Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Los Angeles Notes: Robinson, World Peace, Clippers

March 30th, 2017 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers power forward Thomas Robinson was no lock to make the team’s 15-man roster back in October, but he earned a spot out of training camp and has now earned an increased role as the team’s season nears an end, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. Although Robinson’s stats aren’t eye-popping, his .534 FG% is easily a career best, and his per-minute numbers are also among the strongest of his career.

Head coach Luke Walton, who calls Robinson “one of our hardest workers,” has played an instrumental role in getting the most out of the former fifth overall pick, and Walton’s impact is one reason why Robinson wants to stick in Los Angeles when he reaches free agency this summer. According to Medina, Robinson says he’ll “do anything possible” he can to stay a Laker.

Here are a few more notes on the two Los Angeles teams:

Like Robinson, Metta World Peace got a one-year, non-guaranteed deal from the Lakers last offseason and wasn’t assured a season-long roster spot. However, he has remained with the team too, and the veteran forward has been a leader in the locker room this season despite playing limited minutes, says Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers‘ five core players are in their fourth season together, and they recognize their window for making a deep postseason run may not be open for much longer. As Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times details, three of those core players – Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick – will be free agents this summer, and Jamal Crawford suggests the team is getting “impatient” to make its mark in the postseason.
With free agency looming for some key Clippers players, Mark Whicker of The Orange County Register wonders if we may be nearing the end of an era for the club.

Lakers Notes: Silver, Buss Fallout, Upcoming Draft

March 27th, 2017 at 11:26pm CST by Milo Taibi

NBA commissioner Adam Silver echoed the sentiments of Lakers fans, telling Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that he is “pleased that this matter [Buss family struggle for ownership] has been resolved.” Earlier today, Jeanie Buss and her brothers, Jim and Johnny, agreed that Jeanie would serve as controlling owner, and on the team’s board of directors as long as the family owns the franchise.

Silver continued, lauding Jeanie as a logical choice to lead the team.

“Jeanie is as knowledgeable and experienced as any owner in sports and the Lakers are in great hands,” said Silver (Twitter link).

Latest On Lakers’ Buss Family Legal Battle

March 27th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than a month after reports indicated that Jeanie Buss had thwarted an attempt by her brothers to take over control of the Lakers, the team’s controlling owner won another victory that will ensure he holds her position atop the franchise’s hierarchy.

As Nathan Fenno of The Los Angeles Times reports, Jeanie Buss and her brothers, Jim and Johnny, have agreed for Jeanie to serve as the club’s controlling owner and head of the board of directors as long as the family owns the Lakers. As part of a legal agreement, Jim Buss – who had been involved in Lakers roster decisions up until he was displaced from that role last month – has agreed to resign as a co-trustee for the four trusts through which the Buss family owns 66% of the franchise.

Jim Buss will continue to serve as one of the Lakers’ co-owners, but did not receive any sort of financial settlement in exchange for resigning as a co-trustee. Another Buss sibling, Janie, has replaced Jim in that role, joining Jeanie and Johnny Buss as co-trustees, per Fenno.

“Jeanie is captain of the ship,” Janie Buss told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “My sister is the one who finally played her aces. I’m just behind her. I’ve always been behind her. Now she can focus on where the Lakers need to go. … This is a new beginning for us as a team. Now we don’t need to worry about this family stuff. We can focus on the Lakers now.”

Jeanie Buss’s attorney, Adam Streisand, spoke to Fenno and conveyed a similar message regarding the Lakers’ controlling owner: “The message is clear here: Do not underestimate Jeanie Buss. There is not going to be a palace coup. Not now. Not ever.”

A court date had been set for May 15 when it appeared that the family would wage a legal battle, but now that an agreement has been reached, that court date has been scrapped.

Rob Pelinka Talks Lakers, GM Role, Free Agency

March 24th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Luke Adams

New Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is in attendance at the NCAA tournament in Memphis tonight to scout some young prospects that could be high on the team’s draft board this spring, including Kentucky’s Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, as well as UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com notes. However, before taking in some Sweet 16 action, Pelinka spoke to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical about some of the challenges facing him as he takes over Mitch Kupchak‘s job in Los Angeles.

