Not that you'd expect otherwise, but Darvin Ham was talking up the Lakers roster earlier this week with Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune. Ham says the Lakers absolutely have a roster capable of winning an NBA championship. Not that he was saying the Lakers should be prohibitive favorites or anything, but that they've got the pieces to get it done. So is he right? Or is this just a coach delivering the normal platitudes you get in July? It's hard to argue with his premise. The Lakers, after all, are coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance, and even if you don't think they radically improved this offseason, they certainly didn't get any worse. (And realistically, while the improvement wasn't massive - that sort of transformative thing wasn't really available to them - they enter the season with a more balanced roster than last season and the opportunity to build with continuity. That continuity thing? Ham is a big proponent, calling it a major reason the Nuggets won a title, and noting that it's becoming a bigger trend across the league. The Lakers might have a history of chasing stars, but this year they are trying a different path. (And, for what it's worth, a better one.) So what does the rest of the conference look like? Denver took a small step back, losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. What about Memphis? Phoenix? How many known, or even semi-known quantities are there in the West? After Denver, and probably Sacramento, you've got the Lakers. Is that it? And finally, Kobe Bryant became a Laker on July 11, 1996. It feels like a long time ago, in so many ways (because it is) and at the same time, it doesn't. Perhaps because Bryant, because he died so suddenly and so prematurely, feels frozen in time. Looking back to that day in '96, it's interesting to think what would have happened if the Nets hadn't been scared away from drafting Bryant. The "Sliding Doors" scenarios are infinite. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Darvin Ham says the Lakers have a championship roster. Is he blowing smoke? SEGMENT 2: Remembering Kobe Bryant's arrival in LA, back in 1996. SEGMENT 3: Looking at the rest of the West. Because how the conference shapes up has a lot to do with the accuracy of Ham's statement. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Birddogs Go to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free Yeti style tumbler. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. Ibotta Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code MLB when you register.Just go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app and use code LOCKED. BetterHelp This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA for 10% off your first month and get on your way to being your best self. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices