The Land O'Lakers Podcast by the Kamenetzky Brothers

10-10!

Surprising, to say the least, but 20 games in, the Lakers are a .500 team hanging on the edge of the playoff ladder. To put things in perspective, last season the team's 10th win didn't come until February 2nd. This year? November 30. Aside from the most optimistic heart-over-head diehards, few saw this coming. But it has, so what does it mean going forward? We break it down, focusing on...

1. Nick Young's injury. What does it do to the rotation? What if he misses a full month?

2. Brandon Ingram. His progress to this point, and whether it's time to go all in and call the kid a future star.

3. Luke Walton. Why he's been successful, and how a combination of coaching talent and good timing could serve the Lakers very well for a long time.

All that and... well, actually, no more. Just all that.

A few years back, we had the pleasure of welcoming the great Billy Bob Thornton to our show. And now, he's back!

We talk Bad Santa 2 (along with the original), the greatness of John Ritter, what makes this a golden age for television (Thornton was amazing in AMC's "Fargo," and stars in Amazon's "Goliath"), his love of baseball, and -- because of course we would -- My Little Pony.

Fun stuff. Enjoy!

Andy and Brian talk with Ricki Stern, co-director of the HBO documentary 'Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing.' The movie takes an in-depth and sobering look at the devastation following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and how various victims picked up the pieces to move forward with their lives. The interview also touches upon the way we discuss terrorism in America and the process of telling such personal and painful stories.

The Lakers are off to a great early start. How sustainable is it? Who has looked good, who is lagging behind? Does the starting lineup need a tweak? Plus, the Warriors are all over the news, and we take your questions on "The Walking Dead."

The Lakers (and every other NBA team) are just about ready to kick off the 2016-17 season. Sweet! So what to watch for?

After the big headlines of the day, including stories of Melo-as-activist and an admission from Kevin Durant about what motivated his move to Golden State -- we break down this year's NBA.com GM Survey. What are the surprises? What do GM's say about the Lakers, and Luke Walton?

From there... it's Nick Young. Because he's the most surprising story of training camp, and it's really not close. After, we take a look at Julius Randle, probably the most "controversial" Lakers young 'un, insofar as future projections are concerned. How good to opposing scouts think he is?

Finally, we cap this week's episode with our yearly look at the newest nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... and hand out a statue to Kwame Brown!

Is Jordan Clarkson really the team's 6th man? Should Lakers fans be worried about Brandon Ingram? And let's give a statue to Sasha Vujacic! That, along with big NBA news regarding the CBA (and less big news about a strange ambassadorship for Yao) and our most intriguing Eastern and Western Conference squads.

Few comedic actors are as respected by other funny people as Fred Willard. We talked to him about improv, the secrets to funny characters, great missed opportunities, and his new movie "Mascots," premiering October 13th on Netflix.

The Lakers kick off training camp with Luke Walton at the helm, and players seem awfully happy to have him. Particularly D'Angelo Russell. So how effectively can Walton instill a winning culture? What happens to the front office if the Lakers don't improve? If they do? Finally ... gefilte fish. We're sorry.

The Lakers open camp Monday, and D'Angelo Russell couldn't be happier to have a new coaching staff. Luke Walton plans to bring Brandon Ingram off the bench. And how many games will the Lakers win this year? Plus, a statue for Metta World Peace!

The Lakers are (almost) back!

And that means we are, too! With a few minor adjustments. Like a total lack of music, thanks to some licensing questions with ESPN podcasts. So rather than run afoul of the law, we'll abide until we can find a workaround.

But thankfully, we're still plenty able to talk hoops. And with Moday's media day right around the corner, we tackle the big topics of conversation surrounding the purple and gold. Start with D'Angelo Russell, who hearts the new coaching staff in ways he, well, may not have hearted the previous one. So how much shade is Russell really throwing Byron Scott?

What about Luke Walton's decision to bring Brandon Ingram off the bench? Then there are projections! ESPN has the Lakers pegged to win 24.5 games this year. Too high? Too low? Or juuuuuuust right? (Surely there's a way to win a half game somewhere.)

Finally, the Lakers have signed Metta World Peace to one more make-good deal. Occasion enough to give him a statue! And, of course, more Secret Audio From the LaMarcus Aldridge Pitch Meeting.