Howard

Welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, where we’re likely standing at an airport as you read this.

The NBA schedule is in full swing. The chaos JJ Redick mentioned at the beginning of the season has arrived. The Lakers played a game with seven standard contract players. Austin Reaves went on a heater for the ages, scoring 51 points in a game, 41 in the next, then hitting the game-winner in the one after that. Nick Smith Jr. threw up in the hallway at Moda Center then dropped 25 on the Portland Trail Blazers.

But through it all, the Lakers are crediting their 6-2 start to something that can’t be measured in the box score.

‘Play Laker basketball’

There seems to be an advanced statistic for everything now. As a math person, I wholeheartedly embrace the nerdification of sports. But the thing Redick preaches most to his team is something that can’t be quantified.

Just “playing hard.”

It sounds simple, but, in fact, there is a way to do it wrong.

“That’s what we call ‘fake hustle,’” guard Marcus Smart said. “It’s all for the cameras. It’s all just to look good so you don’t get in trouble in the film room. But when you’re playing hard, you can feel it. You can feel the way you’re playing, you can feel the way the energy. Your body can feel it. Your mind can feel it. And you’d be surprised how the game turns out because of that.”

The Lakers’ early season commitment to simply playing hard has helped them weather injury storms and roster uncertainty. They’ve gone 3-1 in games without Luka Doncic. One of those victories was without Doncic and Austin Reaves, and all have been on the road. LeBron James hasn’t even played a minute this season.

“There’s certain things that we are doing right now that we did not do until mid-to-late January of last year,” Redick said before the Lakers’ game against Memphis.

Naturally, only hours after praising his team’s consistent competitiveness, Redick was frustrated with the effort in the second quarter against the Grizzlies. He called his players “zombies” as they let Memphis score 19 unanswered points in the second quarter.

So, no, things aren’t perfect yet.

But in a long season, with pieces that are still finding their way together, any early glimpse at some of those intangible, championship team qualities are meaningful. Redick lauded his team’s confidence, belief and connectivity in the win over Portland without Doncic or Reaves. Getting any or all of their stars back will change the complexion of what this team will ultimately achieve in April, May or — they hope — June, but the Lakers don’t want to it to affect what they do any given night.

“I think it all started in training camp, really just going as hard as we can, JJ not giving the crap who’s out there,” center Deandre Ayton said. “He wants to play Laker basketball.”

After the Lakers beat the Grizzlies, Smart gave the team a B+ in how hard it’s playing. But after Monday’s win in Portland in which Smith scored 25 points off the bench, Smart upgraded the rating to a B++.

So there’s still room to grow on this report card.

A new boss in town

New Lakers majority owner Mark Walter.

(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

The Lakers officially have a new majority owner.

Mark Walter’s acquisition of the Lakers was unanimously approved by the NBA board of governors last Thursday. It was a monumental week for the billionaire. One day after the sale went final, Walter hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy for the second time in as many years with the Dodgers, who won the World Series in epic Game 7 fashion. Then on Sunday, Walter was sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena in a royal blue Dodgers jacket to watch the Lakers defeat the Heat. An arena employee shook Walter’s hand, presumably thanking him for bringing L.A. another championship and already dreaming about the next one that could come for the purple and gold.

Redick said he spoke briefly with Walter after the news and came away impressed with Walter’s enthusiasm to learn about a new league.

“Baseball is an individual sport masquerading as a team sport. It’s a different thing,” Redick said. “Daryl Morey said it best on a podcast a couple years ago. He said the NBA now is the equivalent of the Giants when Barry Bonds was in his prime, basically getting to bat every single time and not only that, getting to pick who pitches to him every single time. That’s what the NBA is. … The impact of star players, a guy like Luka, a guy like LeBron, a guy like AR, it’s just different than any other sport.”

Favorite thing I ate this week

Miso pork katsu sando from Tokyo Sando food cart in Portland.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

As my Uber driver dropped me off at my hotel in Portland, we drove by a collection of food trucks around the corner. He recommended that I make a stop for lunch. Little did he know, I had already scoped out the entire area, and I had my target locked.

