he was old enough to drink a beer. And this doesn't just apply to The Diesel, but any other past or future NBA Hall of Famer. It's a mindset that defines Kobe. It also famously helped lay the foundation for a push-and-pull between the big man and wunderkind respectively imported and drafted by Jerry West as championship run building blocks. This vision resulted in three consecutive titles, but not without enough infighting and drama to fuel the entire run of "The Young and the Restless."

At the core of their issues was a mutual belief in themselves as the Lakers' best player. This consistently divided front made it seemingly impossible for fans and media to accept them as a duo of equal importance, even in the face of spellbinding teamwork and the obvious ways they complemented each other. Similar to today's political landscape or "Aniston vs. Jolie," taking sides became a national -- and seemingly mandatory -- pastime. And most fans and media jumped on "Team O'Neal." Shaq was older (if not necessarily more mature and certainly every bit a pain in the butt as Kobe could be). He was more established. He was also a big man like no other the league had ever seen, while Kobe was the latest wing player forced to play "Is the next MJ?" Phil Jackson typically -- and publicly -- sided with O'Neal as a means of maintaining order in a veteran locker room leaning in that direction to begin with. And yes, the Lakers' offense was in fact built around Shaq.

Do these factors offset entirely how Kobe's presence created more freedom for O'Neal to operate, and countless games closed out by the younger, springer guard with the more reliable free throw stroke? In the real world, of course not. But the world of sports debates are typically framed in black and white terms, which is their beauty and curse. On one hand, "pick one or other other" naturally lends itself to passion, the essential ingredient to every great barroom or barbershop discussion. On the other, nuance, gray areas and context typically have no use here. The goal is to make an "all or nothing" case, and more often than not, Kobe received bupkis.

By the time the time O'Neal was shipped to Miami, the narrative of those championship teams "belonging to Shaq" was basically written in stone. Even with three rings decorating his fingers, Kobe was being asked to prove he could win a championship. And back-to-back titles as a team's undisputed leader still hasn't resulted in popular sentiment awarding Bryant greater "possession" of his first three. Even as someone who blurred the lines between first and second option more than any player in recent NBA history, Kobe remains the "sidekick" in most storybooks. For some, he's just short of a dude along for the ride. Narratives, if allowed to stand for long enough, have a way of becoming history, even if the math is a little fuzzy.

But here's the thing. Even if history persists where those teams "belonged" to Shaq, Kobe owns something larger and perhaps just as impressive.

The Laker franchise.

To whatever degree it can be owned by a player, Kobe does, and more so than anybody besides perhaps West or Magic Johnson. By the time Bryant hangs up his sneakers for good, he'll possibly end up the most "Laker" Laker of any great who ever wore the uniform. And there are a lotta greats who've been a part of this organization. Including Shaquille O'Neal, whose career in purple and gold was pretty exceptional. His number will eventually, and deservedly, be retired, and his time in L.A. will never be forgotten. But his Laker career nonetheless won't resonate in franchise history the same way Kobe's undoubtedly will. That's something Bryant can take to the bank. Even if Shaq gets more credit until the end of time for those three championships, he'll never be remembered the same way as Bryant, despite his best efforts to dominate their co-opted spotlight.

In this sense, it's fitting Bryant passed O'Neal in the first half of tonight's game, the go-ahead bucket a long catch-and-shoot deuce off Matt Barnes' feed. Bryant was never big on waiting behind O'Neal to begin forging his iconic career. Should anybody have expected a leisurely pace while passing him in career achievement?

Why drag out the inevitable any longer than necessary, you know?

Watching Kobe Bryant on a day in, day out basis, it's easy to become desensitized to how good he is, because he's been doing it so well for so long. Kobe drops 34? Been there, done that.

Days like today, though, tend to drive both points home.

The NBA announced the results of this year's All-Star fan balloting, and once again Bryant racked up votes like a fourth grade candidate for class president running on a platform of less math, more recess, and cookies for all (over 1.55 million in total). It's Bryant's 14th consecutive All-Star appearance, tying Jerry West and Shaquille O'Neal for the all-time NBA mark, one Kobe will almost surely break next season. Put in perspective, at Bryant's inaugural go round (1998 at Madison Square Garden), he represented the franchise not just with Shaq, but Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. George Karl was his team's coach, representing the Seattle SuperSonics. Grant Hill repped the Pistons, and Glen Rice the Charlotte Hornets.