The entire discussion between Pelinka and Wojnarowski is worth listening to, particularly for Lakers fans, but here are a few highlights from the team’s new GM:

On making leap from player agent to general manager of a team:

I feel like this is the sweet spot for kind of who I am with my background having gone to law school, having worked as an agent for almost 20 years and understanding the cap and how the system works, how modern day players think. I went to business school and got a business degree and then basketball of course, having played in three Final Fours. Those are my passions in life and they all kind of converge in this job.”

On restoring the Lakers to greatness after a down period:

“We see an opportunity to cast a new vision for the future. The Lakers were always a team going back in history where all the other 29 teams were saying, ‘Hey, how can we do it like the Lakers do?’ and maybe we’ve lost that a little bit. I think it’s time to think that way again and hopefully get back to a position where others are saying, ‘Gosh, look at how the Lakers are doing things. We’d love it if we could do it that way.’

“The Lakers are the Lakers when there’s a star in the building. The greats are so easily listed. Magic, Shaq, Kobe, Jerry West, Wilt. I could go on and on down the list. We feel like this is a perfect platform for hopefully that next player to eventually say, ‘There’s no city like L.A., there’s no team that has the legacy like the Lakers. This could be my home someday. The perfect platform to accomplish what I want to with my career.’ I think that’s an important thing that we’ll want to make sure happens.”

On how to recruit free agents when top FAs in recent years haven’t even met with the Lakers:

“The first two or three weeks have been so encouraging because both Magic [Johnson] and I have talked to most of the top agents, and the feedback we’re getting is, ‘Man, there feels like a fresh start there. It seems like a new leadership team with a new vision.’ People are excited about hopefully becoming a part of that.

“I think having [been an agent] for almost 20 years, the word I keep coming back to when I’m on the phone with some of the player representatives is the word ’empathy.’ I’ve walked in their shoes, I know what it’s like. I know what their clients are looking for in a team… That’s helpful for us to meet those needs, and so far we’re very optimistic that those relationships are being strengthened and that we’re going to have a shot to change what’s happened in the last two or three seasons with future free agent classes.”

On why the new-look Lakers should be appealing to players around the league:

“The other day someone shared a statistic with me. … More Lakers jerseys have been sold in the world than all other 29 teams combined. If I’m a player and I’m thinking about my future and I’m thinking about the mega-watt power of the Lakers’ brand; the powder-keg of relationships that you can form in L.A. with entertainment moguls; the legacy of excellence and championships here that the Buss family is going to continue to provide; Magic Johnson‘s vision; hopefully some of my expertise in trades and managing the cap. All of those things combined. I think if I’m an NBA player out there and I’m seeing all that, I think, ‘Wow, that’s a package I could put my trust in. That’s a future that looks really, really promising.'”

Clippers Rumors: Griffin, CP3, Rivers

March 24th, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have been one of the NBA’s most successful regular season teams over the past several years, but that regular season success hasn’t translated into a deep playoff run — the team has been eliminated in either the first or second round of the postseason in each of the last five years.

With Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all on track to become unrestricted free agents this summer, the Clippers could find themselves at a crossroads, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Although there’s still optimism within the organization about Paul and Griffin re-signing, things could change quickly if the Clippers suffer another first-round defeat this spring.

Ding provides a handful of interesting Clippers-related tidbits in his piece, so let’s round up some of the highlights…

“More and more people” around the NBA believe that Griffin isn’t necessarily a lock to remain with the Clippers in free agency, according to Ding. Griffin’s interests in the entertainment industry make him likely to stick in Los Angeles, but Ding suggests that the star forward may be open to considering the Celtics or even the Lakers.
For his part, Griffin weighed in on the Clippers, who have been up and down this season and have played sub-.500 ball since the All-Star break: “One thing you can control always is effort. Our effort hasn’t been there at times as a team. Haven’t had trust. I think that’s something we talked about a lot early in the season: the trust. Knowing the next man’s going to be there for you, knowing you’ve got to be there for whoever goes next. I think we miss that.”
One team source indicated to Ding that Paul’s “hard-driving nature and politician’s polish” make it hard for teammates to get close to him. According to that source, “nobody’s really friends with Chris.” Another source tells Ding that CP3 is closer to Doc Rivers than he is to any of his teammates.
There’s still some “in-house resentment” toward coach’s son Austin Rivers, but it “isn’t out of control,” Ding writes.

