The Lakers are expected to rely on their size with Trevor Ariza set to miss time due to an ankle injury, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes.
Ariza’s absence could lead to Los Angeles playing more lineups with LeBron James at small forward and Anthony Davis at power forward, meaning centers such as Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan need to be ready to play. Ariza is expected to miss eight weeks and make a full recovery.
“I don’t think you really put together your plan on how much A.D.’s gonna play the four or five until your team is whole,” head coach Frank Vogel acknowledged, according to Goon. “And once you figure that out, then you make those decisions.”
Ariza’s absence could also lead to more playing time for veteran forwards Kent Bazemore and Carmelo Anthony depending on the lineups Vogel uses.
There’s more from the Pacific Division today:
- The Suns‘ decision not to reward Deandre Ayton with a maximum-salary rookie-scale extension sends a bad message to other players, Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com opines. Sidery notes that Ayton did a good job of buying into his role last season, playing a key role in the Suns’ trip to the NBA Finals. In 22 playoff games, the 23-year-old averaged 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 36.4 minutes per contest, shooting 66% from the floor. As we previously relayed, the Suns remain reluctant to offer Ayton a max extension and negotiations are at an impasse.
- Warriors rookie Moses Moody is starting to settle in with the team, Anthony Slater notes for The Athletic. Moody showed flashes of potential against the Lakers on Friday night, playing against veterans such as Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo. “We’ve seen the last few days — we’ve seen him start to pick up on things,” coach Steve Kerr said. “The first few days were kind of a whirlwind for him, but it’s a testament to his basketball instinct how quickly he’s picking things up.”
- Stephen Curry recently praised Lakers superstar LeBron James, explaining that the four-time MVP has ‘set the standard’ for longevity in the NBA. “Let’s keep it real — what is he, in his 18th year? Nine straight Finals, all the things that he’s accomplished,” Curry said, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “You have a vision of sustaining your prime for as long as you can, kind of reimagining what that looks like. So you know the work that goes into it, the intentionality, especially in the offseasons, especially how you take care of your body, your mind. Balance on court, off court.” James has played 1,310 regular-season games, logging 50,055 minutes.
Curry is in a class of his own!
Is there any truth to the reporting that the Lakers were going to sign Sekou Doumbouya after Ariza’s injury? I was thinking there’d be a possibility that the Nets would bring him back in their two-way slot, as it would be an exception to the “no reacquisitions” rule if he cleared waivers.
You should find out pretty soon after he clears waivers today.
Moody looks like a steal at 14
Very modern day NBA game that should fit well in GSW
I’d still move him and a 1st for Saddiq Bey in a heartbeat…
In your dreams
PHO by their cheapness are gonna wreck their own team… boy life is easy, just pay the man!!!
How easy is that, pay Ayton!
What does soup have to do with this?
*duh-dun tss*
I’m disgusted for the Suns fans and players. You finally get the pieces to build a long term winner and Sarver is gonna be cheap. Unreal.
Phoenix won’t have as big a drop-off this season as the Sixers will with the Simmons fiasco. But the short offseason should have its effects on Chris Paul at age 36, much like what happened with LeBron last year. The team’s refusal to extend Ayton won’t help matters either. Also, I think it says a lot about Devin Booker that CP3 was named All-NBA second team while he has never made an All-NBA team except for the All-Rookie team 5 years ago. Phoenix will still be good, just not Finals material.
Sixers will be fine. Sometimes subtraction of distractions is an addition. 8-)
They have a good core and now they can focus on centering around Embiid. He warps opposing defenses and this will result in better stats from others without Simmons on the floor. Defense may suffer a bit but they will increase their scoring efficiency.
In the end Ayton will get paid. He should be putting up more points. But he is doing what they ask of him. They had no backup big last yr. He should be more selfish and go for points. He’ll get his contract then. He can be a great 2way center. In NBA that’s a major talent. When it’s your Center.
Been saying this since Hawks beat Sixers. Before he asked out. Ben for Haliburton is the way to go. He’s a better PG than Ben. He’s a very good 2way player. He’ll make all the Sixers better and be an all star there. Kings drafted Mitchell who has to play now. Ben can fit in well at 3-4 with Fox. He puts Kings back on NBA map.
Ben and Maxey and their agent >> Kings
Haliburton, Buddy, Bagley, #1 pick >>>> Sixers
—— Get It Done ——
link to sactownroyalty.com
The Suns must know something about Ayton that other teams don’t… Just kidding, they’re just cheap. #PayAyton
Ayton wants a 5/$172m, ~$30.4/yr, starting in 2022/23; or 5/$207 if he is voted one of 15 allNBA this year, not that likely IMO (Embiid, Towns, Gobert, ADavis, Bam, Sabonis, Vooch, Allen, Jokic, Valens, Poeltl, Wood, Nurkic, Holmes… anyway… at least three will get more votes).
Soooo… maybe 10 better… so no max. By 2028, better, but not by much.