Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers’ Austin Reaves Out At Least Two Weeks

November 11th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss at least the next two weeks due to a strained left hamstring, the team announced today, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Reaves was ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Miami with what Vogel referred to as a “mild” day-to-day hamstring injury. However, it appears the issue is more significant than initially believed.

Reaves, 23, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this summer after going undrafted out of Oklahoma. He made a strong early impression on the franchise, first earning a promotion to the 15-man roster, then carving out a rotation role early in the season. In his first 10 NBA games, the 6’5″ guard has put up 6.1 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .478/.321/1.000 shooting in 21.3 minutes per contest.

Of course, Reaves likely wouldn’t have seen much action at all if not for all the other injuries the Lakers have dealt with this fall. Trevor Ariza (ankle), Talen Horton-Tucker (thumb), and Kendrick Nunn (knee) have yet to play at all, and LeBron James (abdominal strain) has missed the last four games.

Reaves isn’t even the first Laker to battle a hamstring issue — Wayne Ellington‘s debut was delayed due to a hamstring strain, while a hamstring ailment sidelined Rajon Rondo for Wednesday’s game.

Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, and Malik Monk all saw big minutes on Wednesday in L.A.’s backcourt, with Ellington playing a role as well. In Reaves’ absence, the Lakers will likely continue to lean on those vets.

Anthony Davis Determined To Lead With LeBron Injured

November 10th, 2021 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis is determined to prove that he can lead the Lakers with LeBron James sidelined, per Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Davis overcame a lingering stomach illness Monday night to push L.A. to an overtime victory against the Hornets. “(Carmelo Anthony) is in my ear a lot about leading the team and just controlling the team, especially with (James) out,” Davis said. “We don’t have all our guys yet, so guys are playing a lot of minutes now, but it’s my job to make sure I stay in command of the team.”

LeBron's Injury Not Considered Serious; Should Lakers Regret Letting Caruso Walk?

November 10th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In an appearance on ESPN (video link), Brian Windhorst said that LeBron James‘ abdominal strain is “not a severe injury” and won’t keep him out for an extended period. The Lakers star has been out since last Tuesday and the team hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery or return.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores whether the Lakers made a mistake not re-signing Alex Caruso and what the cost of doing so would’ve been after accounting for tax penalties. While matching the Bulls’ four-year, $37MM deal for Caruso would’ve helped shore up L.A.’s backcourt defense and given the team a very movable contract, Pincus estimates that the Lakers’ overall 2021/22 payroll (salary and taxes) would’ve increased by about $33MM with that deal on the books.

Alex Caruso Discusses Bulls’ Pitch, Lakers’ Offer In Free Agency

November 10th, 2021 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after Alex Caruso agreed to a four-year, $37MM deal with the Bulls in August, a pair of reports indicated that the Lakers didn’t come close to matching that offer and that L.A. wasn’t willing to go any higher than about $7MM per year for the free agent guard.

Making an appearance on J.J. Redick‘s The Old Man and the Three podcast, Caruso didn’t explicitly confirm those reports, but his comments strongly suggested they were accurate. The 27-year-old spoke in detail about his experience in free agency and how he ended up signing with Chicago.

“Going into it, I really didn’t know what to expect and I really didn’t hear much from any team, including the Lakers, leading up to 6:00pm,” Caruso said. “And then they called and the Lakers made their offer. It wasn’t an offer I was going to accept, because I was going to be able to get considerably more money from another team.”

As Caruso explained, after fighting so hard to earn an NBA roster spot and earning fairly modest salaries during his first four years in the league, he viewed free agency as his best opportunity to gain long-term financial security for him and his family. In other words, money was going to be an important factor in his decision.

“There was talk with a bunch of different people about the mid-level, which I think was four (years) for $40 (million),” Caruso said. “We never got anybody to that actual number, but there were a couple teams that got close. Then my agent texted me and said, ‘Hey, Chicago’s interested in signing you.’ I didn’t know that financially it was going to be able to work. I thought once ‘Zo (Lonzo Ball) signed with Chicago, I was like, “OK, well, Chicago’s off the list.’