Pacific Notes: Len, Zubac, Warriors, Chriss

March 24th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Milo Taibi

With restricted free agency looming, Alex Len has been given every opportunity to lock down the Suns‘ starting center job. Veteran big man Tyson Chandler has been shut down for the season for non-health reasons, and Dragan Bender remains sidelined with an ankle injury. Earl Watson has recently deployed a combination of Len, Alan Williams, and Marquese Chriss at the five. Now averaging 10.8 PPG with 9.5 rebounds over his last four games, the onus is on Len to prove himself as an NBA-caliber starter down the stretch.

“It’s my contract year, so it’s a huge stretch. I just have to show everybody I can be a starting center in this league,” Len told Doug Haller of AZ Central. “I got an opportunity, I just have to prove it.”

Watson spoke positively of Len, noting the fourth-year center’s efforts to add 3-point shooting to his arsenal.

“Big guys in this league, either you develop and shoot the 3 or you become a great rebounder,” Watson said. “Alex Len is a capable corner 3-point shooter, he just has to get comfortable shooting it and he has to practice it. That’s where the confidence will come from.”

Lakers' David Nwaba Has New Agent

March 22nd, 2017 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Greivis Vasquez and Lakers guard David Nwaba have new representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, who reports (via Twitter) that Glushon Sports Management recently signed the duo.

Nance Jr. Wants To Stay in L.A.

March 21st, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers power forward Larry Nance Jr. wants to remain with the organization on a long-term basis, as he relayed to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.com in a Q&A session. Nance is still on his rookie contract and will make $1,471,382 next season. The club will have to decide whether to make him a qualifying offer in the summer of 2018. “We’re on the up-and-up as a team and we’ve got a bright future,” Nance said. “And would I love to be a part of that future? Man, I’d love nothing more than that.”

Lakers Sign David Nwaba To Two-Year Deal

March 21st, 2017 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

5:04pm: The Lakers have officially re-signed Nwaba, the team announced today in a press release.

“We have been impressed by David’s focus and determination, especially on defense,” GM Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “He has a mentality about him that is infectious, and he works hard every day to improve himself. He has brought energy to both our Lakers and D-Fenders games, and has certainly earned his spot on the roster.”

4:19pm: David Nwaba‘s second 10-day contract with the Lakers expired overnight, but the rookie guard won’t have to look for a new NBA home. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Lakers and Nwaba are finalizing a new two-year contract, which will include a team option for 2017/18.

Nwaba, who had been a key contributor for the Lakers’ NBADL affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, got a call-up to the NBA after the trade deadline. In 10 games with the Lakers so far, the 24-year-old has averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG, shooting 48.1% from the floor and contributing solid defense and energy off the bench.

Before he was initially signed by the Lakers, Nwaba was averaging 13.9 PPG and 7.0 RPG in the D-League, and had earned rave reviews for his defense. D-Fenders head coach Coby Karl called the 6’4″ guard “probably the best defender in our league” back in December.

Once Nwaba officially signs his new contract with the Lakers, the team will have 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2016/17, leaving no open roster spots.

Walton Adjusts; Buss Wants Brothers' Support; Executives, Players Meet

March 18th, 2017 at 12:04pm CST by Austin Kent

When Luke Walton shifted from his role as an assistant coach with the Warriors to head coach of the Lakers, an adjustment period was expected. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes recently profiled the transition that Walton has undergone in California, adjusting not only to a new routine and staff but an entirely new culture.

“Really, it shifts your entire life because your daily routine is so much different from the stress and the grind and the everything,” Walton told him as the Lakers look back on a 20-49 record, “I do my best to stay in the right frame of mind.”

Walton adds that there have been plenty of sleepless nights but remains optimistic about the young Lakers roster and about coaching in general.

“The job itself is still the same,” he says now amid the ongoing Lakers rebuild. “It’s rewarding. It’s exciting. Now we’re competing for different things there and here, but the competition level is right there from the daily practices to the games.”

In an effort to open up communication across all levels of the organization Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and new general manager Rob Pelinka have been meeting with players at practice. “It’s good for us being able to talk to them and pick their brains as well and having that open-door presence,” Jordan Clarkson told Mark Media of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Current franchise president Jeanie Buss has asked her brothers for permanent assurances that they’ll vote for her to remain the controlling owner of the Lakers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, as well as to remain on the board of directors.