February 24, 2025

So this is what it feels like to have Luka Dončić on your basketball team!  Saturday night really served as proof of concept that the Lakers new roster might actually be a championship contender.  Although I’m not sure how you guys expect the Nuggets to beat the Lakers when they don’t have Darvin ham and D’Angelo Russell playing for them.  Maybe the Lakers don’t really need a center for the time being and instead they just need to swarm Jokić with a bunch of 6’7 dudes that are very athletic.  The Lakers are more interesting than they have been in the last couple years and they might actually be a championship contender.  No I’m not quite ready to say that they are a true championship contender this year, but maybe. 

As for LeBron, you may have heard that last week he went after Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb for his awful 2-24 record this season.   Gottlieb was previously a sports talk radio host and last summer criticized LeBron and Bronny James for the fact that Bronny is in the NBA simply because he’s a “make a wish kid” and just because he’s LeBron James son.  Since Gottlieb got the head coaching job at the university without any head coaching experience, of course LeBron saw this as an opportunity to go back at him and make fun of his performance.  I have no issue with LeBron going after him.  As I’ve said before here on Jock, Talk LA there are tons of people in this world who are given opportunities because of the people they know and the relationships that they have. There is nothing wrong with Bronny being in the NBA because of his dad, however he will have to prove that he does belong in the league in the long run. So far he is on his way to doing that because he has proven to be a good player that is developing nicely in the G-League.   Besides… The smack talking actually makes this a whole lot more fun!

Everyone is talking about the NHL‘s Four Nations face off tournament. It really was a fantastic tournament and congratulations to Canada on their win over the United States.   It blows me away that these NHL players look like they are ready to sacrifice their lives for their country in these exhibition games.   What people are also talking about though, is PK Subban‘s comments about how the NHL players represented themselves with a lot of pride while the NBA players do not represent themselves with any pride at all during events like the All-Star weekend.   It’s very hard for anybody to argue against PK. Even if you love the NBA like I do, the players are playing like a disgrace when it comes to showcase events to really elevate the sport.  More than anything though, it’s a big wake up call to stars like LeBron, James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant raise the level of their compete for other players to follow suit.  Those players certainly care about their legacy, and if they don’t do that before they leave the game, it might actually be a knock against all of their legacies.

Yesterday was a really great day for UCLA basketball! The Bruins took down Ohio State and they celebrated the legacy and life of basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton.   On the court the Bruins continue to look like a strong basketball team and congratulations to Mick Cronin on achieving his 500th win as a college head coach. Their defense continues to be elite and arguably the best in the Big Ten, which should travel well come March Madness. However, their offense still  is a bit of a concern.  They may have figured things ou, though by putting Aday Mara in the lineup more regularly, who has size and skill to help them on both ends of the floor.  Sure he has to put on a little weight, but Mick Cronin is finally beginning to realize that letting him play and develop is the best move for the teams success.  Making their free throws against bum teams like Minnesota would probably help their chances too.

I wouldn’t freak out just yet that the Rams are letting Matthew Stafford talk to other teams about a contract. I still think that both Stafford and the Rams want to have a reunion, however, Stafford wants to be paid fairly. The only way he can find out his true value is is by talking to other teams so the Rams can determine what it is they need to pay him in order to retain him. Make no mistake about it though, the Rams know that if they want to be Super Bowl contenders right now Matthew Stafford is their best option.  I suppose if they are unable to work it out with Stafford, Aaron Rodgers is going to be there next best option. Although if that happens, get ready for a year of complete nonsense with Rodgers talking about being unvaccinated and snorting marijuana off of tree branches during his long nature walks  in his “darkness periods”.

To baseball, where spring training is underway. The Dodgers have only won 1 of their first 4 outings. However, most of that is because they’ve been throwing rookie pitchers on the mound, along with Landon Knack and Ben Casparius. 4 months after the World Series, it’s like those two are still out there eating innings while the Dodgers are telling them “we don’t care if you suck, just protect us from having to use any of our really good pitchers”. As for those better pitchers, thus far Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and Nick Frasso have looked good in the early going. It’s a small sample size, but we haven’t seen much of Gonsolin and May the last couple of years, so it’s positive news, nonetheless.

