Jim Alexander: I’m reporting this morning from La Quinta and what we veteran human beings still consider the Bob Hope Classic. Let’s just call it The Hope, sponsored by American Express. And it’s going to be in the 70s today, or about 65 degrees warmer than it was where I was over the weekend. The Detroit temps were bad, and trying to get in and out of town was worse thanks to weather delays. I got home a day late and my checked luggage got home a day after that. Good times.

Anyway, an interesting item first on the list today is the apparent marriage of Diamond Sports (aka the Bally Sports cable networks) and Amazon Prime, which includes an infusion of capital – estimated at $115 million to start – to help Diamond get through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and stay afloat. That will be of interest to those who watch Angels, Kings, Ducks and Clippers games in this market, but there’s no certainty that this is a long-term solution.

But what does this mean, not only for local fans but for the future of sports television? Amazon already has its nose in the sports tent with Thursday night football, Apple TV+ and MLS are joined at the hip, and Peacock’s massive numbers for last weekend’s NFL playoff games – its exclusive coverage of Chiefs-Dolphins on Saturday (save for over-the-air TV in the teams’ markets) and its simulcast with NBC of Rams-Lions on Sunday – suggest that streaming is not only here to stay in sports programming but has the wherewithal to be a major player in future rights negotiations.

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Or is it just a mirage? Your thoughts?

Mirjam Swanson: I wish I had a crystal ball so I could tell you that … and Friday’s Mega Millions numbers. Actually, I’d keep those to myself.

But in terms of catching sports action on TV going forward? It seems a lot of people want things to go the way of streaming, but it also seems like this deal with Diamond (aka Bally) and Amazon is going to force the leagues to remain aligned with the cable provider for the duration of their contracts – instead of letting MLB and the NBA and NHL take the off-ramp they were anticipating with Diamond’s bankruptcy.

From what I’ve been reading, those leagues were looking forward to shopping their respective products to bidders that they expected would include Amazon. But now that Amazon has entered into an agreement with Diamond, that’s a lot less leverage for those leagues beyond 2024.

What does that mean? Are we going to see more owners like Mark Cuban selling, if media rights revenue falls? Or not? The entire landscape is changing and fluid, and although the audience for live sports remains, hungry and dedicated, we’re also becoming more fragmented, and so … you really do need a crystal ball to determine how you’re going to be watching a ballgame in five years.

Jim: OK, here’s an alternate history question: Say that the Pac-12’s media rights contract was up at the end of the 2024-25 school year, instead of ‘23-24, and the negotiations were taking place now. Would the schools have taken a second look at the Amazon contract, or sought offers from Apple TV+ or Peacock, given what we know now? In retrospect, it just seems like a wasted opportunity. The schools had no interest in a low-guarantee deal, but would the potential for additional revenue depending on subscription numbers have swayed them enough to keep the gang together?

To be honest, I’m not sure the answer would have been any different a year from now. And you’re right, it is foolish to try to predict the future of sports viewing – and sports media contracts – even three to five years down the road. So, I guess, “get the money while you can” is never a horrible strategy.

And yes, I’ll be in line at my local 7-Eleven tomorrow to get that winning ticket. (Snicker.)

Meanwhile, speaking of a winning ticket, oh, us of little faith where the Clippers and James Harden were concerned. I’ll again ask for forgiveness from Clipper Nation, for now anyway, because it took only five games for the team to figure out how to add one additional star and make it work. Lately the Clippers have been a far more entertaining team to watch – players move, the ball moves, Harden facilitates, and the result is basketball as it was meant to be played.

But having Ivica Zubac out for four weeks with a calf injury isn’t going to help, at all. Is consistently good health really too much to ask for this team?

Mirjam: Hate to break it to Lakers coach Darvin Ham, but basically no NBA team is all the way healthy for more than a few games at a time during a season. Clippers included, as we all know.

And, yes, Zu, the Clippers’ dependable and ever-improving big man, is a big part of what the they do. But they’ve accumulated depth at the center position; Mason Plumlee is back from injury just in time and Daniel Theis is an energetic and effective backup. So I think they’ll be able to withstand Zubac’s rare – no, unprecedented – extended absence.

Especially with the way Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have synced their games.

How long can they keep this good thing going? If THOSE three guys stay healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re very much in the mix late in the season.

Jim: Has anyone heard a word out of Russell Westbrook lately? I always thought that if there were a wild card in this experiment it would be either Harden or Westbrook. Right now Harden is content enough to talk about finishing his career as a Clipper (though seeing will be believing). A non-grumpy and productive Russ goes a long way toward making this work, too.

And then there’s the other team in town. A week ago, the Lakers were drilled by Phoenix and two nights later they lost in Utah when LeBron didn’t play. Now they’ve won two in a row, and watching the way they ran away from Dallas in the second half Wednesday night was impressive. They were actually watchable – finding the open man, getting out on the fast break, doing the things that strong teams do.

Can they keep it up for a while? Is this a mirage? Or is there a trade out there that can kick-start this season the way Rob Pelinka’s deals last year transformed a struggling team into a conference finalist?

This is why they play 82 games, right?

Mirjam: The team that reached the Western Conference finals is still there – if the Lakers choose to use it. But for some reason, they’ve resisted actually running the team they ran back this season. Austin Reaves was benched early, and then D’Angelo Russell was too. Rui Hachimura is still getting limited minutes.

But when those guys play, good things tend to happen.

Take DLo, who’s averaging 27.3 points, 5.7 assists on 53% shooting (52% from 3-point range), in three games since returning to the starting lineup. And the Lakers have won two of those games, and both in which LeBron played – and played in without having to handle as much of the ball-handling burden.