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Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Bryant, Smith

October 3rd, 2020 at 3:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis, the Lakers‘ prize addition last offseason, may be on the verge of winning the Finals MVP award, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. L.A. is getting the type of production from Davis that it envisioned when it sent a package of young talent to New Orleans to acquire him in June of 2019.

Davis turned in a dominant performance in Wednesday’s Game 1 with 34 points — the fourth-highest total by any player in his Finals debut since the merger — along with nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He followed that with 32 points and 14 rebounds Friday night.

“He’s damn near playing like the best player in the game,” said teammate Rajon Rondo. “Hands down. I’m very fortunate he’s on our team this year.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Fans who remember the uneasy relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal don’t have to worry about a repeat with Davis and LeBron James, Medina adds in the same story. James, who played a role in convincing Davis to seek a trade to L.A., told reporters last night that there’s no jealousy between the two stars. “We want the best, seriously, every single day, both on and off the floor, for one another,” he said. “We’re just not jealous of one another. I think that you align that with respect, I think the sky’s the limit.”
  • Long before he joined the Lakers, Davis received valuable lessons from Bryant, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Davis was only 19 when he earned a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, where Bryant took him under his wing. They stayed in touch regularly over the years, but Bryant never made a sales pitch to try to get Davis to the Lakers.
  • J.R. Smith hasn’t seen much court time in the playoffs, but he may have an increased role if Danny Green‘s hip remains a concern, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. “Danny was battling a hip injury, and you know, he and KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) were playing well, but were struggling a little bit from the perimeter,” coach Frank Vogel said after Game 2. “So was just looking to see if we can buy a few minutes with J.R. because of Danny’s injuries, and obviously he carries that threat to knock down a three or a few threes. I just like the threat of him being out there against the zone.”
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Lakers Notes: Davis, Green, LBJ-AD, Dwight

October 1st, 2020 at 8:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Good news for Lakers fans: All-NBA big man Anthony Davis wants his inaugural Finals appearance to be his first of many, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Davis, who will most likely out of his $28.8MM player option for the 2020/21 season to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is widely expected to return to the Lakers — especially in light of the team’s current Finals run. Davis had high praise for his fellow All-NBA Lakers forward LeBron James.

“You see the work and preparation LeBron puts in every day, and you understand why this is his 10th NBA Finals appearance,” Davis told Haynes. “He never stops. I plan to follow this motherf—er to hopefully nine more Finals.”

There’s more out of Lakerland:

  • Veteran Lakers swingman Danny Green, in the first year of a two-season, $30MM contract inked over the summer, had a stellar two-way performance during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Helene Elliot of the Los Angeles Times discusses how Green has turned out to be the player that the Lakers hoped he would be when they signed him to his deal last year.
  • Lakers All-Stars Davis and James have enjoyed a unique bond during their first season together, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We’re not jealous of each other. I think that’s the best thing,” James said ahead of a team practice today. “I believe jealousy creeps in a lot. And that is the absolute contrary of what we are.”
  • Lakers center Dwight Howard, who has been elevated from a bench role to a starter during the Finals, has struggled with depression during his tenure on the NBA’s Orlando restart campus, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Some of Howard’s isolation-derived depression was alleviated when Howard’s son, David, was allowed to visit him at the Disney campus recently. Howard, an unrestricted free agent this summer, will probably be able to parlay his excellent on-court performance within a winning culture into a new NBA opportunity during the offseason.
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Lakers’ Jeanie Buss Talks LeBron, Front Office, AD, More

September 29th, 2020 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Lakers back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, team owner Jeanie Buss told Sam Amick of The Athletic in a podcast appearance that MVP runner-up LeBron James has played a key role in “bringing this franchise back to where it should be” and that she’s extremely proud of the fact that he plays for the Lakers.