The miso pork katsu sando from Tokyo Sando felt like culinary perfection after a chaotic back-to-back turnaround.

In case you missed it

No Big 3, no problem: Nick Smith Jr. helps lead Lakers to fourth consecutive win

Jake LaRavia won’t be unknown to Lakers fans much longer with games like this

Luka Doncic drops triple-double to power Lakers to victory over Heat

Luka Doncic returns and Lakers get a road win at Memphis

NBA approves Buss family sale of Lakers to Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter

Austin Reaves hits game-winner as Lakers hang on to defeat Timberwolves

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at [email protected], and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

HOWARD Stern’s top staffers are asking around for new jobs at SiriusXM, as they believe the show will be canceled in December.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal the private conversations being had at the streaming radio provider, as Stern‘s $100 million contract – which has yet to be renewed – inches closer to an end. 

An eyewitness at SiriusXM’s offices this week claimed they overheard Stern show radio personality Fred Norris pitching himself for a new gig. 

“Fred was walking with another guy at Sirius and said to him, ‘Let me know, because I don’t know what’s going to happen come January, I might be looking for a job,’” the eyewitness claimed. 

Meanwhile, the source was also told that staff members are expecting the show to officially end at the end of the year.  

“After conversations with [Stern show producer] Gary Dell’Abate and others, it sounds like they aren’t expecting to re-sign with Sirius,” the insider said. 

The U.S. Sun reached out to the Howard Stern show for comment.

INSIDE STERN & SIRIUS’ NEGOTIATIONS

Stern has notably been broadcasting from his sprawling Hamptons home since the pandemic, with some occasional exceptions.

As The U.S. Sun was the first to exclusively report, the 71-year-old shock jock and his superiors at SiriusXM were not expected to find common ground when his $100 million-a-year contract concludes this year. 

In August, sources informed The U.S. Sun that Stern’s SiriusXM program seemed to be facing cancellation. 

The satellite broadcaster was unlikely to meet Stern’s financial demands when his current five-year contract expires.

An insider revealed, “Stern’s contract is up in the fall, and while Sirius is planning to make him an offer, they don’t intend for him to take it.

“Sirius and Stern are never going to agree on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment.”

The source also noted at the time that SiriusXM was expected to pursue a separate agreement to maintain control of Stern’s extensive show archive.

“But as far as him coming back to doing the show, there’s no way they can keep paying his salary,” they clarified.

Referencing the difficulties within the media sector, the insider remarked, “After you saw what happened with Stephen Colbert, it’s like they just can’t afford to keep him going.”

STERN FINALLY RESPONDS

In September, Stern addressed The U.S. Sun’s report about 45 minutes into his show.

The shock jock had been on an extended summer break, after he blamed a cold for missing the prior week’s show, despite SiriusXM heavily promoting his return and that he would address the speculation that his show was done for. 

Far into his return to the air, Stern addressed The U.S. Sun’s report that his show was headed for cancellation this year.

“Here’s the truth. Sirius XM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future,” he stated. 

“They’ve approached me, they’ve sat down with me, like they normally do, and they’re fantastic.”

Stern recounted that SiriusXM executives asked him, “Howard, would you stay? Under what conditions do you want to stay? How often do you want to do a show?”

“And you know, we’ve been talking. We’ve been talking,” he added, confirming that a contract for him to continue had not yet been signed.

The radio icon then read directly from The U.S. Sun’s initial report, appearing to validate its accuracy.

He quoted, “Stern’s contract is up in the fall and while Sirius is planning to make him an offer, they don’t intend for him to take it,” before adding, “Which is weird. Well, fine, whatever. I might not have, but now I have to take it.”

Howard Stern’s Career

Howard Stern has had a prolific radio career, but he’s also had success in film, books and TV.

Stern’s love affair with radio began when he was a student at Boston University, where he worked at the school’s radio station before graduating in 1976.

