As we noted in our Clippers offseason preview earlier today, L.A. holds a $7,518,518 team option on center Ivica Zubac, who is also extension-eligible this offseason. He said this week that he enjoys playing for the team and hopes to stick around.
“I want to stay and I think they want to keep me,” Zubac told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. “I think I should be there and they’re going to pick (the option) up. I like Los Angeles a lot and I like the Clippers. It’s like a family to me. Hopefully, everything is going to work out.”
Zubac notched several career-high marks in 2021/22, including games played (76, all starts), minutes per game (24.4), points (10.3), rebounds (8.5) and blocks (1.0). He said he hopes his role continues to expand going forward.
“It’s great,” Zubac said about the trust he receives from Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “I hope that keeps on going. Every year I get more and more minutes so, hopefully, by the next year I’ll get even more. The coach trusts me, the teammates trust me and I’m really enjoying my time there.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was recently named the Western Conference Finals MVP, could have pushed Golden State to trade its high draft picks and prospects to improve the roster the past couple seasons, but he said the team’s patience was rewarded as it heads to the Finals for the sixth time in eight years. “That’s not how I operate,” Curry told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “There were conversations and different paths to take, and we all had conversations about going different ways. But at the end of the day, I have a lot of trust in (president/GM) Bob (Myers), a lot of confidence in what we’re about. There was no panic. Obviously, it helps that we had won a couple championships. It affords patience. But there was no panic in terms of getting me, Klay (Thompson) and Draymond (Green) another run at it, figuring out how we could get pieces around us to make it work. It’s just patience at the end of the day.”
- The Lakers don’t currently own a draft pick, but that isn’t stopping them from working out six prospects on Saturday, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The six players are Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, UConn’s Tyrese Martin, USC’s Drew Peterson, Alabama’s Keon Ellis, Syracuse’s Cole Swider, and Texas A&M’s Quenton Jackson. Ellis, Gillespie and Martin are all in the 60s on ESPN’s big board, while Jackson is No. 95; both Peterson and Swider are unranked. There’s a good chance at least a few prospects in the group will go undrafted.
- Sean Deveney of Heavy.com queried rival front office executives to get their opinions on the Lakers‘ head coaching search, with some mixed opinions on which candidates might be favored by certain segments of the team.
GSW was hamstrung by the tease of Wiseman’s presumed big future.
Also they have their legacies to consider… No more Durants messing with their core’s fame and utility, perheps using them for their own careers.
Myers wants to be known for young wings, and Kerr for ball movement.
I was thinking of next year’s roster and the potential players, seeing the Warriors have 3 draft picks. I don’t see them on the team next year but I was unclear whether the Warriors own the player rights to their past draft picked – Manion and Jessel who both played international ball.
Jessup
Huh? They want to be known for championships. How are they hamstrung? They made it back to the Finals. Wiseman isn’t stopping them from winning.
Yep…Kerr knows his young guys are a solid core. It’s about getting the best athletes around Steph, Dray & Klay. Talent comes easier if the player is an athlete who can run the floor high energy 20+ minutes, those are the guys who will get talent playing with talent. The dynasty is real. Meanwhile, coaching matters. Vogel was an embarrassment to be kind. A motor like Westbrook and you change his role 35 times in one season, forgetting how potent Westbrook & Beal were once Beal healed, they went on 80% win streak at the end of the season. Vogel had more tools than Wizards, and sabotaged it as if he was an imbed helping Trumptards, who live to see LBJ smeared.
74, I was referring to the article about GSW patience. They did not get a vet center like so many have advised; they drafted a guy and have had to wait on him while Looney surprisingly turned into an ironman.
Also I spoke in the past tense. There have been a couple lean years. Remember 15-50? Curry was addressing that.
By necessity GSW had to have patience (cap issues to pay Curry & Klay then Dray to stay…while Klay rehab took 2 years). If GSW wins this 2022 Chip, it’s to me their most impressive. If. Celtics are high octane team, another Popovich family member hybrid playing the right way. My gut says GSW adjusts playing the young crew more minutes in first half, keep Curry Klay & Dray fresh to finish strong.
Otherwise, Celtics won’t be laying down…they are hungry. GSW cannot be cocky. Great series not many would have predicted a year ago, if anyone at all. I didn’t see either of these teams here a year ago. Happy to be wrong. Great matchup.
I think it’s intentional for Curry, thus the team, to surge in the third. The plan I would guess is:
Opposing teams can know all they acvomplish in the first half will be wiped out after halftime!
Is Ham a better coach than Frank Vogel?
Can Ham lead the Lakers to win 1 championship?
How can Ham and Lakers defeat Clippers and Warriors?
What chance to win the West?
70%
30%
0%
Nope.
I had a pimple on my butt that could outcoach Vogel, to be kind. Ham is unknown as a head coach, but as a player & assistant coach, players respect Ham knowing defense and rebound schemes both sides of the floor. Players have to be unified. Vogel got credit for Bubble Chip, but that was the players coaching themselves let’s face it. AD fell off track because Vogel has no load management coaching grasp. None.
How about a different lineup every game even when everyone was available..you kidding me?
Agreed. Vogel will get another gig and be exposed for being disconnected from reality. Bubble Chip was the players not having Hollywood reporters sticking microphones in every crevice 24/7, so players camping together could actually PRACTICE TOGETHER. Vogel’s ‘practices’ were just pickup games without any structure all preseason long, so Lakers started out regular season still in ‘pickup game mode’. Intentional or not, but Vogel had no spine to LEAD THE TEAM. Ime Udoka got Celtics on Coach Pop’s mindset quick. Why couldn’t Vogel do that? Can’t dump that on Bron. Bron only ran after stats padding after Vogel screwed up the team playing junk offense, which meant opponents got more fast break points. There are high school coaches across America who deserve the opportunity in NBA more than Vogel. It felt like he tanked intentionally, which is ridiculous because they traded away their draft picks. Sabotage is what it was.
Golden State has smartly laid their groundwork for the future with the drafting of Kuminga, Moody, and presumably Wiseman. All three are should have big careers. Next season will be the “make or break” for Wiseman. 15 ppg and 12 rpg would be welcome from him.
Huh? Given their history, there is no way the give up on Wiseman that quickly. The team is patient with their young players.
Kuminga is a very strong athletic fast young player with great vision & instinct. He just needs more playing time. That is a special player if he stays healthy and continues evolving, happy to get minutes on such a loaded team. Lots of temptation to seek trading to play elsewhere is good for his payday ambitions short term, but seems like players on good teams long term have better lives developing in good organization. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, etc for example.