WE'VE GOT PEOPLE. WE'VE GOT THE GAMUT COVERED HERE AT ESPN. BUT I'M GETTING SUSPICIOUS. HASN'T K.D. BEEN OUT A LITTLE BIT TOO LONG? MAX: K.D.? STEPHEN A: LET ME FINISH. K.D. I BRING UP K.D. AND A.D. IN THE SAME SENTENCE. HAVEN'T THEY BEEN OUT? A.D. HAS BEEN OUT 20 GAMES. AND, AGAIN, WE'RE LEADING BACK ON MAX KELLERMAN BEFORE K.D. WENT DOWN IN THE FINALS, BECAUSE MAX KEPT SAYING, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT Y'ALL SAY. EVEN THOUGH SOME PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE AFTER HE TORE THE AKILLY, ONE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OTHER. MAX: IF IT QUACKS LIKE A DUCK. STEPHEN A: WELL, YOU KNOW ME. BUT MY ANTENNAS ARE GETTING RAISED. I'M ABOUT TO GET NOSY. USUALLY I GET JUST SIT BACK. I HAVE CONTACTS. I HAVE BEEN COVERING THE LEAGUE FOR A QUARTER OF A CENTURY. I HAVE CONTACTS. BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME, OK? I DON'T HAVE TIME, ALL RIGHT? I GET MY INFORMATION, BUT I LEAN ON THE DUDES, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A CREW HERE AT ESPN. BUT I'M GETTING SUSPICIOUS. IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT TOO LONG WITH THESE INJURIES. AND I'M GETTING -- I'M STARTING TO FEEL, MAX, THAT YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S WORSE THAN WE'RE BEING LED TO BELIEVE. AND SO I'M OF THE MINDSET -- FIRST OF ALL, LAKERS AREN'T WINNING THE WEST WITHOUT A.D. AND LeBRON. AND I AIN'T WORRIED ABOUT LeBRON COMING BACK. I'M NOT ACCUSING HIM OF FAKING AN INJURY, I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY PLAYER, ESPECIALLY LeBRON. BUT I DON'T CARE IF HE'S OUT FOR A WHILE. HE DESERVES IT. HE ONLY MISSED ONE GAME THIS YEAR. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN IF LeBRON TAKES THE NEXT MONTH OFF. I KNOW THAT BROTHER IS GOING TO BE READY COME PLAYOFF TIME. I HAVE NO DOUBT. A.D. IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER. WITHOUT A.D., THE LAKERS MIGHT GO HOME IN THE FIRST ROUND. NOW, I CAN'T SEE IT BECAUSE LeBRON DON'T GO HOME IN THE FIRST ROUND. BUT I'M GETTING VERY, VERY, VERY SUSPICIOUS ON THE WEST COAST WITH A.D. AND ON THE EAST COAST WITH K.D. I'M GETTING VERY, VERY SUSPICIOUS. MAX: SHERLOCK IS GOING TO DUST OFF THE PIPE AND THE HAT. STEPHEN A: PERRY MASON. PICK IT. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN. I'M BEYOND INQUISITIVE AT THIS POINT. MAX: I DON'T BLAME YOU. STEPHEN A: I'M NOT READY TO SAY THAT THE LAKERS HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE THERE'S NOT SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT WITH A.D. AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT -- AND I SAID THIS FROM DAY ONE. AIN'T NO WAY IN HELL HE'S COMING BACK 100%. HE'S GOING TO PLAY 100%, HE'S GOING TO BE UNCONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING. I DON'T BELIEVE IT, MAX. I DON'T BELIEVE IT. SO BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT'S WHY I SAY TO YOU, I'M NOT SURE AT ALL. AND I DON'T THINK YOU NOR ANYONE ELSE SHOULD BE SURE ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS BECAUSE THEY NEED BOTH TO DEFEND THEIR CROWN. NOT JUST LeBRON. MAX: WELL, THAT'S RIGHT. YOU CAN'T BE SURE. AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE SUSPICIOUS. K.D. HAS BEEN M.I.A. AND SO HAS A.D. STEPHEN A: RIGHT. MAX: AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE ASKING, ARE YOU LOSING FAITH? YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN SORT OF AN ARTICLE OF FAITH. YEAH, YEAH, BUT WHEN K.D. GETS BACK. AND WHEN A.D. GETS BACK TO THE LAKERS, YOU CAN LOOK AT ODDS IN VEGAS. THOSE ARE THE TWO LEADING ODDS-ON FAVORITES, THE NETS AND THE LAKERS. STEPHEN A: WELL, K.D. WAS THE HAMSTRING. BUT