The Forum - An LA Lakers Podcast

This podcast was recorded approximately a week ago, and somehow, most of the thoughts and perspectives are still completely timely. So enjoy a much delayed episode of The Forum, where the guys discuss Linda Rambis as shadow owner, various reports on the state of the Lakers from Ric Bucher and Dave McMenamin, and more perspective on the Lakers coaching search. And of course, stick around for rants on Twitter etiquette, Dame Lillard's "bad shot" to eliminate the Thunder, and other various thoughts from the playoffs.

Luke Walton is no longer coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Forum discusses Luke's departure from the team and his future in Sacramento before they talk about the man who let him go, and Rob Pelinka's growing power in the Lakers' front office. Intermittently, the guys touch on the great debate of ketchup's place in the culinary hierarchy and end on the #ForumWireWatch continuing with a week-long hiatus.

The Magic Johnson experiment has come to a surprisingly unceremonious end with an impromptu press conference and a Maurice Harkless buzzer beater. Ali, Ric, and Raj react to the the Greatest Laker of All Time stepping down as President of Basketball Operations, and discuss what will emerge from the void that his absence has created.

Raj and Ali trick Ric into thinking Rondo had a historic game, and afterwards, the guys parse through the takeaways from Kobe and LeBron’s respective interviews from earlier in the week. Later, Ali and Raj fill Ric in on the progress of Alex Caruso and Jemerrio Jones before ending the episode with a recap of episode one of The Wire, starting off the #WireWatch.

Another week full of Lakers basketball brings another week of Lakers headlines, and Raj, Ric, and Ali break them all down while managing to keep the podcast under an hour. On this episode of The Forum, the guys discuss Kobe Bryant’s declaration of his GOAT status, Dave McMenamin’s scathing article on the front office’s failures, Jemerrio Jones’ fit with the team, and of course have plenty of tangents along the way.

The Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings! And The Forum celebrates by....barely talking about the game. Instead, Ric, Raj, and Ali discuss the recent Lakers news cycle, including Lonzo's newfound independence and Ric's support for Jason Kidd, all during an unfortunate night of basketball for Portland Trail Blazer fans and NBA fans alike (prayers up for Nurkic). Throughout, the guys discuss old adages, new adversaries, and a couple impassioned rants at the expense of a couple #NBATwitter personalities.

Ric, Raj, and Ali lament the Lakers' most recent loss against the New York Knicks and the team's lack of momentum takes a toll on Forum Morale. Nevertheless, the guys power through the disappointment, and discuss the top five scorers in the league, the Lakers return to the tank, and even offer an apology to a Lakers assistant coach in a wide-ranging podcast. Stick around all the way through for Ali's dynamic play-by-play of Lonzo Ball's dance moves.

Ric, Raj, and Ali have two inaugural "firsts" on this episode of The Forum. The guys get a chance to celebrate a Laker win on the podcast for the first time, and use that opportunity to take some questions on Twitter. They hit on the ideal off-season plan, whether or not Jimmy Butler fits with the team, if Luke deserves his imminent fate, and more. Big thanks to everybody on who submitted questions!

Ric, Raj, and Ali discuss the latest news surrounding the Lakers, including Lonzo being out for the year, LeBron being on a minutes restriction, and the Nuggets blowing out LA on national television. The crew looks forward to tonight's Celtics game before a nice Boston slander session, with some words for Rondo interspersed throughout the show.

Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded before news of Brandon Ingram's DVT ruled him out for the season.

In the second episode of The Forum, Ric, Raj, and Ali lament the Lakers' dispiriting loss to the Suns, discuss in detail everything that has the Lakers playoff hopes all but dead, and cheer up over Brandon Ingram's bright future.