Now he'll be running with guys like Andrew Bynum, Kevin Durant, and Blake Griffin, all of whom probably weren't allowed to stay up very late after watching that game on TV, because they had school the next morning.

Elementary school.

It's a remarkable streak, and ironically explains in large part why the bigger news today at practice Thursday was Bynum's first bid, or why the news wasn't considered significant enough to have Kobe speak to the media before the Lakers left for Denver. Bryant making the NBA's midsummer classic is no different than the sun rising in the east or setting in the west. It's expected, if not assumed. The next time the game takes place without him? That'll be big news.

Few players in any sport can honestly boast that out of relentless repetition they've managed to make All-Star bids feel less important. Kobe can, and it's one of the best indicators of how transcendent a figure he's been over the course of his 16 year career.

Love him or hate him, few athletes have loomed larger on the L.A. sports scene than Shaquille O'Neal. (See what I did there?) He was a centerpiece (again!) of the Threepeat Lakers, but with success came plenty of drama, most notably thanks to a partnership atop the roster with Kobe Bryant rarely lacking tension.

In his new book "Shaq Uncut: My Story," written with esteemed basketball writer Jackie MacMullan, O'Neal details his life in L.A., from his relationships with Kobe and Phil Jackson to how Jerry West jumped on an opportunity to import him from Orlando, and his lingering bitterness towards Mitch Kupchak.

MacMullan joined us this week to discuss the book and O'Neal's career and, no surprise, we focused a great deal on O'Neal's tenure in purple and gold.

Click here to listen to the whole show, or jump to a specific topic by clicking the links below...

2:00- How Shaq's childhood impacted his personality.

A great deal of attention has been paid to those sections of the book about conflicts with high profile figures like Kobe or Pat Riley, but arguably the most interesting stories come at the beginning. Shaq's youth was a rugged one in which he was mocked because of his size, and teased because of a stutter. Then there was the harsh physical discipline meted out by Phillip Harrison, in every way but biologically his father. Shaq fiercely defends Harrison ("Sarge," as he's commonly known), and MacMullan notes O'Neal was a tough kid to control. "Shaq was a juvenile delinquent, let's be honest here. Stealing cars, he was throwing spitballs at teachers, he was bullying kids at school. He wasn't really what we would call a model citizen when he was a kid. So when he messed up, his father answered with his fists, and sometimes his belt," she says.

There was an upshot to all the misbehavior, notes MacMullen. The amount of time Shaq spent "in punishment" (sent to his room) helped form the imagination and creativity eventually becoming O'Neal's trademarks. She explains how Shaq's behavior as a pro reflects those formative years.

8:10- Shaq and Phil Jackson.

Shaq writes in glowing terms about Jackson, who came to the Lakers when O'Neal desperately needed help overcoming the perception he couldn't win in crunch time. "He thought, "You know what, this guy [Jackson is] a winner. He's a proven winner. I need a ring, and I think this is the guy who's going to get me one." He had to make a decision to jump in with both feet and totally buy what Phil was selling, and that's what he did," MacMullan says.

9:20- On Shaq's sensitivity.

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"Listen, I can't tell you what's going on. Just be there. This is gonna change all of our lives."

These were the words of Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti as he instructed members of the 1992 Lakers to attend a mandatory meeting at the Forum on November 7, 1991. Among a select few sworn to secrecy, Vitti couldn't reveal the reason: Magic Johnson needed to tell his teammates about testing HIV-positive. Shortly after, Johnson would tell the world.

The day did change lives, and well beyond those in the Laker family.

With Monday marking the 20th anniversary of Magic's unforgettable press conference, I met with Vitti at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo for his thoughts on the day and its significance. The two have been close friends since 1984 and despite having talked about this period countless times, Vitti still gets choked up reliving it. The details and emotions shared make this podKast truly worth a listen.

You can hear the entire show here, and below is a breakdown of talking points:

(:08) - Vitti's and Johnson's relationship was initially distant, then a bit contentious after the trainer felt the point guard gave him a "snotty answer" to a question. Johnson quickly explained via a smile and a bear he was only kidding around. "That was the moment we bonded," explained Vitti of a friendship now grown exceptionally strong.

(3:13) - Vitti actually figured out Magic contracted the HIV virus before being formally told. The Lakers were in Utah for an exhibition game against the Jazz, and Magic, who'd been experiencing fatigue, was told he urgently needed to return to L.A., no questions asked. Everybody was in the dark and the mystery ate at Vitti. "I just couldn't let it go," says the trainer of the undisclosed issue. "All of a sudden Magic has to go home. It can't be good, right?"

