When he joined the Lakers, Carmelo Anthony knew he’d be coming off the bench, just like he did last season with the Trail Blazers. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times wonders if Anthony might be a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season.
For his part, Anthony is more focused on team success than individual accolades at this point in his career.
“[It’s] understanding what I have to do in those roles in order to help this team,” Anthony said. “So, in my mind, it’s not about winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. It’s about being the best sixth man for our team, if that’s the case. Knowing that, I have something to look forward to night in and night out, knowing that I got to come in fully prepared and ready to go.
“I think having that mentality kind of forces you or pushes you to play at a high level every night. Right?” Anthony said. “And not look in front of you or besides you and say, ‘I got so-and-so, I got this, I got that, I got that.‘”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale is back home in Los Angeles and happy to be there, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Goon takes an in-depth look at the veteran coach, who grew up in the L.A. area rooting for the Lakers.
- Avery Bradley, whom the Lakers claimed off waivers, recently opened up to Bill Oram of The Athletic about missing the team’s title run during the 2019/20 season. Bradley wanted to be with the club, but chose to opt out of the bubble to protect his son, who had a severe case of pneumonia in 2019. “We play this game for our family,” Bradley said. “Of course I love the game of basketball. That’s how I take care of my family is this game. It would be backwards if I didn’t focus on my family first.” The interview is worth reading in full.
- The Warriors‘ Bob Myers recently stated that the team tried to trade for free agent acquisition Nemanja Bjelica last season, writes Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We tried to trade for him a few times last year and just couldn’t find the right deal for (the Kings) and us, and then he got moved to Miami and never really got a foothold there,” Myers said Thursday morning on 95.7 The Game. “We’ve always liked him because we thought he could fit what we do, which is what you guys see, it’s a lot of read and react stuff, lot of randomness.“
Fizdale happy to be with Lebron again. The only way he gets another head coaching job is once again benefiting from him.
Why don’t you ask Fiz who made him a great coach (hint.. it wasn’t LeBron but it is Miami related)
Great coach? You mean great coach of those bad Grizzlies teams and a Knicks team that became a top 5 seed the year after he was fired?
I mean a coach universally respected around the NBA and had people like Dwyane Wade and Lebon calling teams on his behalf to get interviews. And the answer is Spolstra btw.
Fizdale has a terrible record (71-134) as a head coach and when he was fired midseason for the Knicks with a 4-18 record, Mike Miller went 17-27 with the same roster minus Marcus Morris. He stinks.
Being likable doesn’t make you a great coach. Adam Gase was the OC for the Broncos when Peyton Manning was there. Peyton loves Gase. By your logic Gase is a great coach.
Gase is actually a great comparison (but Fix is actually liked by people lol) some people are better X’s and O’s guys and others are better leaders… Fiz is the former more than the latter sadly. Gase is a great offensive mind.. but a borderline lunatic lol
So, your arguments here have been Fizdale is a great coach, Gase is a great coach, and it will be rigged if Herro doesn’t get 6th man of the year after 1 game and preseason?
1) great coaches.. not head coaches yes 2) and yes I stand by what I said about Herro.. I watched him all pre season and I watch how the heat are using him… he will be right around those numbers if he’s healthy all year and if he doesn’t get 6th man with those numbers its a popularity contest not a skill contest.
I bet you think Herro regressed last too don’t you? And if I tell you he was up in his stats almost across the board.. you’d think I was an idiot right?
No I just find it silly in an 82 game season to make hyperbolic statements like “if Herro doesn’t win sixth man of the year after 1 game and the preseason the award is rigged!”
Excatly ….. NY is a tough place to begin as a coach.
@Black
Ahhhh….so ignore the 43 win Griz and focus on the 7-12 Griz the next year when Conley missed 70 games. Or the 2018-19 Knicks sanz Julius Randle and RJ Barrett who weren’t acquired until the next year. I mean…. with Hardaway Jr, Dennis Smith, Mudiay and Kanter as your big 4 how could this team NOT win 50 games? Players respect him but he hasn’t exactly had talented teams. You ppl use zero context. I mean Popovich has been a sub 500 coach the last 2 years. Is that because he’s a bad coach or is he actually a great coach who lost 3 hof players but he’s staying a float because he IS a great coach? Certainly, Fiz is no Pop but it’s hard to say he’s a bad coach since most of his teams have had very little talent or in the case of the Griz were missing a key player to injuries.
He had both of them. You want to make a good argument. You should research before you open your mouth. Or any BS can come out of it. Another misinformed fan.
link to basketball-reference.com
Fizdale has to be worst Knick hire EVER. I don’t care what he did elsewhere. We in NY.