“I hope he plays for many, many more years. But whatever his term is with the Lakers, he has forever left his mark on this team and this organization and on me,” Buss said of LeBron. “He is somebody that I treasure, and I will protect. I have just enjoyed watching him play and nurture along his teammates and bring out the best in them. He really is the most unique person in the league today.”

Buss’ lengthy conversation with The Athletic touched on several more topics, including some past dysfunction in the Lakers’ front office, the team’s hiring of Frank Vogel in the spring of 2019, the trade for Anthony Davis, and much more.

The discussion is worth checking out in full, but here are a few more highlights from Buss, via Amick:

On prior front office dysfunction and how the Lakers addressed it:

“There were too many voices (in the room), too many leaks, too many people talking and not being on the same page. And so we took the offseason to shore those things up. We like to collaborate together, to be on the same page. It doesn’t mean just a bunch of people agreeing for the sake of agreeing. We like to hash things out, debate, just work through. So yes, the people that I rely on, that I trust — Rob (Pelinka) leading our front office, Kurt Rambis being an adviser, Linda Rambis who I’ve worked with for over 30 years. These are the people that I trust, and then bringing on a coaching staff that reflected those beliefs and that level of collaboration.”

On the scrutiny the Lakers faced following Magic Johnson’s surprise resignation last spring:

“We knew that when Magic stepped down from his position with the Lakers that — (and) while I’m still not exactly clear why (he stepped down), and why it had to be that day — we knew that the outside world would be questioning everything that we were doing and that we just kind of had to let it roll off our backs and just do the work. And we knew that that takes time.

On the acquisition of Anthony Davis:

“It was difficult. I think, probably for me, the hardest thing in this business is trading away players. … (But) it was really the right thing for us to do, because when you have somebody like LeBron James, and where he is in his career, you’ve got to go all in.”

On the Lakers filling out the rest of their roster in 2019’s free agent period:

“(It) was a little odd just because decisions were being, you know, kind of stretched long. But I think we recovered well from the delay. And you know, the roster that Rob Pelinka put together, really you’re now seeing what the vision was, because it is a versatile team that can go big, can go small, and that doesn’t really show until you’re in the playoffs. Well, we hadn’t been in the playoffs for so long it was really hard to see what the vision was and where we were going. But now that we’re in the playoffs, you can see how the versatility of the lineups (works). And that’s really a testament to our front office being led by Rob Pelinka.”

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Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Kobe, Vogel

September 27th, 2020 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

After a disappointing first season in Los Angeles, LeBron James is taking the Lakers to the NBA Finals. James was brilliant in Saturday’s close-out win against the Nuggets, posting 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists for his 27th postseason triple double. He ended any hopes of another Denver miracle with 16 points in the final quarter, including nine straight in the closing minutes to put the game out of reach.

As teammates and opponents marveled at how James is able to keep his game at such a high level at age 35, he talked to reporters, including Bill Oram of The Athletic, about the criticism he took last year and how it inspired him.

“I heard all the conversations and everything that was said about why did I decide to come to L.A. — the reason I came to L.A., it was not about basketball,” he said. “All those conversations, just naysayers and things of that nature. I understood that, with the season I had last year and my injury, it just gave them more sticks and more wood to throw in the fire to continue to say the things that they would say about me. But it never stopped my journey and never stopped my mindset and never stopped by goal.”

There’s more Lakers news this morning:

  • The offseason trade that brought Anthony Davis from New Orleans enabled L.A. to quickly transform from missing the playoffs to being the best team in the West. Davis, who also stood out Saturday with a 27-5-3 line, turned out to be the perfect complement to LeBron. “This is the reason why I wanted to be a teammate of his and why I brought him here,” James said (Twitter link from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I wanted him to see things that he hadn’t seen before in this league. To be able to come through for him meant a lot for me personally.”
  • A season like no other for the Lakers included the tragic death of franchise legend Kobe Bryant in a January helicopter crash. James took time Saturday to remember Bryant, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “He sent me a text right away and said, ‘Welcome, brother. Welcome to the family.’ That was a special moment because at the time, Laker faithful wasn’t (fully in on me). A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we might not want LeBron at this point in his career,’ and, ‘Is he right? Is he going to get us back (to the Finals)?’ So to hear from him and get his stamp of approval, it meant a lot. I don’t ever question myself, but when it’s coming from Kobe, it definitely meant a lot.”
  • Frank Vogel only became the Lakers’ coach after they missed on their first two targets, but he turned out to be an ideal leader for the team, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Vogel said the mystique surrounding the franchise made him want the job. “For me it was just, they were the cool team out West,” he said. “I didn’t really leave the East Coast, I didn’t travel much as a kid or anything like that. So, it was like a foreign country thinking about California. And they just had palm trees and sunshine, just had a flair to them that was celebrity like, you know? And the way their team played represented that. It was a show on the basketball court, it wasn’t just a sporting event.”
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Lakers Notes: Howard, Davis, LeBron, Rondo

September 26th, 2020 at 6:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

After several years of bouncing around the league, Dwight Howard is one win away from getting back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 11 years. He told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that the Lakers realize it won’t be easy to get rid of the Nuggets, who overcame a pair of 3-1 deficits on their way to the Western Conference Finals.

“They’re going to give us their best shot. They’re not going to let up,” Howard said. “They’re a really good team, very well coached. We understand that. We’re one step closer to our dream, so we’re not going to take our foot off the gas. I think we’re going to bring more intensity than we brought before. We have a well-experienced group of guys on our team, even coaches. We understand how important this series is and this game is and that we should treat it like a Game 7 with our intensity and our effort and just play as hard as we can.”

It has been an incredible journey for Howard, who is on his fifth team in the past five years and had to go through a training camp tryout just to earn a roster spot. He is averaging 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 11 playoff games and moved into the starting lineup for Thursday’s Game 4.

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Anthony Davis has “minor soreness” after suffering an ankle sprain, but has been cleared to play tonight, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
  • Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, a former teammate of LeBron James, believes the Lakers’ star is motivating himself through a perceived slight in the MVP balloting, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “LeBron always lifts his play in the playoffs, and I think those 16 first-place votes that he got (for MVP), he just used that,” Love said. ““He’s like, ‘I probably wouldn’t have won it. But I deserve more first place votes,’ which I believe is true.”
  • Rajon Rondo‘s playoff experience has been indispensable as the Lakers navigate the postseason, James tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “He’s played at the highest level, and he’s someone that we can trust,” James said. “… When you can have guys that have been in the moments and can understand and also be able to make adjustments on the fly, and know that you can count on them down the stretch, it just makes the team and you individually feel so much more confident in the outcome. Ever since he got back from injury and we saw this playoff run, he’s been exceptional.”
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Pacific Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Rondo, Thompson, Looney

September 25th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a decision to make regarding free agency after the season, has displayed his value during the Western Conference Finals, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes.

Caldwell-Pope has been one of several defenders assigned to slow down Jamal Murray. He’s also contributed on offense, including 13 points in the Lakers’ pivotal Game 4 victory on Thursday. Caldwell-Pope holds an $8.54MM option on his contract for next season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Anthony Davis‘ first order of business after being acquired by the Lakers was to encourage guard Rajon Rondo to re-sign, he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (hat tip to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register). “He was the first person I called,” Davis said. “I told him that I wanted him to come back because I knew how much I excel with him and how much of a leader he is and his mindset on the floor and will to win.” Rondo holds a $2.62MM player option on his contract for next season after signing a two-year deal last summer.
  • Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson participated in his first full practice on Friday since he tore his left ACL in Game 6 of last year’s Finals, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Thompson has four years left on the five-year, $189.9MM contract that took effect this season. “It was great to have him out on the floor, in the locker room,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Just his presence alone gave us a jolt of energy and excitement. Practice went well. This is the first practice coming off an ACL injury and a year and a half absence so I didn’t expect him to be in top shape, in top form, and he was not, but he moved well and it’s a good first step.”
  • Warriors big man Kevon Looney is also practicing and says he can run freely again on the court after a variety of injuries, He was cleared for full contact last month after undergoing core surgery in May, Friedell tweets (Twitter links). “I couldn’t really jump, I couldn’t really slide,” Looney said. “Biggest part for me is to stop being scared. I played last season scared to move.”
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Lakers Notes: Howard, James, Rondo, Davis

