Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers’ Josh Hart Undergoes Knee Procedure

March 28th, 2019 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will finish the season without Josh Hart, who had a procedure on his right knee patellar tendon today, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Doctors say Hart should be able to resume full basketball activities in 12 weeks.

This is the second operation of the month for Hart, who underwent surgery to fix a small fracture in his left hand in early March.

Hart played 67 games in his second NBA season after appearing in 63 as a rookie. He started 22 times and posted a 7.8/3.7/1.4 line for the year. He hasn’t played since logging 17 minutes against the Bucks on March 19.

The Lakers picked up Hart’s third-year option last fall, so he will return to the team next season at a salary of $1,934,160. L.A. has a team option on Hart worth nearly $3.5MM for 2020/21.

No More Back-To-Backs For LeBron

March 28th, 2019 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Lakers out of playoff contention, they are no longer playing LeBron James in both ends of back-to-back games, relays Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. James didn’t make the trip to Utah on Wednesday, with coach Luke Walton saying he remained behind for treatment. The long-term health of the 34-year-old star will be the organization’s top priority for the rest of the season.

Latest On Lakers’ Head Coaching Position

March 27th, 2019 at 10:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s widely assumed that Luke Walton will be relieved of his head coaching duties this offseason, but the Lakers‘ head coach isn’t fazed by the all the reports.

“I fully expect to be coaching this team again next year,” Walton tells Bill Oram of The Athletic.

Mark Jackson, Rick Carlisle, and Jason Kidd have all been rumored to be possible targets for the Lakers should the franchise let Walton go. Doc Rivers was brought up as a candidate before he shot down those rumors by announcing that he had signed a contract extension with the Clippers.

Tyronn Lue-to-Los Angeles chatter has been ongoing in NBA circles, though a source tells Oram that Lue recently called Walton to assure the coach that the franchise did not reach out to him about the position. Lue would let Walton know if he was speaking with the Lakers out of “courtesy and friendship,” the source said.

Lue and Walton both have championship rings as members of the Lakers. When Walton found out LeBron James was coming to town, Lue provided advice to him on coaching the four-time MVP.

James’ first season in Los Angeles has been a disaster. The NBA postseason will carry on without LBJ for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign, which also happened to be the first season for the Lakers post-Shaq-Kobe divorce.

Walton has long had an advocate in owner Jeanie Buss, though sources tell Oram that team president Magic Johnson will make the call on who’s coaching the team next season.

“Unless someone from within our group is telling me that, I just view it like all the other things we’ve gone through as a team this year,” Walton said. “Those are things that I don’t have the time to worry about. I’ve got more important things to do like getting the team better and doing my job.”

Windhorst: Will Nagging Injuries Be New Normal For LeBron?

March 27th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After never missing more than 13 games in a season during his first 15 years in the NBA, LeBron James will miss at least 20 in 2018/19 due to injuries and rest. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores whether this season is a blip on the radar for James, or whether the Lakers should plan on nagging injury concerns becoming the “new normal” for the 34-year-old going forward.

Stein’s Latest: Lakers, GM Openings, Sixers

March 26th, 2019 at 5:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marc Stein of the New York Times released his latest newsletter today (subscribe here) and it’s filled with a handful of nuggets on coaching and front office movement. We passed along the latest on the Timberwolves’ management earlier today. Here’s the rest of the highlights from Stein’s latest newsletter:

The Lakers have interest in nabbing Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle to the same position, Stein writes. Los Angeles is widely expected to let Luke Walton go at the end of the season.
Tyronn Lue is believed to be a top candidate for the Lakers‘ job, Stein hears from coaches within the league, citing Lue’s “presumed acceptance” from LeBron James. Lue coached James for two-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, helping to bring the franchise its lone NBA championship.
Mike Zarren of the Celtics and Bucks executive Milt Newton are two names to watch out for with GM positions opening up, Stein hears. Zarren figures to be considered by the Pelicans (currently being run by interim GM Danny Ferry), and could also be a candidate for the Wizards, should owner Ted Leonsis decided to dismiss longtime executive Ernie Grunfeld.
The Sixers would be smart to keep the core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris together if they win the Eastern Conference, though Stein believes the chatter to break them up will intensify if they fail to reach that goal. Both Butler and Harris will be free agents this summer.

LeBron: Injuries Killed Our Chemistry

March 25th, 2019 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Many people believe the ill-fated pursuit of Anthony Davis wrecked the Lakers’ season, but they blame injuries for their downfall, as Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register reports. “Throughout the whole season we just had bodies and bodies and bodies and bodies be down,” LeBron James said. “And it’s just hard for us to have any type of rhythm, any type of camraderie, and type of chemistry on the floor when (Coach Luke Walton) has to play with the lineups over and over and over and try to figure out different scenarios on the court to be successful.”