@Knicker
O..m..g your’re such a Richard. Fiz coached the Knicks for 82 games in in the 2018-2019 season and 22 games of the 2019-20 season. RJ was drafted June 2019 and Randle signed as a free agent 1 month later that July 2019. That means NEITHER were on the 2018-19 season when Fiz coached the FULL SEASON!!! They got off to a rough start in 2019-20 as the team had a 4-18 record but the following coach didn’t fair much better with a 17-27 record. And maybe it’s to the credit oh Thibs and his staff but Randle didn’t make the leap into being a legit star until the 20-21 season. So yeah, Fiz was WITHOUT Randle and RJ his only full year and had both for all of 22 games his 2nd year. So take your own advise lil Richard.
@Knicker
O..m..g. Fiz coached the Knicks for 82 games in in the 2018-2019 season and 22 games of the 2019-20 season. RJ was drafted June 2019 and Randle signed as a free agent 1 month later that July 2019. That means NEITHER were on the 2018-19 season when Fiz coached the FULL SEASON!!! They got off to a rough start in 2019-20 as the team had a 4-18 record but the following coach didn’t fair much better with a 17-27 record. And maybe it’s to the credit oh Thibs and his staff but Randle didn’t make the leap into being a legit star until the 20-21 season. So yeah, Fiz was WITHOUT Randle and RJ his only full year and had both for all of 22 games his 2nd year. So take your own.
Fizdale had plenty of talent his first yr. Randle was made by Thibs so was RJ. That’s what good coaches do. Fizdale did absolutely nothing to help his talent. Fact that you can argue over players that couldn’t have helped. Only amplifies what I say about you. The guy is one of worst coaches who ever coached Knicks. He was useless in every way. Could not coach or manage his management. A total team failure. What exactly do you need to prove here. I doubt you ever watch them. Just like you don’t now. Yet you are a genius. Miller had better than twice the record Fizdale had. With same exact team. Another guy who is nowhere to be found in NBA. Yet you want to talk Fizdale. You are this ignorant. You are the guy who said Thibs would fail. You think I don’t remember that. You still can’t even give Thibs the credit he deserves. In this post. You know as much about the Knicks as you do about Fizdale. Absolutely Nothing.
OMG you don’t even watch the team you know so well. OMG how small can you be. Cavs got more game than you got knowledge. That’s not much. OMG
@Knick
for some reason they won’t allow the post I sent. in short, Fitz coached the Knicks for 1 full season and then about 25 games the next. that first full season was without Randle nor RJ. The best player on that team were Hardaway Jr and Dennis Smith. Get YOUR facts straight.
If Tyler Herro isn’t 6th man of the year when he averages something like 25-6-7…. the NBA is rigged lol
When he averages 25 PPG? Hmmm. Has a 6th MOY winner ever done that?
Lou Williams probably came close.. but that was kinda my point.. Herro is going to lead the Heat in scoring coming off the bench this year. As long as he’s healthy he will average those numbers.
There is no way Herro is going to average 25-6-7
That.. or close to it.. quote me on this in march
Oh, I will. The scoring is just kind of ridiculous, the 6 boards and 7 assists are off the charts ridiculous.
You should watch him and the Heat more often then.
Dude…You’re wrong.
Based on one game, sure.
based on the entire preseason and the first game… but sure.
Lol… you literally have no clue
I watch every single game the heat play… so I probably know a bit more on this one than you brother
“based on the entire preseason”
Oh my sides.
yikes…
Those numbers arent happening, but Herro was a decent bet for 6th man of the year at +2000
Lakers should think about starting Melo and dropping Russ to the bench.
Would hell the spacing and Russ can run riot against other teams second units and find it easier to score.
Nunn often started over Dragic in Miami to give the team a better offence cause he’s more of a off ball scorer. Rondo also knows the system and the players (Bron AD and Howard) from his time their already could be a good fit.
Lakers start with Rondo/Nunn Bazemore Melo Bron and AD.
Could even have Melo stay on the bench and have a big start.
Doubt it happens tho
Lakers need chemistry. Arrogant to think you just put together Good players. And now your a favorite to win. They should be a better team after all star break. But I don’t see them coming out of West.
Made no sense the Heat traded for Bjelica and then refused to use him in a matchup where they needed him. At that point, they were better off with Harkless
Think it was similar to Mike Bibby, Soloman Hill, and others… not a great fit culture wise so they didn’t use him much.