“… (But) I got on the phone with AK (president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas) and with (head coach) Billy (Donovan), and the way they were just talking about how they wanted to play, how they saw me as a player, I thought they hit the nail on the head. I thought everything they said, I was like, ‘I think that’s accurate, I think that’s what I bring to the table, I think that’s how I can help the team win, I think that’s the direction that this team wants to go.’ I thought there was a need for the stuff that I had.”

Although Caruso liked the idea of heading to Chicago, he was reluctant to leave Los Angeles after winning a championship with the franchise in 2020. He told Redick that he and his camp circled back to the Lakers to see if they’d be willing to do a deal in the range of the one he was being offered by the Bulls.

“So essentially we got that offer, went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same. They said no,” Caruso said. “Asked for something else that was a little less. They said no. I said, ‘OK, well, if that’s what it comes to, I’m ready to go to Chicago and start the next chapter.'”

Caruso didn’t share the specifics of the Lakers’ offer, but provided a hint. Redick guessed that L.A.’s initial offer was $15MM over two years, and asked Caruso to blink once if that estimate was “over” and twice if it was “under.” It was hardly a scientific process, but for what it’s worth, Caruso blinked just once, suggesting the Lakers’ offer was lower.

Los Angeles projects to be a taxpayer this season, so any deal with Caruso would’ve cost the team exponentially more in tax penalties than the guard would’ve actually earned. The Lakers ended up letting virtually all of their free agents walk, with the exception of Talen Horton-Tucker.

In 10 games (27.9 MPG) for the Bulls so far, Caruso has been a key member of the team’s bench, averaging 7.8 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.3 SPG while playing strong defense. With Chicago off to a 7-3 start and tied for the best record in the East, Caruso told Redick that joining the Bulls has been “a great decision for me.”

Horton-Tucker Cleared For Contact

November 8th, 2021 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There remains no timetable for LeBron James‘ return, according to Lakers coach Frank Vogel, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. James is recovering from an abdominal strain that has already cost him three games.
The news is better regarding Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker. He’s been cleared for contact and will practice on Tuesday, according to another Buha tweet. However, there is also no timetable for his return. He recently had the stitches removed from his surgically-repaired right thumb.

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, James, Bridges, Ayton

November 7th, 2021 at 4:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As the 2021/22 Lakers season threatens to go off the rails, the club is struggling with the offensive production of point guard Russell Westbrook, writes Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Goon is skeptical that Westbrook will ever be a great fit for the team, given his lackluster completion percentages at the rim and from long range, and his high turnover percentage.

Goon writes that the Lakers wanted Westbrook to have time to get acclimated to their system, while perhaps covertly hoping he would adapt alongside superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but that the early results appear to suggest Westbrook will be more reluctant to change on the court than the Lakers’ front office may have hoped.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Former Lakers head strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco speculates that LeBron James could miss between two and eight weeks with the abdominal strain that has caused him to miss the last two games, both losses, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. “Especially the way he plays, it’s tough for me to see him getting back under four weeks,” DiFrancesco told Oram. “These are such delicate injuries that can respond to rest with pain relief quickly, but they are highly susceptible to re-injury if returned too quickly.” DiFrancesco was with the Lakers from 2011-17.
Suns swingman Mikal Bridges responded to reports alleging potential toxic workplace behavior from embattled team owner Robert Sarver, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “Obviously it’s a little bit disturbing, but it’s out of my control,” Bridges said. “The league is investigating and all that, so I think you just leave it up to them and continue what I do every day and try to win games.”
Suns head coach Monty Williams has revealed that, though Deandre Ayton will not partake in Phoenix’s Monday contest against the Kings, an MRI indicated that there is no structural damage in his right leg, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Williams added that Ayton will have to manage the pain in the injured leg.

L.A. Notes: Westbrook, Davis, Bledsoe, Ibaka

November 7th, 2021 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers and Russell Westbrook had their worst night of the season Saturday in Portland, but the former MVP indicated that he’s still in the adjustment phase with his new team, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Westbrook hit one of eight shots from the field and scored just eight points in a game that L.A. trailed by as many as 34 points.