After college, he had a series of on-air jobs in Hartford, Connecticut, Detroit, Michigan and then Washington D.C., where he met his eventual sidekick Robin Quivers.

It was in D.C. where Stern began honing his shock jock schtick.

They were fired and the pair landed at WNBC in New York City in 1982.

In a few short years at WNBC, Stern butted heads with management and was ultimately axed.

The duo joined WXRK-FM in New York in 1985 and they were there until 2004 when they joined SiriusXM.

Howard has been at SiriusXM since, with his contracts estimated to be between $80 million and a $100 million a year over the last two decades.

He also starred in and was the executive producer of his autobiography and blockbuster movie Private Parts, which debuted in 1997.

He’s also authored several books and was a judge on America’s Got Talent for three seasons.

-By Jessica Finn, Exclusives and Investigations 

SIRIUSXM EXECS WEIGH IN

A week before Stern’s belated return, SiriusXM’s Chief Content Officer, Scott Greenstein, commented at a conference. 

He said that while they would “love for Stern to stay,” nothing was confirmed at that point.

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“It certainly has to make sense, but we feel pretty good that we’ve done this before,” he said, concluding, “We’ll see where it goes.”

Meanwhile, SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz also verified they had not finalized a deal with Stern yet, but added she was “confident [they would] get to the right place” with the radio icon.

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where things are going to get weird (in a good way). Lakers basketball is officially back Tuesday as the team begins its regular season with the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

Coach JJ Redick downplayed any suggestion that his emotions entering his second season at the helm were significantly different than last year, but he said something that resonated with me as I’m entering my first full season in the NBA world.

“The fun part about this,” Redick said, “is the chaos.”

Let’s embrace this chaos.

Make Luka joyful again

Redick has a word for what Luka Doncic does. When the star guard skips up the court after a one-footed jump shot. The way Doncic grins slyly at his bench after a particularly bold pass. How he makes even the most unimaginable feats seem possible when the ball is in his hands.

‘He’s a weirdo,” Redick said in the most affectionate way possible.

“He has an ability to do what I would call, like, silly stuff, but still be locked in. It’s important to him that basketball is fun. … He’s at play. And that’s part of what makes him great.”

When he was drafted third overall in 2018, Doncic was 19 years old. People called him “The Wonder Boy.” He played with the joy of a child who was discovering new things each time he stepped on the court.

Now he’s 26. He’s seen that the NBA isn’t always just audacious step-back threes and sky-high lobs. Sometimes business gets in the way. Doncic’s ability to bridge the gap between his inner child and the outward seasoned veteran will be what defines the Lakers’ success this year.

“By being in a clearer headspace, and by that I mean just mentally and emotionally in balance, it allows you the freedom to just be yourself,” Redick said of Doncic. “That gets reflected in his expressions, his interactions with teammates, his interactions with our coaching staff, his desire to toe that line between competition and joy and playfulness that truthfully makes him the special person and player that he is.”

Redick has had a unique view of Doncic’s style. They were teammates in Dallas during Redick’s final year. They were unexpectedly reunited by a late-night trade so monumental that it even dominated the conversation at the Super Bowl.

But the shell-shocked version of Doncic wasn’t exactly the joyful player Redick remembered. Doncic said the basketball court has always been his “peaceful place.” The trade shattered not only the collective NBA mind, but also Doncic’s own spirit.

“The joy wasn’t there,” Doncic said.

Doncic was also struggling with a calf injury that kept him sidelined for a week after the trade. He made his debut on Feb. 10. He has said that, in retrospect, that first game was the highlight of his first season as a Laker because of the way the crowd received him. But it took maybe 10 or 15 games for the joy to truly return, Doncic said.

“At the end of the day, we’re all human,” guard Austin Reaves said. “It’s not like we’re robots out here that don’t have feelings, don’t have emotions, anything like that. … That’s not saying that he wasn’t fun to be around. He was always, still joking, having fun, but you can tell that he’s at peace with it. And he’s excited to go to war with us every night.”