Finally, Arte Moreno did his annual spring training interview with the media last week. Once again, he provide his explanation of why the Angels still suck. This time he sort of took some blame by saying “it’s probably” his fault, but he surprisingly shifted some blame to Mike Trout, saying he had no control over whether or not he was healthy or staying on the field. Of course what he failed to acknowledge was his lack of investment in other areas of the organization like player development and scouting, which have really been the downfall of the team. He also disappointed most Angel fans by letting them know the team isn’t for sale right now, and that despite a new Anaheim City administration, he’s not going to put any money into renovating a stadium. Meanwhile, for those of you thinking the Angels could sign Vlad Guerrero Jr next year, ask yourself why would he want to join this mess? They certainly don’t seem likely to outbid other teams for his services either.

February 17, 2025

Welcome to the President’s Day edition of Monday Morning Coffee! We start with the NBA All-Star game, which once again, ended up being terrible. This used to be must-see TV, but sadly, now it’s unwatchable. The effort yesterday was slightly better than previous years, but there were so many commercials and game interruptions, it feels like there was barely any basketball played. When there was basketball played, the product still wasn’t great, with an abundance of 3-point shooting. I don’t recall anybody in the 90’s or early 2000’s worrying about getting injured during these games, so why should they be concerned about it now? I have no problem with Lebron sitting out because of an ankle injury, and probably even prefer it for the sake of the Lakers. However, he probably could have let the league know a little sooner so the likes of Norman Powell, Devin Booker, LaMelo Ball, Damontas Sabonis, or Jarrett Allen could have take his spot. It’s not every year some of those guys will get the chance to be an all-star, which is unfortunate for them. The only way to get the players to care is to raise the stakes for them. A USA vs the World format might be interesting in the short-term, but it really isn’t the long-term fix. Perhaps they can add home-court advantage in the finals to the winner of an East-West game. Damian Lillard had an interesting idea with an “all-snub” team instead of a G-League or Rising Star team, but having 4 teams and a tournament creates too many breaks in the action. I don’t have a great answer yet for how to get the players to care though. They shouldn’t have the All-Star Game in an international location though because if they did, the product is so offensive, other countries would consider watching it an act of terror and declare war on the U.S.

Credit to Mac McClung for doing his best to save the NBA Dunk Contest, and All-Star weekend in general. The man was basically out there risking his life by dunking over cars. His creativity was phenomenal, but he does make you wonder why the NBA doesn’t just bring in YouTubers for the contest, since none of the stars really want to participate in it. The dunk contest really doesn’t need stars for entertainment, it just needs creativity, and doesn’t even need great all-around basketball players for it. However, even the 3-point shooting contest fell off a great deal this year. Tyler Herro won, but it wasn’t the same as watching Steph, Klay, and Dame go at it. I love the NBA, but at this point, these All-Star Weekends are just embarrassing the league more and more.

As for the Lakers, they skidded into the All-Star Break with a nasty loss against the Jazz. They are currently the 5th seed in the West, and you have to wonder just how good they can be. At this point, I think we can reasonably think the Lakers should be one of the top 6 seeds in the West. Can they be better than that and go on a deep playoff run? That depends on two things. Health and defense. The Lakers played some of the best defense in the league the last couple of weeks headed into the break, and that’s because Gabe Vincent, Jared Vanderbilt, and Dorian Finney-Smith all returned to the lineup and were effective. When the Lakers are missing two of those players, their defense is going to suffer a great deal. Even though Alex Len should be delivering your Door Dash instead of playing in the Association, if the Lakers can patch it together with Jaxon Hayes and Jared Vanderbilt in their front court with the rest of those solid perimeter defenders I mentioned, they can rise higher in the West than you think.

The Clippers on the other hand went into the break treading water as the 6th seed in the West. The also added some reinforcements with Ben Simmons on the buyout market, who will help their defense, and Bogdan Bogdanovich. Simmons will probably be interested in playing basketball until one of the Kardashians or Kendall Jenner gets ahold of him again. This Clippers team has some good players, but how far they go will ultimately depend on the usual: how available and effective will Kawhi Leonard be in the 2nd half of the season. Kawhi has started to play better before the All-Star break, but the Clips need more. He’s only played 30 minutes or more in 3 of the 15 games he’s played this season, averaging 16.3 points per game with splits of 46.4%/81.3%/35.9%. Can he give the Clips more eventually? Probably. Can he give the Clips more without getting injured again? Probably not.

To the NFL where there are still trade rumors surrounding the Rams and Matt Stafford. The Giants are reportedly interested in trading for Stafford, so they can unite him with his brother-in-law, who is on the their coaching staff. However, the Rams want the #3 pick for him. I cannot possibly imagine the Giants giving up the #3 pick for a 37-year old quarterback, or for that matter, anybody trading for Stafford unless a Kings ransom is coming back in return. The Rams are at the tail end of a championship window with Stafford. Their road map is simple: add a cornerback and elite wide receiver to replace Cooper Kupp, and try to contend for a Super Bowl next year. The moment they trade Stafford, without an excellent replacement coming back, that’s over. They won’t find that in this year’s NFL Draft. Just ask the 49ers what it’s like having an elite roster without an excellent quarterback. You get nowhere. That’s exactly what will happen if the Rams trade Stafford right now. Meanwhile, Kelly Stafford should take her commentary to the school parking lot, her community tennis courts, or her mommy podcasts, but NFL executives don’t care what you have to say about the football to be honest.

To baseball, where Spring Training is getting under way. The Dodgers did what we all expected by re-signing Clayton Kershaw. Although Kershaw probably won’t be ready to pitch until June, I’m happy to see him back in Dodger blue. The question with Kersh is frequently about health, so if he can be healthy come October, the Dodgers will hopefully have enough arms around him that he could function as an effective complementary piece at this point in his career. Otherwise, he’s an extremely positive clubhouse presence, and no doubt a first ballot Hall of Famer. As for the rotation and who is going to pitch, stop trying to pencil in 6 guys and argue over it. The reality of it is, you will almost never have 6 guys healthy at the same time. This is 2025 and pitchers get hurt. That’s exactly why the Dodgers have 12 guys who can start a game.

As for the Angels, they made some news of their own last week. They signed former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. I’m sure Jansen very much wanted to return to the Dodgers, but at this point, don’t they all? If Kenley came back to the Dodgers, at best, he would be a 5th inning reliever. On the other hand with the Angels, he will be relied upon as a high leverage reliever, and potentially their closer. He may not be what he once was, but he still saved a lot of games last year. Sadly enough, this is probably the best acquisition the Halos have made all off-season. Meanwhile in completely unsurprising news, Anthony Rendon will be out indefinitely after undergoing hip surgery. This feels like Rendon’s way of saying he wants to work from home this year, especially after waiting until Spring Training to realize that he needs hip surgery. Someone needs to call the Anaheim Police Department on Rendon, because this guy has stolen $245 million for the last 7 years. The guy is so lazy he won’t even call Ron Washington back. Then this morning, Mike Trout announced that he will playing right field full-time this season. When he says “full-time” he really means about 60 games, since right field is closer to the trainers room than the actual playing field. Get ready for another rough year in Anaheim.

Finally, UCLA basketball got back in the win column on Friday night against Indiana. Dylan Andrews made two clutch free throws down the stretch, and the Bruins have now won 8 of 9 games. Joe Lunardi has them currently as a sixth seed in his projected March Madness Bracketology. By the way, a bracketologist has to be the biggest scam ever. Imagine convincing someone to pay you to come up with fake brackets all year. There’s a sucker out there everyday! Oh back to basketball…. I still think a good showing in the Big Ten Tournament can get them as high as a #4 seed, and put them in a better position to make a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 run during March Madness. They’ve convinced me that they can in fact beat any team in the Top 10 on any given day, as long as they defend at a high level, and don’t turn the ball over. More interesting though was the fact that Mick Cronin was asked point blank about the fact he is a candidate for the Indiana job, with Mike Woodson announcing he departure after the season. Cronin deflected about the possibility of being a candidate, and acknowledged it would be inappropriate to comment. However, I do find it notable that he did not mention anything about his level of satisfaction at UCLA, and has previously mentioned a year ago that he wasn’t happy with UCLA’s commitment to NIL recruiting. In other words, the idea of coaching Indiana for him doesn’t seem to be a “no”.

February 10, 2025

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans on their Super Bowl Championship! Eagles fans probably burned down the city pre-emptively before the Super Bowl even started, because that’s just what they do. A white cornerback took a pick 6 of Patrick Mahomes back for a touchdown in the Super Bowl with Donald Trump in attendance during Black History Month. That has to be the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever seen. If Patrick Mahomes had Allstate instead of State Farm, he probably would have been protected from complete mayhem yesterday. Yesterday we finally realized how much the Chiefs depended on funding from USAID. Not even the refs could help them after that domination, and the irony is they shut down Saquon Barkley. It was Jalen Hurts who dismantled them. I know everybody wants to jump on the Patrick Mahomes isn’t really The GOAT debate, but he’s only 29. There’s a lot more legacy that is left to be written for him before we can really have the argument. The real bummer about yesterday is the Rams probably feel like they could have won a Super Bowl if they had gotten those 14 yards against the Eagles. They gave them the best game of any team in the playoffs, and we’re right there before going home.

As for other elements of the broadcast, I can’t believe that Taylor Swift got mercilessly booed, while Donald Trump got cheered. What a culture shift that was. If you like Kendrick Lamar, you enjoyed the halftime show yesterday. If you don’t like him, you like Drake, or you’re just indifferent, you probably weren’t into it. I enjoyed it, but the reality of it is that it catered to a very niche audience. Still, saying “Hey Drake” and having his ex dance to a song ‘dissing him is completely diabolical. The commercials were just ok. The Bud Light “Cul-De-Sac Party” was funny, and so were the Totino’s Pizza Rolls commercial. The Super Bowl is basically an American holiday to celebrate. Don’t bring your social agenda’s with the Hims and Hers commercials, or even the Snoop and Tom Brady “Stop Hate” commercial. That’s not why people are watching the game, or what they are looking for in the commercials.

The Rams were making some noise last week with a few different key players. Cooper Kupp was informed by the team he will be traded. I don’t love the decision, and frankly, I would have rather restructured his contract and used him as a #2 or #3 receiver. However, Les Snead and Sean McVay clearly know what they are doing and have a vision for what they want this offense to look like. Of course this news did not sit well with Matt Stafford, and naturally, it was his wife who had to bitch about it on her podcast. In reality, Kelly can’t really separate the friendship she has with the Kupp’s from football. Matt Stafford likely isn’t going anywhere, and her bitching about it on a podcast, or the fact she is bitter about contract negotiations from last year probably doesn’t change a thing. It also shouldn’t color your opinion about whether or not Matt Stafford is going to be continue playing for the Rams. It’s business people. There’s also talk about Myles Garrett becoming available, and some have suggested the Rams go after him. That would be completely unnecessary. The Rams have an excellent and cost controlled defense. They don’t need to blow money and resources on Garrett, when they can put those resources into bigger needs like wide receiver, cornerback, offensive line, and linebacker.

To the NBA where it has been an absolutely wild week for the Lakers. Luka Doncic is expected to make his debut tonight. Unfortunately though, their trade for Mark Williams has been rescinded because the Hornets tried to pull a fast one and Williams never passed his physical. That’s unfortunate, but the Lakers are rolling, and they can figure out a patchwork center for the rest of the season. In the meantime, they’ll at least get their valuable draft compensation and the shooting of Dalton Knecht back in their lineup. Meanwhile, the fact Mavs ownership is still out here publicly criticizing Luka for being out of shape and not working hard, which is insanity for a guy that led them to the finals months ago.

The Clippers were also wheeling and dealing at the trade deadline. I was pretty surprised to see them trade Terrance Mann, who I basically assumed was untouchable for the longest time. However, they got a solid scorer in return in Bogdan Bogdanovich, They probably need that scoring though because very quietly, Kawhi is starting to slow down from a production standpoint. Can he get back to that elite level we saw him at last season, when he was completely dominating? Maybe, but the better question is if he can do it without getting hurt. Keeping him healthy is probably the bigger priority, despite the fact he is being paid like one of the best players in the league.

