Lakers coach Luke Walton will have the final say on who wins the 15th roster spot in training camp, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. GM Rob Pelinka made the comment during the team’s media day. Bresnahan hints that it could come down to center Andrew Bogut or guard Vander Blue. Bogut signed a one-year, $2.3MM contract but only $50K is guaranteed. Blue hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2014/15 season. Pelinka added that the team isn’t actively seeking another veteran player, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
In other news regarding the Lakers:
- President of basketball operations Magic Johnson isn’t concerned about LaVar Ball’s antics or comments unless it impacts the on-court effectiveness of son and rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, he told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN and other media members. “Only time I am going to concern myself with what [Lonzo] does off the court is if it is affecting his play on the court,” Johnson said. The Hall of Famer already considers the rookie as the team’s leader heading into his first season. “We needed a leader on this team,” Johnson said. “And we have one now.”
- Johnson is mainly concerned that the team displays improvement this season and demonstrates to future free agents that the franchise is once again an attractive destination, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Johnson does believe this season’s group is talented enough to make the playoffs, Ganguli adds. LeBron James and Paul George, among others, are expected to seriously consider the Lakers next summer.
- George said he’s more concerned with winning than joining his hometown team, Sam Amick of USA Today relays. George believes he can win a championship with the Thunder. “You ask anybody, and who wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team?” George said. “Who wouldn’t want to go home and win a championship for their home? So yeah, a lot of me wanted to be a Laker. Even in the draft, coming out of the draft, I wanted to be a Clipper, to have a chance to play at home…(But) I’m not solely tied to LA. This feels like a championship team. Like I said, man, I’m in a good place.”
Vander blue and lonzo ball can form a fearsome backcourt known as the blue balls
Lol
Haha the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail… shouldnt have put “blue” before “ball”.
Are the Lakers gonna challenge the Warriors this season? Obviously not. But I think they’ve put together a squad capable of making a playoff push.
PG: Ball, Hart
SG: KCP, Clarkson
SF: Ingram, Deng
PF: Randle, Kuzma
C: Lopez, Nance Jr.
A lot of youth no doubt. But there’s a lot of athleticism, upside, and what could be a great TEAM system
What does “playoff push” mean? The Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Wolves, Nuggets, Blazers, and Grizzlies are all clearly better. And the Pelicans and Jazz are probably better too. That’s ten teams right there. There will be no “playoff push.”
And the Clippers to add to that list…. Lakers won’t be near the playoffs
I also hope and think they can surprise people this season and possibly sniff around the 8th seed…a couple years from now they will be back on top