Ten games into the season, the Lakers are still working on chemistry after overhauling their roster during the summer. The tinkering included Westbrook, who was part of an offseason trade for the third straight year.

“With that is always a struggle to make sure that I am able to be who I am supposed to be on the floor and that’s doing everything and playing the hardest I can possibly play,” he said. “And I’ve gotta do that for our team and I didn’t do that tonight but that is something that I will make sure is done moving forward.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

Anthony Davis left Saturday’s game midway through the first quarter with a stomach illness, but the team said it’s not related to COVID-19, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Davis, who was listed as questionable after spraining his left thumb Thursday, tried to play through the illness, but wasn’t able to. “I know this year he’s very upset with how last year went and how much time he missed,” Vogel said. “So, everything that’s 50-50 whether to be in or out thus far this year, it’s been, ‘I’m playing unless I absolutely can’t play.’ He’s just not happy with how much time he missed last year. So, if he can play without major limitations, he’s going to be in there.”
The Clippers haven’t lost confidence in point guard Eric Bledsoe during his slow start, according to Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Bledsoe is putting up career-worst numbers in shooting, rebounds and assists in his first eight games after being acquired in an offseason trade, and some of his misses have been particularly ugly. However, he helped spark Friday’s rally in Minnesota and his teammates believe his game will eventually come around. “I don’t think people are understanding how tough it is for someone to come into a new system and is being expected to have a large role and to bring what he’s great at,” Paul George said. “It’s hard to kind of find yourself, find your way.”
Clippers center Serge Ibaka may be ready for his season debut today, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, who notes that Ibaka isn’t listed on the team’s injury report. Ibaka battled back pain last season and underwent surgery during the summer.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Holmes, Lue, George, Westbrook

November 6th, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by JD Shaw

The Lakers are continuing to seek improvement on the defensive end, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. The team is allowing 112 points per game through nine contests, which ranks 27th in the league.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily just one thing,” center DeAndre Jordan said. “But I do believe that we’re making strides. I think that we have seen great periods of defense from us in spurts. We put it together enough to win games, but we still have a long ways to go. We still can get a lot better.”

Los Angeles has a 5-4 record despite coping with several injuries this season. In a 107-104 loss to the Thunder on Thursday, L.A. played without LeBron James, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker, all of whom are rehabbing from injuries.

There’s more out of the Pacific today:

Kings big man Richaun Holmes has been fined $15K for throwing his headband into the spectator stands against the Pelicans on Wednesday, the league announced (Twitter link). The incident caused Holmes to receive his second technical foul of the game, leading to an ejection.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue believes Paul George can’t afford to worry about the officiating, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “He has to keep going, like when he drives the ball, of course he’s getting hit, a lot of guys are getting hit, as well,” Lue said. “We know officiating is very tough … we understand that, but the biggest thing to tell PG is to keep going to the basket, continue to play the way you were playing and we’ll see if you can get some calls. But we can’t complain about it, we have to keep playing.”
The pressure is on Russell Westbrook to step up in the absence of LeBron James, Bill Oram of The Athletic writes. Westbrook’s late-game struggles against the Thunder show that the Lakers still need James to be their primary star, however, Oram contends. “We have enough pieces to still win basketball games,” Anthony Davis said. “Even though he (James) plays a huge part to both ends of the floor to what we do. So, it’s an adjustment period. We’re trying to figure out new schemes and stuff like that without him for however long he’s out.”

LeBron James Expected To Be Out At Least One Week

November 4th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward LeBron James is expected to miss at least one week due to his abdominal strain, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The team hasn’t confirmed a timeline for James’ return, but ruled him out for Thursday’s game against Oklahoma City. Charania says the Lakers want to be cautious with LeBron’s ailment, and Dave McMenamin of ESPN has heard the same thing. A source told McMenamin that the medical staff wants to “take their time” with James’ recovery.

James, who missed two games last week due to a sore right ankle, has averaged 24.8 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 5.5 RPG in six games (37.1 MPG) so far this season.

The Lakers have been one of the teams hit hardest by injuries in the early going. Trevor Ariza (ankle), Talen Horton-Tucker (hamstring), Kendrick Nunn (knee), and Wayne Ellington (hamstring) have yet to play at all this season, though Ellington is considered probable for Thursday’s game.

