Lakers in the News 7/22/15: Hibbert, Williams, Bass eager for fresh starts with Lakers

 
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:32 am    Post subject: Lakers in the News 7/22/15: Hibbert, Williams, Bass eager for fresh starts with Lakers

Byron Scott sees Kobe Bryant 'playing more small forward next season'
by Harrison Faigen - silerscreenandroll.com

Young guards D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson started alongside one another in the backcourt for the Los Angeles Lakers Las Vegas Summer League team, but some were worried that one of the two would have to come off of the bench during the regular season, given that there is a certain Hall of Fame shooting guard set to return to the Lakers' lineup in the fall.

According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, that worry is unfounded, because Lakers head coach Byron Scott "sees Bryant playing more small forward next season." In addition to the Lakers young backcourt needing reps alongside each other, such a move also makes sense in order to save the older Bryant's legs as he ages and begins to lose some of his quickness. A similar shift down in position has helped some other aging veterans in recent years. For example, Paul Pierce shifting from small forward to power forward helped him play his most effective basketball of the year in the playoffs last season for the Washington Wizards.

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/7/22/9013137/la-lakers-kobe-bryant-small-forward


Last edited by lakersfreak on Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:59 pm; edited 3 times in total
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:36 am    Post subject:

LA Dodged Bullet in Failed Pursuit of Ty Lawson
by Tyler Conway - bleacherreport.com

Earlier this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers, spurned by every major player on the free-agent market, dipped their toes into the buy-low pool by trading an undisclosed future second-round pick for center Roy Hibbert.

In practice, I still don't understand the move for the Lakers. Their need for a rim protector was palpable, but Hibbert isn't taking this roster from bottom five to playoff contention; at best, he increases the likelihood of the Lakers shipping their top-three protected pick the Philadelphia 76ers' way. It was a move by a desperate team trying to avoid the proverbial whiff for the third straight offseason.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2527999-lakers-rumors-la-dodged-bullet-in-failed-pursuit-of-ty-lawson
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:49 am    Post subject:

Evaluating the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2015 Bench Players
by George Middleton - rantsports.com

The Los Angeles Lakers have some good pieces. Their starting lineup will likely consist of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, and Roy Hibbert. The problem with the Lakers is that they don’t have a reliable small forward. Bryant will have to start at small forward, as their only true small forward on the roster is rookie, Anthony Brown.

Starting Bryant at small forward won’t be the worst thing, as they have a chance to start Russell and Clarkson together. As for the bench, expect it to improve significantly this season.

The Lakers’ bench core will consist of Louis Williams, Nick Young, Jabari Brown, Ryan Kelly, Tarik Black, Robert Sacre, and Brandon Bass. Rookies Robert Upshaw, Larry Nance Jr, and Brown will have a chance to compete for a roster spot.

http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2015/07/21/evaluating-the-los-angeles-lakers-2015-bench-players/
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:51 am    Post subject:

Lakers' Infusion of Young Talent to Test Kobe's Ability to Take Needed Step Back
by Chris Palmer - bleacherreport.com

Kobe Bryant split a pair of hapless defenders like he was slipping through a closing door at the last second. Then, after breaching the lane, he looked off a third misguided soul, opening up a chasm for him to do the kind of things he does. He elevated and floated a beautiful ball over a desperate outstretched arm, which sank through the hoop just as he had planned. They were the prettiest of his 50 points. He turned and ran back down the court with a confident scowl, all the while nodding his head.

The feeling in the gym on that cold February night in 1996 was palpable—this guy is something special.

The gaggle of big-name coaches slouched out of the gym that day crestfallen by the ever-increasing rumor pulsating through the crowd like the tide incessantly breaking on a lonely beach. Even Coach K had given up hope of landing Bryant.

The prodigy was taking his talents far away from any college campus. The decision would ultimately spark the beginning of a new era for the Lakers. But two days later, something else happened that would end up shaping the fortunes of the Lakers 19 years later.

Some 675 miles away, in a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, unbeknownst to any basketball prognosticator or dejected college coach, D'Angelo Russell Jr. was born.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2512893-lakers-infusion-of-young-talent-to-test-kobes-ability-to-take-needed-step-back
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:00 am    Post subject:

Roy Hibbert too tall for roller coasters at Six Flags
by Ananth Pandian - cbssports.com

Standing a couple inches over seven feet, Roy Hibbert is an imposing figure on a basketball court. However, Hibbert's height is not advantageous at Six Flags.

TMZ caught up with the new Lakers center and asked where he would like more appropriate and accommodating seating for a very tall man like himself. Not skipping a beat, Hibbert lamented about the seating on roller coasters and sadly (although he was smiling) revealed that he is unable to ride the roller coasters at Six Flags because he is too tall.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25247500/lakers-roy-hibbert-is-too-tall-for-the-roller-coasters-at-six-flags
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:02 am    Post subject:

Lakers Summer League: Robert Upshaw was a mountain in the Lakers' offense, pick-and-roll
by Drew Garrison - silverscreenandroll.com

The Los Angeles Lakers made a low-risk, high-upside move when they locked up a commitment from undrafted big man Robert Upshaw immediately following the NBA Draft. He's said all of the right things since, and finally had an opportunity to show what he can bring on the court at Summer League. Upshaw played in limited minutes, but he didn't fail to show the kind of moldable talent that makes his ceiling seem so high.

There were dazzling moments, like the baseline turnaround and-one he hit over the top of Karl-Anthony Towns in the Lakers' opener. Upshaw came up with his fair share of blocks, bodied up the best young center prospects in Vegas and walked away looking like the kind of first-round talent he's been projected as.

Where he leveraged himself into the Lakers' plans during Summer League the most, though, was how he was the best pick-and-roll partner for D'Angelo Russell. Russell's finest moment of Summer League -- at least as a shooter -- came in a fourth-quarter stretch where he hit four jumpers out of the pick-and-roll against Utah. Upshaw set the first three of those screens.

Here's a closer look at that sequence between Russell and Upshaw, and a stray look at the same pick-and-roll dynamic earlier in the week against the 76ers:

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/7/22/9014907/la-lakers-robert-upshaw-summer-league-screens-analysis
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:03 am    Post subject:

Brandon Bass Reflects On Byron Scott Motivating Him In His Early Years
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Of the three off-season acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, forward Brandon Bass was probably the least known. While Roy Hibbert is a former All-Star and Lou Williams won Sixth Man of the Year last season, Bass has long been a solid professional who does his job every night.

Bass was drafted by New Orleans in 2003 where he was coached by now Lakers head coach Byron Scott for his first two years in the league. At his introductory press conference, Bass said that Scott motivated him to get in the gym during those years via the Los Angeles Lakers’ official Twitter:

http://www.lakersnation.com/brandon-bass-reflects-on-byron-scott-motivating-him-in-his-early-years/2015/07/22/
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:08 am    Post subject:

Is Byron Scott the Right Coach for the Lakers?
by TYRIQ BUTLER - todaysfastbreak.com

They thought they had their man, and then they didn’t. They thought so again, but the verdict has yet to be rendered on whether they actually do.

After back-to-back disgraceful seasons, the Lakers have become that automatic win for opponents on team calendars; that joke among league executives during conference calls. Are we sure the right guy is coaching this team?

This goes back to the frenzy following the 1-4 start in the 2012-13 season. Everyone thought coaching legend Phil Jackson was on his way back to the Staples Center sidelines. But Jim Buss wanted to be the smartest guy in the room, so he went with Mike D’Antoni and it blew up in his face.

After that failed experiment, Byron Scott marched in the door with a smile that glistened incredibly. Lakers Nation is familiar with the Scott that wore the jersey, but not the one sporting the suit. So they half-heartedly gravitated toward joyous acceptance, but in the end, they’re still waiting to be convinced he belongs at the helm.

https://www.todaysfastbreak.com/nba-west/pacific/los-angeles-lakers/is-byron-scott-right-coach-lakers/
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:12 pm    Post subject:

Three new Lakers answer their first Kobe Bryant question with a chorus of silence
by Kelly Dwyer - sports.yahoo.com

The Los Angeles Lakers did not sign any All-Stars this summer, franchise-level types like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love told the team “no” before moving onto championship contenders as free agents, but this wasn’t the worst summer! They signed and traded for former All-Stars! There’s nary a Carlos Boozer or Jeremy Lin acquisition to triumph!

Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Brandon Bass – these are all really good players! Surely they’d appease the competitive spirit of one Kobe Bryant, reported to be entering the final year of his NBA career in 2015-16.

If the team’s press conference on Wednesday is any indication … eh, nah:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/three-new-lakers-answer-their-first-kobe-bryant-question-with-a-chorus-of-silence-200801256.html
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:59 pm    Post subject:

Hibbert, Williams, Bass eager for fresh starts with Lakers
by GREG BEACHAM - AP

Right after Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Brandon Bass received their new gold jerseys Wednesday, they all spoke variations on the same theme.

The three veteran NBA players entered the summer looking for a fresh start, and they're all eager to get it with the Los Angeles Lakers.

They're also looking forward to playing with Kobe Bryant — after they get a chance to talk to him.

"I appreciate the Lakers getting me out here, and I'm going to work extremely hard to make sure the Lakers get back to where they should be," Hibbert said.

The Lakers were thrilled to swing a trade for Hibbert, the 7-foot-2 center who spent the past seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers. The two-time All-Star had already moved to Los Angeles before the deal happened, and he is determined to return to dominant defensive form after a perceived down season precipitated his departure from Indiana.

http://news.yahoo.com/hibbert-williams-bass-eager-fresh-starts-lakers-225028700--spt.html
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