On Tuesday's show, we talked about Austin Reaves, his great run to this point with Team USA in the World Cup, and how he might be a catalyst for helping lighten the load on LeBron James this season, something the Lakers have been trying to do for a couple seasons now.

One viewer of the show wondered if that's possible, saying in his mind, LeBron wouldn't let that happen.

But is that really the issue?

Dig into the numbers, and it's clear the team hasn't had any success lowering his burden, even last season after the deadline and the Lakers had a better roster. Why? Well, in part because on offense at least, deemphasizing LeBron is a questionable hoops choice. Is he old? Yes. But he's also still elite, and better at _____ offensively that pretty much anyone the Lakers are going to use (particularly in the role of an orchestrator). Plus, with superstars, it's often the teammates who do the deferring.

So can Reaves help? Well, he does share an ethos and some of the skill set that LeBron brings offensively (though obviously not at the same level). But really, if LeBron is playing, he's going to be LeBron. So the can the Lakers get him to play less? Maybe that's where guys like Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and (obviously) Anthony Davis play a significant role. Can the Lakers get off to a strong start this season? Can they put games away so stars can sit late?

Meanwhile, Robert Horry says Michael Cooper should have his jersey retired by the Lakers, and has his reasons. They are, especially for someone like Cooper, who many think is worthy of the Hall of Fame, very reasonable. The Lakers, as everyone knows, only retire the jerseys of HOFers. But would/should Coop be the exception to the rule?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Can Reaves really lower the burden on LeBron? Can anyone?

SEGMENT 2: How could the Lakers actually take some burden off LeBron?

SEGMENT 3: Is Michael Cooper worthy of having his jersey retired by the Lakers (given their rules)?

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