A.D. IT WAS THE CALF. MAX: NOW YOU HAVE LEG ISSUES. SO YOU GET WORRIED. BY THE WAY, LOOK INTO IT. THAT'S WORTH LOOKING INTO. I'LL SAY THIS, THOUGH. I STILL HAVE FAITH IN THE SENSE THAT WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED SO FAR IS THAT A.D. WILL BE BACK. I'LL STICK TO THE LAKERS RIGHT NOW. A.D. IS SUPPOSED TO PLAY IN APRIL. DOES THAT GIVE HIM AND THE LAKERS -- NUMBER ONE, CAN THE LAKERS SURVIVE UNTIL THEN AND HOLD ONTO A PLAYOFF SEED? I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES. NUMBER TWO, EVEN IF IT'S 15 GAMES, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WIN FIVE OF THOSE, LET'S SAY. NUMBER TWO, ONCE HE GETS BACK, AND LeBRON GETS BACK, DO THEY HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THE CHEMISTRY GOING AND GET IN SHAPE BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS? I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES. THEN I ASK MYSELF, IF THEY HAVE LeBRON AND A.D., MOST OF THEMSELVES, MOST OF THEMSELVES, DO I LIKE THEM TO GET OUT OF THE WEST? THE ANSWER IS YES. BY THE WAY, YOU BROUGHT UP LeBRON'S INJURY. YOU KNOW HE'S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. AS A LAKERS FAN, ANY LAKERS FAN OUT THERE SHOULD THANK THEIR LUCKY STARS BECAUSE THAT INJURY TO ME, STEPHEN A., WHEN I SAW IT ORIGINALLY, LOOKED LIKE A SEASON-ENDER TO ME. STEPHEN A: IT DIDN'T TO ME. MAX: THE KNEE TO ME SEEMED TO MOVE TO THE SIDE. I WAS LIKE, UH-OH. THE FACT THAT IT'S A HIGH ANKLE SPRAIN IS A BLESSING. STEPHEN A: I WASN'T CONCERNED ABOUT IT AT ALL BECAUSE IT WAS LeBRON. YOU KNOW, HE NEEDS A BREAK. HE NEEDS A BREAK ANYWAY. MAX: HE WALKED OFF BY HIMSELF. THAT WAS GOOD. STEPHEN A: THE GUY IS 36 YEARS OF AGE, IN HIS 18th SEASON, AND PLAYING MORE GAMES THAN ANYBODY ELSE. IF I'M OTHER GUYS, I WOULD BE EMBARRASSED. NOT GUYS WITH LEGITIMATE, BONA FIDE INJURIES THAT HAVE THEM OUT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE STRAINS AND YOU'RE NOT 100% AND THAT'S A REASON TO TAKE NIGHTS OFF AND ALL OF THIS OTHER STUFF. THE BROTHER DOESN'T MISS GAMES. SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, I AIN'T WORRIED ABOUT LeBRON. HE DESERVES THIS BREAK. A.D. IS A HUGE CONCERN TO ME. MAX: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF HIMSELF DOES A.D. HAVE TO COME BACK AT FOR THEM TO GET OUT OF THE WEST, PAST THE JAZZ, NUGGETS, CLIPPERS, AND SUNS? STEPHEN A: 85%. MAX: 85%. HE HAS TO BE MOSTLY HIMSELF. STEPHEN A: AT LEAST 85%. IF ANTHONY DAVIS IS NOT AT LEAST 85%, THE LAKERS ARE NOT COMING OUT OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE. THE LAKERS AIN'T GETTING TO THE CONFERENCE FINALS. MAX: DON'T SLEEP ON THE MAVS EITHER. THEY HAD A LOT OF COVID ISSUES EARLY. BUT THE WEST IS A BEAST RIGHT NOW. STEPHEN A: YOU SAY MAVS. I'M GOING TO BRING UP THE SUNS. I LOVE THE FACT THEY GOT COACHING. POINT GUARD PLAY. A STAR IN DEVIN BOOKER. I LOVE WHAT I'M SEEING FROM PHOENIX. I STILL THINK THEY ARE A PIECE AWAY. BUT FOR ME, THIS IS IT. IF THE CLIPPERS CAN'T DO IT THIS YEAR, EXCUSE ME, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE WHOLE KAWHI LEONARD MOVE WAS AN ABSOLUTE BUST. MAX: LAST THING. JAMAL MURRAY IS NORMALLY ABOUT A BORDERLINE ALL-STAR REGULAR SEASON. HE WAS A SUPERSTAR IN THE PLAYOFFS. STEPHEN A: WHO? MAX: JAMAL MURRAY. IF HE SHOWS UP IN THESE PLAYOFFS, DENVER IS AS LIVE AS ANYBODY. STEPHEN A: I BELIEVE THAT JAMAL MURRAY WILL -- MOLLY: I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU JUST GLOSS OVER WHAT STEPHEN A. JUST SAID. THAT KAWHI POINT. THAT'S WILD. STEPHEN A: I'M GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN. IF THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS DON'T EVEN MAKE IT TO THE CONFERENCE