Assuming LeBron misses the next week, he’ll be sidelined for games against Portland (on Saturday), Charlotte (Monday), and Miami (Wednesday) in addition to tonight’s OKC matchup.

Damian Lillard Discusses Decision To Stick With Blazers

November 3rd, 2021 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has acknowledged that he reevaluated his future in Portland following a frustrating 2020/21 season and first-round playoff loss. However, after a summer of soul-searching, the six-time All-Star appears more committed than ever to the Blazers, expressing that sentiment again this week after he received cheers from Sixers fans in Philadelphia, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details.

“I know what it is and I know what it’s about,” Lillard said after the game. “But I’m a Trail Blazer. I appreciate the love. I appreciate the respect that they showed and the desire or whatever but I’m 10 toes in Rip City, and I’ve said that time and time again, and tonight I laughed about it during starting lineups but that was that.”

Lillard has spoken a little over the last month about his recommitment to the Blazers, but he went into more detail on his thought process in a conversation with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, revealing that he weighed his decision for two months and met in Los Angeles with Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis during the offseason.

According to Lillard, James and Davis didn’t push him to become a Laker. Even if Lillard had expressed interest in such a scenario, the odds of Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey trading him to Los Angeles would’ve been virtually non-existent, Haynes notes. Still, LeBron asked him how he felt about his situation in Portland and talked about what it might look like if he were to leave. For his part, Lillard expressed reluctance to join a super-team.

“I was just saying, I don’t know if this is the route I wanted to go,” Lillard told Haynes. “And that was pretty much how the conversation went.

“… I’m sure it would be great to play with LeBron and AD and play in a big market, but as attractive as it sounded and as fun as that might be, I don’t feel in my heart that that’s who I am or where I belong. And one thing I want to emphasize is that this decision (to stick with the Blazers) wasn’t made out of comfort. I’m not afraid to be out of my comfort zone, because I’m going to live here when I’m done playing regardless. I made my decision based on what I actually want to do.”

Haynes’ in-depth look at Lillard’s decision-making process includes a ton of interesting tidbits and is worth reading in full. Here are a few more of the most noteworthy quotes from the Blazers star:

On his decision to remain in Portland:

“I want to win here. I’ve attached myself to the history of this organization and this city. Just in thinking about how long it’s been since they’ve won, I want to be a part of that coming to an end. I want people to say, ‘When Dame came through here, he rode all the way out for us through the good and the bad. He was ready to sink with the ship.’

“… If I did decide to go do something else, there’s also no guarantee that I’m going to win it by moving on. So, my best bet is to stick to my guns and do what I care about in my heart. … You look at some of the dudes around the league that was at the top of their game and they made one move and now they’re on this team, next year on another team and now they’re somewhere completely different. As much as I want to win, I want to do it my way.”

On whether he’s satisfied with the moves the front office has made and the team’s direction going forward:

“The conversations I’ve had with Neil, he didn’t promise me we’re about to get LeBron. They didn’t tell me we’re about to go get a superstar player because I don’t think you need all superstar players to win. We’ve got CJ (McCollum). He’s an All-Star-level player. We’ve got (Jusuf) Nurkic. He’s one of the best centers in the league. It’s the way you piece the team together.

“If you look at Phoenix, they don’t have a bunch of stars. They got people who are really good at what they do and understand their roles. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are All-Stars, but Deandre Ayton is a quality center, Jae Crowder is an experienced, quality stretch-four man that’s tough, Cam Johnson is nice and Mikal Bridges is my favorite small forward in the league. You just look at how that team is put together and they’re in the Finals coming out of the West. That’s what my vision is. … We have the core pieces to do the same thing that Phoenix did. It’s just how you fill that in.”

On what it would be like to eventually win a title with the Blazers:

“If I was to get that championship for Portland, I would cry, bruh. Bruh, on the spot. I would really cry, bro. I want to win a championship here. And because of how strongly I feel about that, I don’t know how rewarding it would feel for me at this point if I won somewhere else. Winning it here would be a lifetime achievement for me.”