They traded for him b/c they needed a floor spacing big after they traded Olynyk. In lineups with him and Butler, they had a good plus/minus. They needed his offense to make Milwaukee pay for using Portis at the 5, and they kept using Dedmond while they couldn’t close out to Portis and Forbes, while also not being able to contain Holiday from getting into the paint. If they weren’t going to use him, they should have stuck with Harkless, who also could have helped in that series, since they wouldnt use Okpala or Achiuwa in that series either, despite them having a good matchup, and playing well against Milwaukee late in the season…Bjelica has always been skilled as a big, putting the ball on the floor and playmaking, and shooting, and he is adequate defensively, especially when you have good pieces around him on defense. There is no reason he couldn’t have been used. Admittedly, he seemed a bit out of shape to me, but he looked like that all season, and if the Heat were going to have a problem conditioning wise, I dont get why they traded for him
He gives GS the floor spacing big they’ve needed for a while
For all the CP3 haters. Who said he was finished in OKC . a PG – “Point God”
As for Paul, he became the first player in NBA history to pair 20,000 points with 10,000 career assists while the defending Western Conference champions carved up the Lakers, who trailed by 32 points in the third quarter.
Why hate when you can appreciate. Love this game.
You can add his name to the storied list of greatest players without a ring.
And what’s that suppose to mean. He’s still one of best to ever do it. Unfortunately you still don’t understand this game. You win as a team. You lose as a team. This is a Team Sport. CP3 is one of greatest team players ever. His whole game is based solely on team play. He’s made over 250 mill. Got enough rings for whole NBA.
In my opinion, he is the greatest PG, behind Magic. Love Isaiah Thomas, and he has 2 big time rings against historical teams, but I personally think Chris Paul is one of the greatest players of all time, and I badly wanted him to win last year to cement that. They did everything right the entire season with their roster, and worh their rotations in the playoffs, and then after Saric got hurt, they went away from everything they did all year, and didnt use Kaminsky instead of Ayton for so many minutes, and once Milwaukee stopped using Brook Lopex for 35-40 minutes, and gave him 15-18 after Game 2, that was it for them. I personally dont think they’re as good as last year, although I still think they’re really good. They’re just missing a piece or 2 they previously had
I’ve said it when Ariza got hurt, and also in the offseason, but the Lakers have spacing issues, which is exacerbated by not having Wayne Ellington, and need balance on the floor. They could have used another 3 and D wing guy in addition to Ariza, who is more of a 4 nowadays, as that was already an issue for them last year before they lost their 2 3 and D wings they had with KCP and Wesley Matthews. Instead they added unnecessary bigs and an extra guard, and got rid of Gasol, which made no sense, and hurt their spacing and their defense against certain bigs. Now they’re missing multiple guys, and are going to lineups that dont really have shooting/spacing on the floor. I said it at the end of the preseason, but I think they should gove Austin Reaves looks in certain lineups, at least until Ellington comes back, and maybe even afterward until Ariza comes back, and see how that goes. I think he would play off Lebron really well, and he competes on both ends, and can shoot. Obviously, he is an undrafted rookie, but his skillset really fits some of those Lakers lineups with size across the board, and multiple playmakers. He moves really well off the ball and has a good basketball IQ. Also play Davis at the 5
CP3 over Curry?
Curry has 3 rings to none over CP3 including having the best regular season winning record ever. Also has 2 regular season MVPs to none.
Curry has played 4 seasons less but both have 4 all nba first teams, so Curry most likely beats him there by the end of the season.
Granted CP3 is a much better defender with all nba defensive team honours and stuff I just don’t think it makes up enough ground.
I’d have Magic 1, Curry 2, Big O 3, West 4 and CP3 at 5
Good question. Kerr offense is a lot like Phil’s Bulls. Where ir doesn’t really need a true PG. Curry is more a combo guard. Who is such a great shooter. You have to have him shoot and score. He plays the point but not like Chris. But do you want a game manager, assist, shot maker. Or a guy who can put up 40. And space the floor for your team. Imo depends on your team. You put Curry on this Suns team. I don’t think they win. Can’t go wrong with either one though.
Green is the point guard on offense. That is why the offense is so good. How many teams have a off guard as their main assist leader? Clippers had to double team Curry after the first quarter. If teams do not double team Curry he will light them up.
You don’t need to that all the time. You must play him and Warriors full court or 3/4 . Make the clock your friend. He’ll get less good looks on threes this way. Not going to stop Curry. But this is how you beat them. Only need to make stops when it counts.
Green might have led in ast. But Curry, KD, Russell, Klay, Iggy and whole team passes ball. Cause that’s what the offense calls for. Green only leads cause he finds open man. He doesn’t initiate the offense like a PG does. He’s a great passer no doubt. But he’s in right offense.
same can be said for Paul he is in the right offense. You have Booker that needs to be guarded. Ayton is your outlet if there is no outside shooters. Paul can still shoot so he needs to be guarded at all times. Suns offense is set up for Paul’s success.
“Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times wonders if Anthony might be a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season”
I got the answer for you Broderick.
No.
Will not even be in the top 5 for 6th man of the year award.
Big Chungus
This story here is NUTS ……
I’ve said it since he came into league. Zion should have a personal chef. And should never be over 255-260lbs. He can not do this without help or Maintenance. This will not end well.
link to sports.yahoo.com
maybe he should have chosen football.