September 19th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard barely played against the small-ball Rockets in the Lakers‘ last series, but he may be in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Howard’s impact in Game 1 has coach Frank Vogel considering a change. During seven minutes in the second quarter, the veteran center had two blocks, two steals, and drew five fouls. He also boosted L.A.’s energy and physicality, Slater notes.

Howard started the second half in place of JaVale McGee and got Nuggets center Nikola Jokic to commit an important fourth foul, stifling Denver’s comeback hopes. Howard finished with 13 points in 16 minutes and was plus-14 for the game. Vogel won’t announce his Game 2 starters until the league requirement of 30 minutes before tipoff, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum.

“I had a chance to get there once and always promised myself if I had a chance to get back there, I’d give my teammates everything I got and lay it all out on the line,” Howard told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, referring to his loss with the Magic in 2009 in his only NBA Finals appearance.

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Vogel said LeBron James should be ready for Game 2 despite hurting his ankle Friday night, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James rolled the ankle when he stepped on Jerami Grant‘s foot.
  • Rajon Rondo put up seven points, nine assists and two steals in 22 minutes in Game 1, but the attitude he brings to the court is more important than his numbers, observes Helene Elliott of The Los Angeles Times. “His impact’s always measured in swag with our team,” Vogel said. “He elevates the group’s confidence every time he’s on the floor.” Rondo, who has a reputation for raising his game in the postseason, passed Michael Jordan on the career playoff assists list Friday night and is closing in on Kobe Bryant. He has been a difference maker since returning from a fractured right thumb that caused him to miss all the Lakers’ seeding games and the first-round series with Portland.
  • Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report talks to several anonymous team executives about whether Anthony Davis is the best teammate James has ever had. Davis is in his prime at age 27 and has been a perfect complement to James since being acquired from the Pelicans last summer.
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Lakers Notes: LeBron/Buss Dinner, WCF, AD, Lineup

September 18th, 2020 at 4:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Near the end of a rocky first season together, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and All-Star LeBron James sat down for their first dinner together at Wally’s Beverly Hills in March 2019, alongside James’ agent Rich Paul and Lakers executive Linda Rambis. It was here that the foundation was laid for this season’s relatively drama-free Lakers run in 2019/20, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

“We’re committed to you and we’ll come out of this on top,” Paul told Buss during the dinner, according to a conversation with Shelburne. “We’ll come out of this different than what the world sees. Let the people who talk, talk. We just gotta do the work.”

Shelburne notes that forging this more personal bond helped stabilize the club.

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

  • The Lakers’ competition in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets, have earned the respect of Los Angeles’ marquee player, after coming back twice from 3-1 deficits in the 2020 playoffs, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It takes a lot of energy, effort, a lot of desperation to be able to come back from a 3-1 deficit,” James said after a team practice today. “They did it twice. So the respect level is out of this world for what we have for this ball club.”
  • Lakers stars James and Anthony Davis have instilled a hardworking mindset that has proved effective this season among their teammates, per Mark Medina of USA Today. “They’ve been the rocks and heart and souls of our team all year,” power forward Kyle Kuzma said of LeBron and AD. “If we don’t do our jobs, they don’t have the success that they have.”
  • Los Angeles is ready to make lineup adjustments against the Nuggets to best handle Denver All-Star center Nikola Jokic, according to Tania Ganguli of the LA Times. Frank Vogel appeared to indicate that he’ll return to playing centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, who got minimal run during the Lakers’ more speed-oriented attack against the Rockets during the semifinals. Forward Markieff Morris, a solid three-point shooter, started at center in McGee’s stead during most of the Houston series. “In terms of how much we’ll use our centers, I don’t want to get too much into detail, but obviously we’re gonna be the L.A. Lakers, who we’ve been all year,” Vogel said. Starting center McGee is currently on the first year of a two-season, $8.2MM contract with the team, while reserve Howard is on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
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NBA Announces 2019/20 All-NBA Teams