Doncic has been adamant about trying to become more of a vocal leader this season. Time has healed his trade wounds, and Doncic said he’s felt much more comfortable speaking up around his teammates. He treated them to a Porsche driving experience as a team-bonding activity and gifted everyone his newest signature shoe. He traded jerseys with Jarred Vanderbilt at a recent practice just for fun. He and Rui Hachimura trade barbs about each others musical preferences.

In front of reporters, Doncic is not a gregarious interview subject, but he still dutifully plodded in front of a hoard of cameras and reporters Monday after practice. Reaves walked by and said loud enough to make sure everyone could hear that Doncic was his “favorite teammate ever.”

Doncic, laughing, responded that Reaves was his least favorite.

“He’s a big kid,” Doncic said sarcastically. “Very childish.”

But in Doncic’s world, that’s a good thing.

Defense wins championships

Gabe Vincent chases a loose ball during last season’s playoffs.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Gabe Vincent got the starting nod in LeBron James’ place during the preseason finale and will likely hold onto that role as the season begins in earnest. He has surely earned it.

Vincent shot a sizzling 55.6% from three-point range in the preseason and averaged 16.3 points per game. It was a glimpse of the player he showed he could be in Miami when helped lift the Heat to the NBA Finals.

The 29-year-old guard is also a gritty defender and strong communicator. The Lakers need that to improve on their defense that allowed the Sacramento Kings — playing without stars Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan — to shoot 54.7% from the field.

Doncic said a major piece missing from the Lakers’ defensive performance was physicality. Redick said he saw what the defense could be in two- or three-play bursts in each of the games following a flat performance against the Golden State Warriors in the first game. Now the key is to turn those flashes into sustained stretches.

“Building our habits, building our communication, and being in great shape, it’s how you build a great defense,” Redick said, echoing his three mantras of the year. “I could have put ‘championship defense’ up there. What does that mean? Actually what does that mean? Doesn’t mean anything. It literally doesn’t mean anything. How do you have a championship defense? You gotta have great habits. You gotta be able to communicate. That builds trust. And you gotta be in elite shape so you can play harder than the other team every night. It’s pretty simple.”

Favorite thing I ate this week

Oxtail ragu with pappardelle pasta

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

It’s not a bad gig when you get to watch basketball for a living and in between games eat at different restaurants across the country. But after days, and sometimes weeks, on the road, a good home-cooked meal just hits different.

That’s why my culinary highlight came out of my own kitchen this week: Oxtail ragu with pappardelle pasta from Trader Joe’s. And because I like counting on home cooking after road trips, the leftovers will be waiting for me in the freezer for later this season. Nothing says comfort food like a big bowl of noodles.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic expecting tough test vs. Stephen Curry and Warriors without LeBron

LeBron James is off the hook for $865.66 as fan calls off ‘Second Decision’ lawsuit

Reigning NBA champs Oklahoma City Thunder aim to end NBA parity era

With LeBron James out, Lakers lean on Luka Doncic to open season

Lakers story lines: Five things to watch as the season begins

From oops to aahs, Jaxson Hayes and Lakers work to catch more of Luka Doncic’s passes

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at [email protected], and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Hi, everyone, welcome back to Lakers newsletter. This is Thuc Nhi Nguyen, The Times’ Lakers beat writer. Thank you for your warm welcome into this space (and your food recommendations). We’re now halfway through the preseason, and let me tell you: I can’t wait until we get real basketball back again.

We are at least one step closer to seeing what this Lakers team really looks like as Luka Doncic is expected to make his preseason debut against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. He is expected to play in two of the final three preseason games and, with a back-to-back coming, it’s most likely that Doncic will finish his preseason play on Friday at Crypto.com Arena against the Sacramento Kings instead of in Las Vegas against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Wednesday.

Doncic’s return can help answer some questions about the Lakers, but there is still plenty to address with one week until the season opener.

The LeBron James decision

If you didn’t hear, LeBron James was at the center of a major announcement last week.