Jason Kidd: I’d Love To Coach LeBron

March 25th, 2019 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jason Kidd would welcome the opportunity to coach LeBron James, according to an ESPN report. Kidd, whose name has surfaced as a possible candidate for the Lakers head coaching job if Luke Walton is dismissed after the season, made the comment on ESPN’s The Jump.

“When you talk about the best player in the world, you always are going to say yes because as a coach or as a teammate, he’s always going to make you better because you’re going to work,” Kidd said. “As a coach, X and Os, you got to be on point. And as a teammate, you’re going to work extremely hard because you know he’s going to need you to make that shot or come up with a defensive play. And so, that would be a great honor to coach any elite basketball player, and I’ve got that opportunity in Giannis (Antetokounmpo). And hopefully somewhere down the road, I can have another star.”

Kidd confirmed he’s actively seeking another head coaching position. He’s also considered a prime candidate to take over at his alma mater, California. Kidd, who was fired by the Bucks last season, said “it’s nice to be wanted.”

Kidd praised Walton for doing an “incredible job” through injuries and other issues. Kidd was understandably coy about whether he covets Walton’s job.

“We’ll wait until the season’s over to see what opportunities come about and hopefully, there’s one that fits,” he said.

Kidd’s coaching career began with the Nets. He was 139-152 with Milwaukee and took the team to the playoffs twice.

JaVale McGee Posts Career-Best Statistical Night

March 24th, 2019 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Although the Lakers are out of the running for the playoffs, JaVale McGee had the best night of his 11-year career on Friday, notes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. McGee, who will be a free agent again this summer, lit up the scoreboard with 33 points and 20 rebounds in a win over the Nets. “Get wins and play hard,” he said of his philosophy for the rest of the season. “That’s what our mentality is. There is no slacking. As a team that’s not making the playoffs, I’m planning on playing teams that are supposed to make the playoffs and knocking them out too. Might as well.”

Lakers To Consider Jason Kidd As Coach

March 24th, 2019 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jason Kidd will get strong consideration to be the next coach of the Lakers if they decide to replace Luke Walton, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Hall of Fame point guard has been out of coaching since being fired by the Bucks in January of 2018. Kidd has a career record of 183-190, spending one season as coach of the Nets and three and a half in Milwaukee.

Wojnarowski’s tweet came in response to a message from Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that Kidd is expected to be targeted by his alma mater, the University of California, which fired Wyking Jones earlier today. Woj suggests that Kidd will be reluctant to accept a position in college if he believes an NBA job is available, particularly one as glamorous as the Lakers’ position.

Kidd has made no secret of his desire to return to the NBA sidelines and interviewed for the Pistons’ opening last summer before they hired Dwane Casey. He addressed the Knicks during their trip to Phoenix earlier this month and spent time giving instruction to New York’s young point guards.

Walton has been under fire in L.A. since the start of the season as expectations rose sharply after the signing of LeBron James. Recent reports indicate that it’s almost certain that Walton will be replaced after the Lakers missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.

Lakers Talked To Lonzo Ball About Changing Shoes

March 24th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Lonzo Ball and his family have been the most visible representatives of Big Baller Brand, but the Lakers expressed concern that BBB shoes might be responsible for Ball’s frequent ankle injuries, according to Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne of ESPN.

Ball has been sidelined since hurting his ankle on January 19 and was ultimately shut down for the rest of the season with a Grade 3 ankle sprain and a bone bruise. It’s the third ankle injury in two NBA seasons for Ball, who played just 47 games this season and 52 last year.

“Yeah, they talked to me,” Ball said of Lakers management. “They asked me about it, and I told ’em, ‘I feel comfortable.’ If I wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t play in ’em. If I didn’t play in [his signature BBB shoes], I’d play in Kobe [Bryant’s signature Nike shoe]. I work out in [LeBron James‘ signature Nike shoe], but that’s because they’re heavier.”

Ball told the Lakers he was willing to make adjustments to his Big Baller shoes, but said he meant “just minor things.”

The Lakers also reached out to Alan Foster, a partial owner of Big Baller Brand, about customer complaints to the Better Business Bureau, the ESPN story states. The company received a failing grade from the bureau in 2018 because of 184 consumer complaints, mostly related to shipping issues.

“They still have an F with us,” Blair Looney, president of the Better Business Bureau of Central California and Inland Empire Counties, told ESPN. “We are continuing to work with them on straightening things out.”

The information about the Lakers is contained in a larger story about Ball ending his relationship with Foster, the family’s former business manager, over concerns about a criminal past and his inability to account for $1.5MM.