It’s showing Luka will win CPOTY on the above list.
What is CPOTY? Can someone help me?

You nailed it, DJ! Ever since that unforgettable Bubble championship year, I’ve never been this thrilled about the Lakers! The excitement is electric, and I can feel it in every game. This team has all the makings of something monumental, and I genuinely believe we’re on the verge of witnessing history. Trust me, the best is yet to come—I can hardly wait for the season’s grand finale!

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is cooking. With the playoffs around the corner and all eyes on whether LeBron James and Luka Doncic can dominate together, Redick isn’t just rolling out practice drills—he’s rebooting the entire mindset of this Lakers squad. While the spotlight is (rightfully) shining on LeBron’s health and Maxi Kleber’s progress, the real headline might be something deeper: Redick is working on the Lakers’ soul.

And he just confirmed it. “No live action. Today was potentially not a mental day. We’ll get into the mental and prep side tomorrow,” Redick said when asked about practice. “Today was just about getting back up in the gym, some conditioning, a lot of shooting.”

That might sound like your average off-day update, but let’s decode that. Redick is intentionally pacing this team—pressing reset, sharpening the mental blades, and turning the intensity dial slowly before cranking it to full blast against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That, folks, is a coach playing chess while others play HORSE.

If you’ve been watching the 2024-25 Lakers, you know they’ve gone through waves. From LeBron’s mid-season groin injury to the wild Doncic trade, to watching Redick evolve from podcasting to playoff planning—it’s been a Hollywood script in real time. And now, Coach JJ is writing the third act.

The Lakers didn’t just win 50 games—they survived a chaotic season, built chemistry, and turned adversity into armor. And now, Redick wants that energy focused, refined, and battle-tested for what’s to come.

His leadership style isn’t about yelling in the locker room—it’s about recalibrating. Turning the vibes around. Making sure everyone—from the rookies to the King—is mentally aligned for a post-season grind that’ll test every muscle, every instinct, and every heartbeat. That’s why this “non-live” practice was so crucial. This wasn’t rest—it was the calm before the storm.

LeBron James Is “Fine,” But Redick’s Handling Him Like Gold

Let’s talk LeBron. The groin injury he suffered against the Rockets on April 9 had fans holding their breath. After all, this man is 22 seasons deep and still the engine that powers LA’s playoff train. But Redick was quick to squash the panic. “LeBron was a full participant in shooting and conditioning,” he said, adding that the injury was minor and James is “fine.”

The vibes? Immaculate. The King is healthy. And not only that—he’s peaking at just the right time. You don’t bench LeBron for fun during a playoff push. You protect the investment. You let him get his shots up and stay loose, and you unleash him when the lights are brightest. And that’s exactly what JJ Redick’s doing.

With Luka beside him and fresh legs underneath, this might be the most dangerous LeBron we’ve seen since the Bubble.

…

Let’s not forget about Maxi Kleber, the under-the-radar wild card who’s been inching closer to a return. The German big man has been sidelined since fracturing his foot in January (back when he was still a Maverick), but Redick confirmed Kleber is now doing shooting and conditioning drills. “Maxie is back on the court doing on-court activities, but there’s no timeline,” Redick clarified.

Seriously, two of the greatest and smartest point guards to ever play the game being on the same team together. Lakers in 5!

I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves. There is something called “rust” after a long layoff. Let’s keep that in mind.

My thing is, is he ever going to play?

He could see some time in the waning moments, but otherwise, no.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Color us shocked … ESPN’s panel of NBA experts have unanimously predicted that the Los Angeles Lakers will take out the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Western Conference first-round series set to tip off on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Wolves finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the West, after winning eight of their last 10 games. That hot form, that included wins over Detroit, Denver and Memphis (all teams in the playoffs), wasn’t enough to get even one of ESPN’s 10 “NBA experts” to choose Minnesota in the playoff picks the organization released on Monday.

Motivation pic.twitter.com/iL1qPiizKt

— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) April 14, 2025
Wolves TV analyst Jim Petersen commented on the unanimous decision by posting a screenshot on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account, saying “Motivation.”

While the experts predicted the Lakers to win the series, Minnesota is at least expected to not go down easy. Eight of the 10 experts have the series going to six games, with the other two predicting Minnesota taking it all the way to a Game 7.

Minnesota and Los Angeles split the regular-season series, with each team winning a pair of games. Each team won their home games in the series, including the season opener between the two teams in which the Lakers topped the Wolves 110-103 in Los Angeles. Only one of those games, however, came after the Lakers acquired star guard Luka Doncic.

Three of the four games came in the opening two months of the season. Doncic played in the final matchup between the two teams, a 111-102 Lakers win on Feb. 27.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series tips off Saturday in Los Angeles, with a nationally televised tipoff at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

If McDaniels guards Luka Randle guards LeBron Ant Man guards ARDoes that put Mike Conley or Rui? That would be a massive mismatch. Point being whoever Conley is guarding has to get at least 20+ shots, if it’s AR, Rui, Luka, DFS or someone else. THAT’S THE MISMATCH!— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) April 14, 2025

Note to his successor: they’ll give you a 5 year deal but you’ll only have to work the first season.