No, it’s not that the Lakers star and my dad share an affinity for Hennessy.

It’s that James will be sidelined for three to four weeks as he manages sciatica in his right side. The timeline announced by the team last Thursday means James will miss the regular season opener on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors. As he enters Year 23, James still has room for more firsts: This will be the first time in his NBA career that he doesn’t play in a season opener.

While coach JJ Redick has tried to downplay preseason decisions about the starting lineup, he admitted Monday that James’ prolonged absence “complicates things a little bit.” With every group, Redick said, it’s about finding balance: ensuring there’s enough shooting, facilitating and defense to go around while also managing each player’s own temperament.

“We have a week to figure that out,” Redick said Monday, “and I think it will reveal itself to us.”

The Lakers’ next decision

Marcus Smart

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

So who will be up for the role?

Marcus Smart, who figured to be a potential starting candidate even when James was healthy, will make his preseason debut on Tuesday. He was battling Achilles tendinopathy to begin the preseason.

Smart returned to practice last week, working up to being a full participant during practices Thursday and Saturday, and impressed Redick with the classic Marcus Smart hustle and defense. Even while sidelined, Smart was lauded for his communication and leadership style.

Smart was already considered as a potential starting option over returner Rui Hachimura because the Lakers were looking for a stronger defender at the point of attack. They may have rediscovered another option in Jarred Vanderbilt.

Finally healthy from a lingering foot injury, Vanderbilt has earned rave reviews for his defensive resurgence during training camp. The 6-foot-8 forward has 13 rebounds, four steals and one block in three preseason games. He even turned heads with tweaked shooting mechanics to potentially increase his influence as a potential three-and-D option.

But Vanderbilt is one for 10 from three-point range in three preseason games.

The offensive load during James’ absence will likely fall more toward Hachimura or free agent addition Jake LaRavia.

Second-year guard Dalton Knecht could provide a scoring punch off the bench, especially after Redick said Knecht was the team’s best offensive player in training camp. Knecht, who struggled during summer league because he over-trained during the offseason, was outscoring his teammates by 42 points during live practice periods by Sunday. Redick rewarded him with a starting spot in the home preseason game against the Warriors and he responded with 16 points on four-of-nine shooting from the field and was six of eight from the free throw line.

But the 24-year-old who was briefly traded last year to return only when the deal fell through needs to earn his playing time by showing other skills.

“His ceiling is going to be based on his improvement this season as a defender,” Redick said.

Austin Reaves has already carried the heaviest workload of the preseason, especially as Doncic and James were out. Reaves delivered with 41 points in 44 minutes in two games, but knows any single Herculean effort won’t be enough to replace James long-term.

“It’s a next-man-up mentality,” Reaves said, echoing a similar message from Doncic. “Nobody is going to fill what he does with one person. I can’t go be LeBron. I wish I could. But I think you got to do it as a collective group. And that’s what we’ll do.”

Favorite thing I ate this week

Clockwise from top left: Shrimp shumai, fried shrimp ball, baked BBQ pork bun, steam pork bun and shrimp noodle rolls.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers got a valuable week at home, but I stayed on the road for a friend’s wedding in Brooklyn. To me, there’s no better way to celebrate than with dim sum.

We schlepped from Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Golden Unicorn, where I was too impatient to take a picture of everything, but the first wave included baked BBQ pork buns, steamed pork buns, shrimp noodle rolls, shrimp shumai and fried shrimp balls.

My dim sum staples are har gow and the classic pork and shrimp shumai, but my favorite dish this time was mango pudding (unfortunately not pictured). Loaded with chunks of fresh mango, it was the perfect sweet treat before I spent the next few hours in food coma mode.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic set to play in first preseason game against Suns Tuesday

JJ Redick isn’t overly concerned about the Lakers’ on-court chemistry

LeBron James to miss Lakers’ opening game because of sciatica issue

Natalia Bryant makes her debut as a creative director with Lakers short film

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at [email protected], and please consider subscribing if you like our work!