In baseball, the Dodgers are bringing back Kike Hernandez! Reported by Kike himself yesterday, and in my opinion, this was an important player to bring back. Kike becomes regular season Barry Bonds in the postseason, which sounds insane, but it’s true. He’s a big reason why the Boys in Blue were World Series Champs last year, because he knows how to elevate his game in the postseason. He can also play multiple positions, and is a very key figure in the teams clubhouse culture, which is very critical in baseball. Now these stupid Nolan Arenado rumors just need to die because there is no place for him on this team.

As for the Angels, they really went dumpster diving last week. First they bring on Tim Anderson, the shortstop from the Chicago White Sox, who’s career has fallen way off after a very promising start. Then they decide to sign Yoan Moncada, who is now expected to be the team’s primary 3rd baseman and replace Anthony Rendon. Just to be clear, that’s two players who are complete reclamation projects, from the worst team to ever play in the regular season. Moncada has a terrible work ethic, and the plan is for him to replace another player in Anthony Rendon, who also has a terrible work ethic and couldn’t care less. Brilliant baseball moves here by your Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim!

February 3, 2025

Hopefully you have picked yourself off the floor by now after learning that Luka Doncic was in fact traded to the Lakers on Saturday night. I still can’t believe it after writing it. The Lakers somehow just acquired a consensus top 5 player, and global NBA superstar. He will be the next face of the franchise. Even more shocking, was the fact they still have Austin Reaves and more 1st round picks. This trade wouldn’t even have been allowed on NBA 2k, and I’m still waiting for David Stern to rise from the dead to veto it before going back into his grave. Luka will need to get his butt in shape, but he’s going to be motivated as hell to do so after the Mavs kicked him to the curb. I don’t know how the Lakers are going to make it work right now with this team, even if they get a center by Thursday’s trade deadline, but who cares. They have the cornerstone of the franchise in the post Lebron era. In the long-run this is phenomenal, and they still have young pieces like Austin and Dalton Knecht alongside Luka. Mad respect to AD though. He gave the Lakers a championship, was one of the best two-way players in the league, and the idea that he is injured all the time is actually flawed, because he hasn’t missed many games the past two years. However, when you get an opportunity to acquire a player like Luka, you can’t say no. You figure the rest out later.

Lost in all this is Lebron James, and his true feeling about what happened. Everyone is publicly playing it like Lebron and Rich Paul were shocked about what happened, and are still processing all of it. You really expect me to believe that?? There is a certain level of plausible deniability in this for both of them. Lebron and Rich Paul may not have known that trade was going to happen right then and there, so they can maintain that they were “shocked” but there is no way the Lakers make a trade of that magnitude without at least knowing that Lebron and Rich Paul would be ok with it. Even Brian Windhorst, who has been reporting from inside Lebron’s jock strap for years, said that Lebron has been “dreaming about this” idea of playing with Luka. He just never thought it would actually happen. While it would be nice to trade Lebron for some assets and draft capital, he has a no-trade clause so he is running the show. He also has a pretty damn good relationship with Jeanie Buss, so I don’t think he’s going anywhere. That’s fine, because at least now the Lakers know what their future looks like, and they don’t have to worry about mortgaging it to appease Lebron.

Meanwhile, the Clippers can actually feel pretty good about themselves for a few reasons this morning. They may have lost against the Raptors yesterday, but they no longer are the ones that in the public eye made the worst trade in NBA history, when they traded SGA for Paul George. For the time being in the public eye that looks like it belongs to the Mavericks (although I think the Mavs will be better in the short-run than people think). In addition to that though, the Clips made a trade of their own, sending Mo Bamba and PJ Tucker to the Jazz for Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks. It’s a nice deal for the Clips because they get a backup center, and a useful guard in Mills, who used to play with Kawhi in San Antonio. It’s not sexy, but it’s a nice solid move for the Clips that should give them a few reinforcements for the 2nd half of the season.

Now that we have a full week to go before the Super Bowl, are we all done with the complaining about the Kansas City Chiefs? Look, I know you all think they have the referees in their back pockets, but the reality of it is, they are a great team, with a generational quarterback talent. Plus, now you are going to get a matchup of truly the two best teams in the NFL, and frankly, either side could easily win. I do think if the Eagles are going to win though, they need to win by more than a touchdown, because if it’s a close game, you can’t bet against Mahomes and Andy Reid. The Eagles also can improve their chances by making sure when they tackle Mahomes, they use pillows and lay him down on the ground softly. I have advice for you as well. Get the taco truck at your Super Bowl party. Get those immigrant works to help you before Trump deports them, and before those tariffs raise the price of your guacamole!

To college basketball where UCLA is back in the mix! They took down Oregon last week, and now Joe Lunardi has them as a #7 seed in the South Region in his bracketology. This has been quite the roller coaster season. A few weeks ago we were wondering if Mick Cronin was going to put his coaching resume on LinkedIn to find his next gig. Now suddenly winning the Big Ten isn’t out of the question. The Bruins at minimum should go 5-5 down the stretch, but 7-3 and 1-2 wins in the Big Ten Tournament would put them in a much better place come March Madness. That way they get up the #4 or #5 seed and wouldn’t have to play a team like Duke or Auburn in the round of 32. They’ll have a big test against Michigan St on Tuesday at home, and if they win, they will improve their tournament resume immensely. I guess you can never count out Mick Cronin and his determination!

The Dodgers are still waiting to clear some roster space for the likes of Clayton Kershaw, and potentially Kike Hernandez. However, in the meantime, they have had to let go of some pretty damn good players to sign the talent they have this off-season. Earlier it was Diego Cartaya, who was once one of the best prospects in baseball. Last week, they released Ryan Braiser, who had a 1.89 ERA in 66 innings. That’s how much of an embarassment of riches the Boys in Blue have these days. They can no longer keep elite talent in their organization because they simply have too much of it. Talk about first class problems!

On the other hand, now that the Angels off-season is basically over, we can sadly say their team isn’t much different than last year. A rotation of Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, and Reid Detmers isn’t exactly moving me. Even if Detmers rebounds nicely, this team is ticketed for 70 wins at best, and 100 losses is certainly not out of the question. What’s really sad about the whole thing is that Arte Moreno and Perry Minasian claimed that the Halos were going to compete now and make moves that weren’t of the rebuilding variety. Unfortunately, the Halos really did neither. They have an awful roster with limited Major League Talent, so they didn’t sign enough of it, and they don’t have the player development infrastructure necessary to help with a rebuild with their young players. It’s a terrible in between phase. It’s a rudderless ship and the irony of it is, the Angels have bottomed out already but they are pretending like it hasn’t happened.

Speaking of player development, or lack there of, the LA Kings are just as bad at it. The Kings are in their usual January slump, which happens. However, it’s their player development that has been awful. We already saw them give up on promising forward Arthur Kaliyev, who went to New York and started scoring goals five minutes later. Then they benched promising young defenseman Brandt Clark, and only decided to put him back in the lineup on Saturday because of a couple of injuries. Of course that led to other teams calling the Kings to see if they were stupid enough to trade Clark. Why wouldn’t other teams call? Rob Blake has shown he is the master of hockey malpractice, which explains why the Kings have been unable to regain their status as true Stanley Cup contenders in over a decade.

Finally, the Grammy’s went down last night at Crypto.com arena. Kendrick Lamar owned the night with 5 Grammy’s, coming out on top in every category he was nominated in. Can we just put this in perspective for a moment? Kendrick won all these Grammy’s with a ‘dis track! Has anyone check on Drake after this? Last year the Grammy’s belonged to Taylor Swift, but this year, it was Kendrick. Even better is the fact that he will be going on tour after the Super Bowl, and will be doing a show in Toronto, Drake’s hometown. You can be sure he will be dropping “Not Like Us” over and over again. Also, watching Shakira dance never gets old. I don’t have a problem with Beyoncé winning Country Album of The Year, and Album of The Year. I’m anti-woke, and DEI, but that’s not what this is. She’s talented and has star power. If you can re-invent yourself like she did, it only adds to your greatness. Was there no dress code for the event? Or did Kanye’s wife, Bianca Censori not get the memo? I’ll let you search the internet for that one.