Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Anthony Davis On Playing Center: “I Don’t Mind Doing It”

October 26th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by marksuleymanov

The Lakers recorded their first win of the season on Friday night and offseason acquisition Anthony Davis played a significant role in that outcome. The big man totaled 21 points, seven rebounds and five blocks as part of the 95-86 victory over Utah.

In the second half, Davis saw significant minutes at the center position, an in-game adjustment he discussed with head coach Frank Vogel.

“If it makes sense, then obviously I don’t mind doing it,” Davis said after the win (per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). “And it made sense tonight.”

This a change from Davis’ comments earlier in the summer after the Lakers swung a deal to acquire the longtime Pelicans superstar. Primarily a power forward during his career, Davis made it clear at his introductory presser that he preferred playing the four.

“I like playing the four, I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. I like playing the four, I don’t really like playing the five,” Davis said at the time (per SB Nation).

It’ll be key to monitor how much time Davis — who can hit free agency next summer — sees at the center position this season.

And-Ones: Duval, G League Draft, NBA Rosters, Williamson

October 25th, 2019 at 8:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trevon Duval has signed a G League contract and is eligible for this Saturday’s draft, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days tweets. Duval was a two-way player for the Rockets last season and became a free agent when the team didn’t give him a qualifying offer this summer. He was claimed by Houston in March after the Bucks waived him. The former Duke guard made three cameo appearances with Milwaukee.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Journeyman center Hasheem Thabeet, former Lakers guard Vander Blue, and forward Trey Mourning, son of Alonzo Mourning, are some of the more interesting names on the list of players eligible for the G League draft, according to a league press release. The Northern Arizona Suns have the first pick.
There are 108 international players from 38 countries and territories on current NBA rosters, according to a league press release. The most-represented countries among the 108 international players on opening-night rosters are Canada (16 players), Australia (nine players), France (eight players), Croatia (seven players) and Serbia (six players). The Mavericks lead the league with seven international players.
Zion Williamson‘s knee injury created disappointment for the NBA’s TV partners, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic explains. TNT and ESPN wanted nationally-televised games featuring the Pelicans during the opening week of the season to showcase Williamson. They were stuck showing the Pelicans without the top pick in the draft on the court because it was too late to make a change. Vardon goes in-depth on how the national TV schedule is designed and notes that the Lakers play 21 of their 30 nationally -televised games after New Year’s Day because the networks wanted to feature LeBron James and Anthony Davis during the team’s playoff push.
Amida Brimah, the former UConn center who was in training camp with the Pacers, has suffered a torn right ACL, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets. He was slated to join Indiana’s G League team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Brimah will undergo surgery next week, Agness adds.

Rondo Will Play 25-30 Minutes

October 25th, 2019 at 7:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rajon Rondo could be available tonight against the Jazz if his sore calf doesn’t flare up again, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. The veteran Lakers point guard participated in a scrimmage during Thursday’s practice. Rondo, who missed Tuesday’s opener, will start “a lot” at point guard, according to coach Frank Vogel, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Rondo will play 25-30 minutes on a regular basis whether or not he starts, McMenamin writes in a separate post.

Clippers Notes: Opener, Patterson, George, Beverley

October 23rd, 2019 at 7:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers showed off championship potential in Tuesday’s win over the Lakers, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Although it was opening night, the game featured playoff intensity as Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were each on the court for at least 36 minutes.

With all the talent on hand, Kawhi Leonard stood out as the best player on the court, Buha states. The Clippers’ bench held a 60-19 scoring advantage and their defense took over the game after a slow start.

“We got players on the team that want to play defense,” Leonard said of the Clippers, who were missing defensive stalwarts Paul George and Rodney McGruder. “We got some big bodies, we’re long. As long as we come out and be aggressive and play with our active hands, be in spots, it’s gonna be tough for people to score on us when it’s in a half-court. So, I guess, that’s just taking pride in our defense and wanting to win the ball game. Just got them a little flustered.”

There’s more Clippers news to pass along:

Coach Doc Rivers made a surprise decision to start veteran forward Patrick Patterson, Buha adds in the same story. Patterson had been with the third unit in nearly every practice and scrimmage that was open to the media, but he delivered when Rivers called on him Tuesday. Buha notes that the Lakers adjusted their strategy in an attempt to take advantage of Patterson guarding Davis in the post, which slowed down the offense. Rivers has promised a flexible starting lineup, so Patterson’s role may change from game to game.
Sources tell Chris Hayes of Yahoo Sports that George, who is recovering from offseason surgery on both shoulders, is expected to make his season debut in about three weeks. That matches an earlier report in which Rivers estimated that George will miss the season’s first 10 games.
Patrick Beverley has been fined $25K for throwing a ball into the crowd late in Tuesday’s game, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Lakers Notes: Opening Night, LeBron, Kawhi, Jones

October 22nd, 2019 at 5:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kyle Kuzma is not playing for the Lakers tonight against the Clippers as he recovers from a stress reaction in his left foot. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, it’s not clear how long Kuzma will remain sidelined.

“He’s on no-contact, half-court now,” coach Frank Vogel said of Kuzma. “I’m sure we’ll build up to no-contact, full-court with sprinting or potentially half-court with contact. I’m not sure which direction they’re going to take it next, but there will be a progression this week building him up.”

