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Lakers Record- 14-41
Jazz Record- 21-34

Last 10 Laker games- 1-9
Last 10 Jazz games- 5-5

Lakers probable starters- Clarkson/Ellington/Kelly/Black/Sacre
Jazz probable starters- Exum/Hayward/Ingles/Favors/Gobert

Outlook- There were some optimistic whispers coming from some of the Lakers media employees about this being a "winnable" game, but I disagree. Not only are the Jazz a more talented team, but they've been really clicking of late. Gordon Hayward has continued his growth and is slowly becoming a franchise level talent. This season he's averaging nearly 20/5/4 with 1.4 steals as well. Derrick Favors has been strong as well averaging 16/8 with 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists as well. The real story out in Utah though is the development of Rudy Gobert. He was heralded as a defensive minded project that's at least a few years away, but he's really bloomed this year. In his last seven games he's averaging 5.5/10.5 with 4 blocks!

Meanwhile the Lakers are coming off of one of their...

The Lakers were the only NBA team without a representative at the 2013 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, symbolic of their disregard for advanced stats. Two years later, they say they have begun to take steps toward adopting a new approach, but the progress is invisible so far.

Former Lakers head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and his son, Trey, have been providing basic statistical analysis to the front office for years, but it's only recently that the Lakers have invested in an analytics department. GM Mitch Kupchak told ESPN.com that SportVU data has "changed this whole business" and that he has brought aboard a group of four employees to interpret the data.

But the Lakers were slow to embrace SportVU data, not being willing to pay for the cameras before the NBA stepped up and installed them in every arena. And while Kupchak indicated most SportVU analysis is directed toward the coaching staff, with assistant coach Mark Madsen as a conduit, it's hard to find any evidence of Byron...

My latest on the Lakers trade deadline madness. Hang in there everyone, and keep your fingers crossed for the tank! I would love to hear your opinions!

LOS ANGELES — Any Lakers fan who wanted the club to acquire Goran Dragic at Thursday's NBA trade deadline doesn't get it.

The Lakers' path back to relevance, because of how few assets they have, requires them to get pieces for the future without giving up pieces for the future.

Yes, it was a downer for the Lakers that the Phoenix Suns accepted the Miami Heat's offer of two first-round picks to rent Dragic for the rest of this season. The Lakers' best bet to land Dragic or Rajon Rondo as their next point guard via offseason free agency was not to trade these guys this season to new locales they might experience and adore.

Obviously, to give up so much for him, the Heat expect to re-sign Dragic after he opts out this summer. The Dallas Mavericks were thinking the same thing in surrendering draft picks and young talent to Boston for free-agent-to-be Rondo in December.

The Lakers weren't in position to do that sort of thing after already trying that to get Dwight Howard temporarily...

Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. He was just 52. He had a great NBA career. Glad he spent that 1 year with the Lakers. He always played his heart out there on the court. He's a Laker 4 Life. R.I.P. Jerome Kersey.