After wracking his brain for days, he suddenly remembered during a game against the Jazz that Magic had taken a physical for a life insurance policy. The light bulb went off, and keeping it together while on the job was a nightmare task.

"That game, Tony Smith, was a second year guard," recalls Vitti. He was having a great training camp and he severely sprained his ankle. Third degree ankle sprain. And he's laying on the table in the training room at the Delta Center and he's very, very upset. He's in tears. And I grab him by the shirt and I say, 'What are you crying about? Because the injury hurts? Or are you crying because you're depressed?' And he just sort of shakes his head. And I said, 'Well, you're gonna get better. You're gonna get better. Some people aren't.'

"No idea what I'm talking about. He looks at me like I've got three heads."

In many ways, however, knowing was just as bad as not knowing. Vitti could tell nobody -- even his wife -- which meant lying to the faces of people like then-head coach Mike Dunleavy about Magic having the flu. Thus, he often had to carry this emotional weight alone.

"We thought it was a death sentence," admits Vitti. "At some point, I'm gonna lose one of my close friends. And not just lose him, but he's gonna whither away in a horrible death."

-(10:15) Thankfully, Magic was around to talk Vitti off the ledge. Crazy as it sounds, that's essentially what happened when the two finally discussed Johnson's diagnosis. Vitti was "a wreck" and Magic remained positive, promising his friend he'd be just fine.

"I don't want you to worry about me," Johnson told Vitti. "When God gave me this disease, he gave it to the right person. I'm gonna do something really good with this. I'm gonna beat this."

Vitti collected himself enough to pledge unwavering support.

"I said, 'I'm with you all the way. To the end. Whatever it takes. If I have to leave the Lakers or whatever you need me for, I'm your guy.' "

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Towards the end of Jerry West’s tenure as the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, he spent much of his time dealing with the egos of his two superstar players, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He said he viewed both players like sons and both players have said in the past he was almost like a second father.

Not long after West left the Lakers, the relationship between O’Neal and Bryant deteriorated and ultimately led the Lakers to trade O’Neal after he screamed, “Pay me!” at Lakers owner Jerry Buss during a preseason game in Hawaii in 2003 while he was seeking a new contract.

Before he signed copies of his new book “West By West, My Tormented Life” at the ESPN Zone in Los Angeles, he told ESPNLosAngeles.com that he didn’t believe his presence would have prevented the messy divorce and that the O’Neal’s trade probably facilitated the team’s last two championships.

“I think when you work for Jerry Buss the thing that’s the greatest about him is he’s not afraid to make tough decisions,” West said. “I think Shaquille put himself in a very precarious position with something he said in Hawaii and they moved on and Kobe Bryant was ready to take center stage.

“To some degree it was almost like when [Kareem] Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson were here. Abdul-Jabbar abdicated his throne for a player who was in the middle of his prime and I think Shaquille’s personality is completely different than Kobe’s personality and by making a tough decision they were able to win a couple more championships. Obviously here in Los Angeles they want you to win but they want you to win at the very highest level.”

West was not allowed to address the current lockout as a consultant and minority owner of the Golden State Warriors but he said he understood the Lakers’ decision to part with 20 staff members, including assistant general manager Ronnie Lester and scout Gene Tormohlen, who put in 43 years with the club.

“I know Jerry Buss well enough to know that he’s someone who has kept people there for years,” West said. “Sometimes people want to make changes and you can’t criticize people for making changes. When I was there we obviously had a much smaller group of people working and as the franchise has gotten bigger, there’s a lot more people and then you figure out we have too many people here. I think change is good. I don’t think it’s bad.”

The biggest off-season change for the Lakers was the retirement of Phil Jackson. In the book, Buss outlines his strained relationship with Jackson and an incident where Jackson kicked West out of the locker room. West, however, doesn’t believe Jackson’s attitude has resulted in so few of his assistants, including Brian Shaw, getting head coaching jobs.

“He did exactly the job with us that he was supposed to do,” West said. “He’s one of the few coaches in this league who has successfully made this triangle offense work. His belief in it, his ability to teach it and his ability to get players to buy into it were frankly his strengths. He hasn’t had a lot of coaches go on to have head coaching opportunities and who knows why that is. You would think with all the winning he’s done that more people would look into what he’s done because his offense really promotes team play and the way you win in this league is with team play.”

Jerry West talks about his new book, playing days, time as Lakers GM, Magic Johnson's retirement, lack of relationship with Phil Jackson and Game 7 advice.

**CLICK HERE TO LISTEN**

There are few personalities in sports more enigmatic than Jerry West. He's a man of incredible achievement who views his life largely through a lens of loss and failure. For legions of basketball fans (and, frankly, many basketball players and executives I suspect), it's an outlook difficult to comprehend. It also makes him a fascinating subject for feature writing, and with that in mind if you haven't yet had a chance to do so, be sure to carve out some time for this feature on West, written by Grantland's Jonathan Abrams.

It's a great piece, detailing among other things West's struggles with self-esteem, his relationship -- or more specifically, the lack of one -- with the Lakers, and how he views his new job in Golden State, likely West's last high profile position in the NBA. Abrams, who spent time with West in his native West Virginia, paints a picture throughout of how West's personality developed and how it influenced his professional life, both as a player and executive:

"... At its core, basketball always supplied West with a nondebatable ledger, only it never solved his anguish or his anxiety or his frustration and pain. The game served as an outlet and record-keeper for him. That's it. There are no ties, no middle ground, no confusion about the outcome. One side always wins -- that's good. One side always loses -- that's bad. Cut-and-dry. That's what drove West to become the player and executive he once was, that's what haunted him then and haunts him now, and that's what pulled him back to the NBA one last time."

So read the story, then click on the link above for the interview (or listen first, then read, or do both at once -- I'm not here to tell you how to live your life) for more detail.

Looking for a way to suck the remaining productivity from your Monday workday? I present you this list of 20 nominees for the inaugural ESPNLA Hall of Fame. Choose five.

Four, really, because only a loon would leave John Wooden, who delivered 10 titles to UCLA's basketball program while shaping countless people in and out of sports with his Pyramid of Success as well as the honor and integrity with which he lived his life, off the list. Wooden is quite possibly the most respected coach in any sport, anywhere, ever. He's in.

Score one for the Bruins. From there, though, the Lakers make a hard charge.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five titles and three MVP awards with the Lakers -- not bad -- but on top of that went 88-2 with the Bruins in three seasons at UCLA, each bringing a title (for which he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player), and was so dominant the NCAA outlawed the dunk just to slow him down. Call him a split vote between golds purple and blue if you'd like but by any definition no player had a better basketball career in Los Angeles, college and pro, than Kareem.

That said, when it comes to a sustained run as the iconic face for sports in this city, no athlete tops Magic Johnson. Flash his picture across a television screen, and people don't just think Lakers, they think Los Angeles. Add in a couple trifles -- five titles and status as the greatest point guard in NBA history -- and his place in the five-person class is also a lock.

Now it gets tricky. With a Bruin and two Lakers (or 1 1/2 of each, if you prefer) in the books, only two spots remain ... with Jerry West still on the ballot. And Chick Hearn. And Pat Riley, Elgin Baylor and Phil Jackson, along with every Dodger, Trojan, Ram, Raider, King and Olympian.

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The 2011 NBA Draft is Thursday afternoon (4 p.m. PT, ESPN). We've spent scads of time taking stock of where the Lakers stand heading into draft day, and now aim to catch up on the rest of the Western Conference.

Today, the Pacific Division...

Los Angeles Lakers

2010-11: 57-25, lost in second round 4-0 (on the odd chance you forgot) to Dallas.

Picks: 41, 46, 56, 58 (Round 2).

Where They Stand: Uncharacteristically uncertain. The Lakers certainly have more questions this offseason than anything faced in the last two. With four second round picks, making significant additions through the draft to a roster still designed to win now is, to say the least, unrealistic. G.M. Mitch Kupchak has said he just hopes to find a player able to stick on the roster. An admirable goal.

As a team, though, the Lakers have plenty of needs, including outside shooting, point guard production, center depth, speed/athleticism, and another shot creator.

Projections (Round 2): Chad Ford, ESPN.com (Insider required)- Nolan Smith (SG, Duke), Malcolm Thomas (PF, San Diego State), DeAndre Liggins (SG, Kentucky), Julyan Stone (SG, UTEP). DraftExpress- Shelvin Mack (PG, Butler), Jordan Williams (C, Maryland), Jereme Richmond (SF, Illinois), Greg Smith (C, Fresno State).