Vogel added that Kuzma has been “impatient” with his injury but is “on board with the plan” that the team has to get him back at full strength.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

LeBron James could envision a world where Kawhi Leonard was also on the Lakers, but he isn’t sure why the reigning Finals MVP picked the Clippers in free agency, as McMenamin relays in a separate piece. “Man, how the hell can I answer that? I don’t [expletive] know,” James said jocularly when asked what convinced Leonard to sign elsewhere. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Ask Kawhi.”
Anthony Davis said he had a role in attempting to recruit Leonard. “It was fun just to go through it, for me, with a player like Kawhi, trying to recruit him to come here. It was fun,” Davis said (via McMenamin in the same article). “We had one conversation, and I think he came out with a statement, or his uncle or something … somebody said he don’t really like all the recruitment and all that stuff, so I felt like I overstepped my boundaries…But it was a fun process. I would do it all over.”
The South Bay Lakers have traded the G League rights of Jemerrio Jones to the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks‘ affiliate), per a team press release. The Lakers’ affiliate will receive the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming G League draft and the Herd’s 2020 first-rounder for Jones, who was recently waived by the Wizards and signed by Bucks on an Exhibit 10 deal.

Lakers Cut Devontae Cacok, Demetrius Jackson

October 21st, 2019 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have finalized their roster for the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Devontae Cacok and Demetrius Jackson.

Los Angeles took the decision down to the wire, but Cacok and Jackson were always the most likely players to be released. The Lakers have 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Dwight Howard and his non-guaranteed contract set to occupy the 15th and final slot on the standard roster.

Cacok or Jackson could have received a two-way contract, but the Lakers have already filled both of those slots as well, with Zach Norvell Jr. and Kostas Antetokounmpo starting the season as the club’s two-way players.

Although Cacok and Jackson had non-guaranteed contracts, the Lakers will be on hook for two days’ worth of their minimum salaries, since they won’t clear waivers until the second day of the regular season.

Lakers, Pistons Among Teams With Roster Moves Still To Make

October 21st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until 5:00pm eastern time today to set their rosters for the 2019/20 regular season. Clubs can continue to make roster moves after that deadline, but when the clock strikes five, no team will be permitted to have more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]

Currently, there are seven teams that haven’t yet reached that regular-season limit. One of those seven teams, the Rockets, will reportedly convert Chris Clemons‘ standard contract to a two-way deal today, making official a move that was reported last Thursday.

Two other clubs will make similar moves — the Raptors and Wizards are each carrying 16 players on standard contracts but have open two-way contract slots. Toronto is expected to convert Oshae Brissett to a two-way deal, while Washington will likely do the same for Chris Chiozza.

That leaves just four teams with actual cuts to make. Here’s a breakdown of those four clubs:

Detroit Pistons (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Pistons have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries and intend to retain Christian Wood, who is on a non-guaranteed contract. That means they’ll have to either waive Joe Johnson – their other non-guaranteed player – or find a trade that allows them to create room on the regular-season roster for Johnson.
Los Angeles Lakers (17 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): In addition to their 14 players with guaranteed salaries, the Lakers are also carrying Dwight Howard, Devontae Cacok, and Demetrius Jackson. I’d be shocked if anyone but Howard claims the 15th roster spot, but we’ll see what the team’s plans are for Cacok and Jackson. Theoretically, each of them could be converted to a two-way contract, but current two-way players Zach Norvell Jr. and/or Kostas Antetokounmpo would have to be waived in that scenario.
Minnesota Timberwolves (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Timberwolves have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, leaving Tyrone Wallace and his non-guaranteed contract as the most likely odd man out. If Minnesota decides to keep Wallace, it would need to trade or release a player with a guaranteed deal.
Utah Jazz (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Jazz have four players without fully guaranteed salaries, but two of those players – Royce O’Neale and Georges Niang – are presumably locks to stick around. Utah’s decision figures to come down to Stanton Kidd vs. William Howard. Kidd $250K partial guarantee is more substantial than Howard’s $50K, which may help give him the upper hand.

It’s possible that a few more teams will make roster changes today, but the league’s other 23 clubs are currently at or below the regular-season maximum.

Lakers Release Marcus Allen

October 19th, 2019 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After signing him on Thursday, the Lakers have waived guard Marcus Allen, the team announced today in a press release.

Allen, who played his college ball at Stanford, spent last season with the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. His brief stint on the NBA roster this week was seemingly designed to ensure he gets an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with South Bay again this year.

In his lone preseason appearance for the Lakers on Friday, Allen had four points, an assist, and a pair of steals in 21 minutes.

Los Angeles now has 19 players under contract.

Alex Caruso Suffers Pelvic Bone Contusion

October 19th, 2019 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Alex Caruso suffered a pelvic bone contusion during the team’s final preseason game on Friday, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. X-rays were negative, but Caruso will undergo additional testing.

Lakers Exercise 2020/21 Option On Kyle Kuzma

October 17th, 2019 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have picked up their fourth-year option on forward Kyle Kuzma, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that Kuzma’s $3,562,178 cap hit for the 2020/21 season is now fully guaranteed.

A stress reaction in his left foot has jeopardized Kuzma’s potential availability for opening night, but he’s expected to be a key contributor for the Lakers this season once he returns to action. Although the 24-year-old averaged 18.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 70 games (33.1 MPG) last season, he struggled with his efficiency, knocking down just 30.3% of his three-point attempts.

With Anthony Davis and LeBron James drawing significant attention from opposing defenses, Kuzma will have to make open looks at a higher rate in 2019/20, and he sounds confident he can do just that. He suggested in August that he believes he’s capable of becoming the Lakers’ third star.

With his fourth-year option locked in, Kuzma will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that time, he’d remain on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.