Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Larry Nance Jr. Expected To Miss Four Weeks

December 26th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

An offseason hand injury didn’t cost Larry Nance Jr. any regular season games, but the Lakers forward has suffered a new injury that will keep him out of action for about a month. The Lakers announced late last night in a press release that Nance has been diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise, and is expected to miss approximately four weeks.

Nance first suffered the injury last Tuesday in Charlotte, and underwent an MRI a day later to confirm the diagnosis. However, at that point the Lakers were unable to conduct a full evaluation due to the swelling in the knee. The team completed that re-evaluation on Sunday.

Nance, who turns 24 on New Year’s Day, has been one of the Lakers’ key rotation pieces off the bench this season, averaging 7.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.2 SPG in 28 games for the team. The 2015 first-round pick has also increased his shooting percentage to an impressive 58.4% in the early going this season.

With Nance unavailable, big men like Timofey Mozgov and Thomas Robinson appear poised to take on larger roles in the Lakers’ rotation.

Blocked Paul Trade Changed Clippers, Lakers

December 25th, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers and Clippers began to reverse fortunes in 2011 when then-Commissioner David Stern blocked a trade for Chris Paul, writes Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. New Orleans had worked out a three-team deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers, but because the franchise was being run by the league at the time, Stern had the power as a representative of ownership to stop it. The Clippers stepped in with an offer of Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and Minnesota’s unprotected draft pick, which landed them a franchise point guard.

Changes in the new collective bargaining agreement will force the Lakers to alter the way they have historically operated, Heisler contends in the same piece. Star players have more incentive than ever to stay with their current teams, meaning that any advantages that L.A. once had in free agency will be further neutralized. Heisler lists the top players expected to be on the free agent market in 2017 and contends that every one will remain where they are.

Lowe’s Latest: Lakers, Cousins, Ingram

December 22nd, 2016 at 11:56am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers have the pieces to trade for a superstar, but the team isn’t rushing to make any moves, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. “If you grow from within, you control your own destiny,” coach Luke Walton said. “That’s the game plan. We want to see what this group can do. We don’t want to rely on anything else — on free agency, or trades.”

Lowe passes along more in his latest piece. Here are the highlights:

DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t appear to be available in trade talks because the Kings are in contention for a playoff spot, Lowe relays in the same piece. Sacramento is just one game behind Portland in the win column for the eight seed in the Western Conference
Rival executives are split on the value of the Lakers‘ young core, according to Lowe. Some would trade D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram for Cousins without hesitation, while others consider such a deal to be outlandish.
If the Lakers could steal Cousins for a package of Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and a future first-rounder, they should pull the trigger, Lowe opines. Though he adds that should the Kings deal the big man, it will likely be for a better package.
Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour wasted a year of player development and the Lakers can’t properly gauge the team’s young talent because of it, Lowe contends. Rather than playing and learning in a balanced offense, the team watched Bryant run an inefficient offense. “It was definitely a strange year,” Larry Nance said. “Playing with Kobe was awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But it was a weird season.”
Ingram will take time to develop, but he’s already comfortable making plays for the Lakers and the team maintains high hopes for the 2016 No.2 overall pick, Lowe adds. “You can’t teach [his] feel,” Walton said. “We feel very confidently about the player he is going to become.”

Deng Talks Signing With Lakers

December 22nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Luol Deng signed with the Lakers during the offseason in part because he was intrigued with Luke Walton‘s system as well as the team’s young, up-and-coming roster, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. The small forward struggled earlier in the season, but he is beginning to feel more comfortable in his new role. “When you’re with a new group, guys start to realize what you can do and what you can’t do,” Deng said. “A lot of times at the beginning of the year, guys were just standing still. The way I play, I’m always moving.”

Injury Notes: Nance, Nowitzki, Parsons, Oladipo

December 21st, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. has a bone bruise in his left knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced on its website. He suffered the injury Tuesday in Charlotte. Nance had an MRI today to confirm the injury, but further results were limited because of swelling. He will be re-evaluated Sunday, and the Lakers plan to issue an update on availability after that examination. Nance has played in 28 of the team’s 31 games this season, all off the bench.

There’s more injury news from around the NBA:

Dirk Nowitzki won’t play tonight, but the Mavericks hope to have him back soon, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki is almost fully recovered from a strained right Achilles and could play Friday against the Clippers or Monday against the Pelicans. “I’ll probably get a good workout tonight and see how it responds,” Nowitzki said. “I’ll probably get my first practice [Thursday] and see how it feels, basically go from day to day. It’s been encouraging. It hasn’t gotten worse from some of the stuff we’ve been doing. Hopefully, I’ll be out there soon.”
Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons is active for tonight’s game with the Pistons, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Parsons, who was still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee when the season started, has appeared in just six games. He suffered a bone bruise on his left knee shortly after returning.
Thunder guard Victor Oladipo says his injured right wrist is improving, but he will sit out his fifth straight game tonight, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Despite his optimism, coach Billy Donovan said there has been “no change at all in terms of what he can and can’t do” since suffering the injury in a December 11th game. “He is getting better,” Donovan said. “I don’t want to come across like he’s not. There is improvement there, but it’s not at a point where he can do enough in terms of catching, passing, shooting, playing right now.”
Back tightness forced Hawks center Dwight Howard to sit out tonight for the second straight game, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a lot better than it was a couple days ago,” Howard said. “It continues to get better.” Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5MM deal with the Hawks in July, has had back issues before. In 2014/15, back and knee problems limited him to 41 games with the Rockets.
The Jazz expect to have point guard George Hill back in the lineup soon, although it may not happen until next week, report Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Hill went through an intense workout Tuesday as he tries to overcome a sprained toe that has sidelined him for nearly a month.
Wizards center Ian Mahinmi had platelet-rich plasma treatments on both knees this morning, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Knee problems have limited him to just one game after signing a four-year, $64MM contract this summer.

Clarkson Trying To Get Comfortable As Reserve

December 19th, 2016 at 4:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Clarkson didn’t complain about moving to the bench after signing a four-year, $50MM contract with the Lakers, but he hasn’t thrived in his new role, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Clarkson, whose starting job was taken by Nick Young, has shot just 39.8% over his last 10 games. “Coach wants me to be aggressive,” Clarkson said. “That’s what I try to do every night when I’m out there on the floor. But at the same time, I have to figure out what’s a good shot and a bad shot.”

Sixers Less Likely To Get 2017 Pick

December 18th, 2016 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers’ chances of getting the Lakers’ first-round pick have dropped from 91% to 66.6% because of Los Angeles’ losing streak, according to Neil Johnson of ESPN Analytics. The Lakers originally dealt the pick to the Suns in 2012 while acquiring guard Steve Nash. Philadelphia acquired the pick in 2015 in a three-way deal with the Suns and Bucks. The pick is top three protected in the next draft and unprotected in 2018. The Lakers’ expected draft position per BPI is currently 4.8, according to Johnson, meaning the Sixers would get the No. 4 or No. 5 pick from L.A. if the odds hold up.

Former Teammates Mob Mozgov At Ring Ceremony

December 17th, 2016 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

His former Cavaliers teammates mobbed Lakers center Timofey Mozgov as he received his championship ring tonight in a visit to Cleveland, relays Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports. Mozgov played 76 games with the Cavs last season before signing a four-year, $64MM deal with the Lakers in July.

Mitch Kupchak Discusses Lakers’ Season, Future

December 16th, 2016 at 12:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers rookie Ivica Zubac has seen little playing time so far, but GM Mitch Kupchak is confident that the Croatian center has a bright NBA future, relays Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. In a wide-ranging interview, Kupchak addresses the 19-year-old prospect, who was the 32nd pick in this year’s draft, along with other topics surrounding the Lakers, who have lost eight straight games after a 10-10 start.

On Zubac and the young core that L.A. has assembled through the draft:

“Our scouts have done a wonderful job. Beginning with Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle two years ago, D’Angelo [Russell] and Larry Nance [Jr.] and then this year with Brandon Ingram and a player that will play … Ivica Zubac. You haven’t seen too much of him, and he’s very young, but he’s very skilled, and we think he has a bright future.”

On the hiring of Luke Walton as head coach:

“We love Luke Walton. He’s not a Hall of Fame coach today, but we’re betting that every year he’s going to become better and better. He’ll be a really good coach, and maybe a great coach, but a lot of that has to do with the players we get him, too.”

On guard Nick Young, who has become a regular starter after an offseason filled with rumors of his possible release:

“In training camp, clearly the biggest surprise was how quickly Nick fit in. You can see that we desperately miss what he brings to the team. I know that’s a surprise for a lot of people to hear me say that because we didn’t expect the kind of contribution. He’s really dedicated himself to be the kind of player that fits into this system, and he’s one of our best on-ball defenders.”

On veteran guard Lou Williams, who is averaging a career-best 19.2 points per game at age 30:

“I wasn’t sure how Lou would fit into a motion offense, where there’s so much passing and movement. I think you can say that our most valuable player has been Lou Williams.”

On the possibility of a significant trade before the February 23rd deadline:

“We’re fun to watch. We’re very competitive. We love our coaching staff. We love our young players. We’re going to have to be a little patient. We’re going to have to do our job, which is to look at opportunities that may come up in the next month or two. And if there are none — which is fine with me, because I like the young guys on the team — then during the offseason, we’ll have to look at opportunities.”

Lakers Notes: Porzingis, Randle, World Peace

December 13th, 2016 at 11:07am CST by Arthur Hill

Outdated thinking may have caused the Lakers to pass on Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 draft, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 7’3″ Latvian prospect held a private workout for L.A. shortly after an impressive showcase in Las Vegas. But instead of focusing on his multi-dimensional skills, the Lakers tested Porzingis to see if he could handle physical play as a power forward. They were disappointed with the results and opted for Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell instead with the No. 2 pick. Porzingis was a unanimous selection to the all-rookie team and has blossomed into a star in his second season, averaging 20.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

There’s more this morning out of Los Angeles:

The Knicks’ visit to the Staples Center on Sunday should remind the Lakers of the dangers of trading young talent to get a star, notes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. He compares the current Lakers team to the Knicks of five years ago before they sent a package of players to Denver for Carmelo Anthony. The results have been mixed at best, with only one playoff series victory since the deal and three straight losing seasons. L.A. will face a similar choice soon with a talented young core but no obvious star to build around.
Part of that young core, power forward Julius Randle, wants to become more of a vocal leader, relays Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. The 22-year-old impressed coach Luke Walton with the way he stood up to Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins Monday night. “I told him when he plays with that kind of confidence, it’s good for our team,” Walton said. “You need some toughness out there. You need somebody who is going to stand up, not back down and have your back. Julius has the physical ability to be that for us. I love when he gets into it.”
Veteran forward Metta World Peace wants to become an actor and a coach when he retires, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The 37-year-old recently co-wrote and appeared in an episode of “The 5th Quarter,” a fictional sports series that is available on go90.com. “It’s an easy decision to want to be an actor,” he said. “Any child’s dream is to be on TV. Now that I’m older, it’s something that still interests me. … I’ll do any role. It doesn’t really matter. As long as the production is good and the writing is good, I’m in.”