Rich Paul Lowers the Temperature Around LeBron James and the Lakers, Plus, Second Half Keys!

So the first day of the rest of their lives starts today! Or at the least, the rest of the Lakers season. Thursday in El Segundo, Frank Vogel was honest about how high the Lakers could reasonably rise in the standings, and focused more on the level of play. Whatever their peak is, can it be reached by playoff time? And speaking of the playoffs, is there a real chance of advancing to the 8 spot? To the 7 seed? How real is the danger of dropping out of the top 10, entirely? The answer is in the schedule, because the Lakers will spend the next month facing teams they're chasing (like the Clippers, for example) and teams chasing them (New Orleans and San Antonio, to name two). Additionally, they play a lot on road, where they've ... not done well. So a lot of scenarios are still live! Fun! Finally, after some serious heat over the All-Star break around LeBron James and his relationship with the Lakers, Rich Paul made a point of turning down the temperature as the week has gone along. LeBron, he says, isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future. What that means is anyone's guess, because one man's definition of the future is not necessarily another's. Camp LeBron is a purposeful place. So why the very public dialing down of tension? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1 ; Carmelo Anthony is back. The Lakers are trying to get things together. Frank Vogel is realistic about what's possible. So what does that mean going forward? SEGMENT 2: Who needs to step up if the Lakers are going to make headway with Anthony Davis out? SEGMENT 3: Why did Rich Paul turn down the temperature between LeBron and the Lakers? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. TrueBill Don’t fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices