Buha's Block with Jovan Buha

Jovan Buha answers your questions on the coaching search and offseason plans in the latest Buha's Block mailbag. Jovan covers the Los Angeles Lakers potentially trading the No. 17 pick, the timeline of the coaching search, if Micah Nori and David Adelman are candidates, D'Angelo Russell's market, his prediction for the next Lakers head coach, optimism for Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie's future...

As the Los Angeles Lakers begin their coaching search, there are three important lessons from the tenures of Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham that they need to apply moving forward. Jovan Buha covers the importance of nailing the basics with their next coach, why the Lakers will need to be more competitive with their contract offer, prioritizing the alignment between the coach, front office and players,...

In Episode 19, Jovan Buha reacts to the news that the Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on Friday, May 3, 2024. Jovan covers where the season went wrong for Darvin Ham, why this isn't all his fault, the latest names he's hearing on the Lakers' coaching search, what the organization is looking for, which candidates he finds most intriguing, and much more. If you enjoy this episode, please consider...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Ball Arena on Monday, April 29, 2024. Jovan covers the Lakers' Game 5 loss, the margins of the series, his report at The Athletic, the future of LeBron James, the future of Darvin, many of the questions the Lakers are facing, what we learned about LA in the postseaso...

In Episode 18, Jovan Buha answer your Lakers questions in my latest mailbag. Jovan discusses the best-case scenario with D'Angelo Russell this summer, if the Lakers can come back and beat the Denver Nuggets, the different offseason paths LA can take, if coming back to beat Denver and winning a fifth ring would make LeBron James the unanimous GOAT, if LeBron and Anthony Davis will have their jersey...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 119-108 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Jovan covers how LA finally beat Denver, the psychological impact after 11 straight losses, reasons for optimism, why Anthony Davis has been awesome and has me cursing, LeBron James taking over in the fourth quarter, D'A...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 112-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Jovan covers why this series is essentially over, D'Angelo Russell's disappearance against Denver, some of the tough decisions the Lakers will have to make this offseason, where the season went wrong, how LA was too small...

In Episode 17 of Buha’s Block, Jovan Buha breaks down three adjustments the Los Angeles Lakers need to make in Game 3 and beyond against the Denver Nuggets in their first-round NBA playoff series. Jovan covers the importance of not going down 3-0 in the series, the Lakers needing to keep Anthony Davis on Nikola Jokic, LA’s second-half offensive collapses, why the rotation should be tighter, how LA...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 101-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Ball Arena on Monday, April 22, 2024. Jovan covers why this is the worst of the 10 straight losses to Denver, how the Lakers blew a 20-point second-half lead, why they lost on a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater, why this feels more like a 3-0 series deficit than a 2-0 defic...

In Episode 16, Jovan Buha welcomes Sean Davis of Lakers Nation to break down the adjustments the Los Angeles Lakers should make for Game 2 and the rest of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Jovan and Sean discuss what they're encouraged about for LA from Game 1, their offensive and defensive adjustments for Game 2, how Christian Wood potentially fits into this series, what the La...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 114-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Ball Arena on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Jovan Buha covers LA's offensive struggles in the second half, the performances of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers' inability to slow Nikola Jokic and Denver's shooters, D'Angelo Russell's poor performance on both en...

In Episode 15, Jovan Buha welcomes Tim a.k.a. Cranjis McBasketball of the Lakers Exceptionalism podcast and BBall Index to preview the first-round NBA playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. Jovan and Tim discuss one question for each team, one player X-factor for each team and one series X-factor before making our series prediction. We touch on Darvin Ham's playcalling,...

In Episode 14, Jovan Buha answers your Lakers questions in his latest mailbag. Jovan covers where the Lakers rank among all playoff teams, if the Lakers are better than they were last season, the best way to defend the Denver Nuggets, Max Christie's future, the latest non-updates on Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt, his favorite games/moments of the season and more. If you enjoy this episode,...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Lakers' 110-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Jovan covers LA preserving through poor shooting performances for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Davis playing through back spasms, LA figuring out a way to hold on, the supporting cast stepping up, a couple of key benefits to winning the game, a quick Denver preview...

In Episode 13, Jovan Buha previews the Play-In matchup between the No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers and the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Jovan goes through additional notes from the regular-season finale, the season series numbers between the two teams, five adjustments for the Lakers, five adjustments for the Pelicans, and a matchup prediction, among othe...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Lakers' 124-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Sunday, April 14, 2024. Jovan covers LeBron James' two-way dominance, LA rising to the occasion in big games, the latest on Anthony Davis' back injury, why being in the No. 7 vs. No 8 game is a win-win situation, the (obvious) downside of playing Denver and more. If you enjoy this episode, ple...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on Friday, April 12, 2024. Jovan covers the impact of the Lakers' win in the standings, why this was an unserious performance from LA, D'Angelo Russell's recent shooting slump, the latest seeding developments, the stakes of Sunday's game in New Orleans and more. If you enjoy this episode, please consi...

In Episode 12, Jovan Buha welcomes Aaron Larsuel to discuss the fallout of the last few days for the Los Angeles Lakers, rank the four potential Play-In matchups, how the way the LA's season ends impacts its offseason, the theoretical offseason paths, preview the regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans and more. If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing, rating and revi...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakes' 134-120 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Jovan covers Anthony Davis' absence, LeBron James' performance through the flu, how the Lakers' season-long mistakes popped up at the worst time, why LA's previous bad losses from December and January are haunting them now, the different Play-In scenarios and more. I...

In Episode 11, Jovan Buha breaks down the Lakers’ final three games against the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans.  Jovan looks at each team’s statistical profile, how they match up with LA and the stakes in each scenario. He also examines the West standings and goes through the tiebreakers and how the Lakers can move up or down in the standings. If you enjoy this e...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Jovan covers the significance of this loss, the impact of the absences of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, why the Lakers should feel confident in a potential series against the Timberwolves, the notable performances of Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Spencer Dinwidd...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Jovan covers the Lakers moving up to No. 8, why the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In game is becoming more realistic, LA's perimeter defense, the ideal pace and rhythm for the Lakers' offense, the importance of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and more. If you...

In Episode 10, Jovan Buha welcomes Hoops Tonight host Jason Timpf to discuss the Lakers’ road trip, how they match up with the West, why LA should be a higher seed right now, how to integrate Jarred Vanderbilt (if he returns), the ideal playoff rotation and more. If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing, rating and reviewing. Chapters: (0:00) Intro (3:17) Are the Lakers peaking at th...

Jovan Buha to the Los Angeles Lakers' 125-120 win over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Jovan covers why this was a successful road trip, LA's unserious finish vs. Washington, Anthony Davis' dominant performance, the upcoming schedule, the latest with Jarred Vanderbilt and more. If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing, rating and reviewing. Ch...

Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-111 win over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Jovan covers why blowing the Raptors was important for Lebron James potentially playing on the second night of the back-to-back, how LA’s bench swung this game, Jaxson Hayes’ importance, Max Christie’s impressive play, the concerning point-of-attack defense and more. If...