Will the Lakers make a bold deadline deal?

The Los Angeles Lakers are having yet another roller-coaster season filled with drastic ups and downs but will they make a trade to make them a contender again?

Jan 12, 2023

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1. Will the Lakers make a bold deadline deal?

The Lakers are having yet another roller-coaster season filled with drastic ups and downs but will they make a trade to make them a contender again? The Sporting Tribune’s Ryan Ward gives his thoughts as we inch closer to the trade deadline.

From Russell Westbrook becoming arguably the best sixth man in the league to Anthony Davis playing like the league’s MVP to ultimately getting injured once again to the team sitting three games below .5oo a month away from the NBA trade deadline. At this point, there’s no telling which way the Lakers front office will go in the coming weeks. There’s no doubt that this team isn’t a title contender right now, nor may it be, even if moves are made ahead of the deadline on Feb. 9.

2. Chargers activate LT Rashawn Slater’s 21-day window; Mike Williams update

The Los Angeles Chargers got news on a potential big return this week but they need to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday in order to get one step closer to being at full strength. The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez has the latest from Chargers headquarters.

Brandon Staley has been answering questions on whether left tackle Rashawn Slater would be able to return to the team in the postseason for a month. On Tuesday afternoon, Staley had the answer announcing that they would be activating the left tackle. That means that Slater can start practicing with the team and has a 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster. Staley said that Slater will not play against the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend. So, if the Chargers beat the Jaguars on Saturday night, he could return to play against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

3. Quack of Dawn: Ducks Report

The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee has the latest from the Anaheim Ducks practice in his first installment of “Quack of Dawn,” which will be a regular Ducks feature following Ducks practices.

Trevor Zegras wasn’t on the ice for Tuesday morning’s practice due to an illness, but Max Jones was. The winger has missed the last month with an upper-body injury but practiced in full, slotting in alongside Jayson Megna and Brett Leason. “I don’t know if it’s a 24-hour (illness) but it sounds pretty similar (to what Shattenkirk had) so we’ll see where that goes,” said head coach Dallas Eakins. “We’ll just have to re-evaluate it in the morning and see if he’s available or not.” “He hasn’t played in a long time here,” said Eakins of Jones. “The biggest thing for him (is finding) the rhythm of the game. (We have to) try to control his ice time as best (we) can.”

4. TST’s NBA Power Rankings Week 13

The Grizzlies have the best defense in basketball, the Lakers' season is back on track, and the Clippers have lost 6 games in a row. How good have the Lakers been recently? The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch explains why they may have turned the corner.

The Lakers fell to the Nuggets on Monday night following their improbable five game win streak. LeBron James (29.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game with a TS% of 58.5) did not play in the loss against Denver, but has been playing like a top 5 player in the NBA again after a rough start to the season. Thomas Bryant (20.5 points and 13 rebounds per game with a TS% of 70.9 over his last 6 games) has been a godsend for the Lakers providing consistently elite offensive production in Anthony Davis‘absence. Bryant’s PSA of 147.5 (ranks in the 95th percentile) is one of the best marks in the NBA and he is proving to be an extremely valuable piece to this Lakers core. As Davis sets to make his return soon, the Lakers are in a good position just 1.5 games back of the 6th seed.

5. McTavish vs. Zegras Debate, Lineup Changes, Ducks Goalie GOAT Rankings

Felix Sicard and Jake Rudolph have been doing a podcast about the Ducks since the 2017-2018 Anaheim Ducks season and they will continue to share their insights at The Sporting Tribune this season.

On this episode, they discuss the Ducks’ recent lineup changes that have Mason McTavish as the first-line center and Trevor Zegras as a winger on the second line, and what it might say about how the team views both players. They also touch on possible off-season moves, who the Ducks’ greatest goalie of all time is, and much more.

6. Rebels squander opportunity to build momentum

After stunning previously unbeaten New Mexico, UNLV was unable to parlay the win, losing at home 84-66 to Boise State Wednesday. The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp has the latest from Las Vegas.

It was a golden opportunity to build some much-needed positive momentum, get right back in the conference race and perhaps put themselves in a position to challenge for the regular season championship. Instead, UNLV found itself struggling at home once again, unable to parlay the big win over previously unbeaten New Mexico from last Saturday and allowed Boise State to run a clinic on unselfish offensive basketball.

7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports

Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:

8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick

Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers: $122

9. On the Air presented by Coca-Cola

Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:

7:30 p.m. – Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers – Spectrum SportsNet, TNT

10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune

On Wednesday’s show, the crew talked about the possible sale of the WWE, the Clippers’ inconsistency and the Lakers being just two games out of the No. 6 seed and what they have to do to become a championship contending team again.

Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.

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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!