Phoenix Suns

2011-12: 40-42, missed playoffs

Picks: 13 (Round 1).

PODCAST
Andy and Brian talk with David Thorpe (ESPN.com's Scout's Inc.) about what the Lakers can do in the second round of the draft. Plus, a look at the hot rumor (Pau for Kevin Love/#2 pick) and the vocal stylings of Dirk Nowitzki Podcast

Where They Stand: Limbo. A surprising run to the Western Conference Finals two seasons ago faded from memory this year, as the Suns finished below .500 and in the lottery. Steve Nash is entering the final year of his contract, while Grant Hill is a free agent. At 34 years old, Vince Carter, acquired in December's big deal with Orlando, is a shell of the shell of himself, and reportedly will be bought out.

The supporting cast has some quality in it. Marcin Gortat was a major score in the Orlando trade, quickly overtaking Robin Lopez in the starting lineup and becoming one of the most productive centers in the NBA. Channing Frye didn't quite meet his lofty shooting stats of 2009-10, but still hit nearly 40 percent of his triples. Plenty of teams would love to have a guy like Jared Dudley.

Role players, though, won't be enough to again lift the Suns to the elite. They need serious help on the glass, landing near the bottom of the league in rebounding on both sides of the floor. Where in previous seasons the Suns were bad more by reputation than actual output defensively, this season they were genuinely lacking, finishing 25th in efficiency. Contrary to their reputation, with a hole at shooting guard and a decision to make on Aaron Brooks, the Suns could find themselves in need of scoring, as well. Certainly an upgrade at the two is required.

Projections: Ford- Tristan Thompson (PF, Texas). DraftExpress- Thompson.

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I won't complain about my job on a normal day, and certainly not on those delivering genuine "wow" moments. Such was the case Thursday night outside Staples at the unveiling of the new statue honoring Jerry West. On the stage, lined up left to right, were Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, West, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

At worst, we're talking about five of the, what, 15 best players of all time? If you really want to stretch the envelope and get all contrarian?

Even cooler, if you're willing to take the liberty of sliding the 6'9", 215 lb. Russell to the four in order to accommodate Cap, it's a ludicrously good starting five. All sitting next to each other. Talking through it with my boss, we tried to come up with a better one, settling on John Stockton at the point, Kobe and M.J. divvying up the shooting guard and small forward spots, Tim Duncan at power forward, and Wilt at center.

I would watch that game.

Here's your challenge: Come up with a different, better five than the group all assembled within 15 feet of each other Thursday night. I'll allow a little bit of fudging (like I did with Russell), as long as it makes sense.

Nothing like clocking out early on a Friday, even if you're still at the office, right?

(Shameless self-promotion? Is there any other kind?)

Had a chance to join Ryen Russillo on the NBA Today podcast this morning, for a good chunk of time. We were able to get into a healthy number of Lakers issues, including:

PODCAST
NBA Today Podcast with Ryen Russillo. Brian Kamenetzky is a guest, talking Lakers and explaining why the "what's wrong?" narrative is overblown. Podcast

-How the "What's wrong with the Lakers?" narrative has become a little overblown. Has the title defense been perfect? Of course not, but it's not like the team smashed into an iceberg already.

-Jerry West's commentary: Don't link it to Tuesday's win over Utah. Plus, a little more context about L.A.'s D, West's words, and how San Antonio's improvement helps make the Lakers seem worse.

-The Gasol/Bynum dynamic: How do they work together? Does playing them together really benefit the Lakers?

-How losing Matt Barnes impacts Kobe's minutes, and whether or not the team might actually miss Sasha Vujacic a smidge. Seriously.

Finally, Ryen puts me on the spot, requesting I share a cool, fun, insidery story to gain a little more insight into the team. What follows is an epic fail on my part. I join the show around the 15 minute mark, and hang out for another 15 minutes or so, but the whole show is worth a listen. He does great work.

It's Triangle time once again. This week, we join 710 ESPN's Beto Duran to kick around a host of issues, strating with Jerry West's comments about the team's age and defensive abilities. From there, it's on to Sunday's game against the Celtics. How much does it truly matter?

Finally, it's the latest installment of Seen and Heard, centered around Matt Barnes' Twitter apology to Jay Cutler, Raja Bell sporting Kobe Bryant's footwear, and Phil Jackson's happiness in seeing Gregg Popovich coach the Western Conference All-Stars next month.