September 16th, 2020 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-NBA teams for the 2019/20 season. Voting was completed prior to the league’s restart in July and was based on results through March 11.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lakers forward LeBron James, widely considered the two frontrunners for this year’s MVP award, were the only two players to be unanimously voted to the All-NBA First Team this season. Rockets guard James Harden, Lakers big man Anthony Davis, and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic rounded out the First Team.

The full All-NBA teams are listed below, with their vote totals in parentheses. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote, and one point for a Third Team vote, so Giannis and LeBron scored a perfect 500 — First Team nods from all 100 voters.

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

Among the players who just missed the cut were Bucks forward Khris Middleton (82 points), Sixers center Joel Embiid (79), Wizards guard Bradley Beal (32), and Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (26). A total of 11 other players also received at least one All-NBA vote — the full results can be found right here.

Today’s announcement is great news from a financial perspective for Siakam and Simmons. As a result of Siakam’s Second Team nod and Simmons’ Third Team spot, both players will earn starting salaries worth 28% of the 2020/21 salary cap, rather than 25%. Players who sign rookie scale extensions can earn maximum salaries up to 30% of the cap if they negotiate Rose Rule language into their deals.

The exact value of those new contracts will depend on where exactly the ’20/21 cap lands. Assuming it stays the same as in 2019/20 ($109.141MM), Siakam’s four-year extension would be worth $136.9MM instead of the $122.2MM it’d be worth if it started at 25% of the cap. Simmons’ five-year pact would be worth $177.2MM rather than $158.3MM.

While it’s also worth noting that All-NBA berths are of great importance to players seeking super-max contracts, there aren’t any real developments to report on that front as a result of this year’s votes. Antetokounmpo and Gobert remain eligible for super-max extensions, but they’d already qualified based on their previous accolades.

Embiid would have become super-max eligible in 2021 if he had earned an All-NBA spot, but he’ll need to make an All-NBA team next season to gain eligibility now, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Hoops Rumors readers accurately picked 12 of this season’s 15 All-NBA players in our spring poll. Beal, Embiid, and Devin Booker were your picks who didn’t make the official list. Of the 12 who made it, 11 made the exact team you projected, with Paul (who made Second Team instead of Third Team) representing the only exception.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA Announces 2019/20 All-Defensive Teams

September 8th, 2020 at 6:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2019/20 season. Unsurprisingly, Defensive Player of the Year (and possible repeat MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading vote-getter with 195 total points. Players receive two points per First Team vote and one point per Second Team vote.

This is the Bucks forward’s second consecutive appearance on the All-NBA First Team. Antetokounmpo was listed on 98 of 100 ballots from the 100 broadcasters and writers who comprised this year’s voting panel. 97 of those voters awarded him a First Team vote.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis was featured on every ballot and received a total tally of 187 points (including 87 First Team votes). Sixers guard Ben Simmons tallied 185 points with the third-most votes this year. Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the 2018 and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, was fourth with 95 total votes (85 First Team), for 180 total points. Celtics guard Marcus Smart rounded out the All-Defensive First Team with 152 points, including 57 First Team votes.

Gobert’s inclusion on the All-Defensive First Team has earned him a $500K bonus, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Antetokounmpo’s Bucks teammates Brook Lopez (67 points) and Eric Bledsoe (59 points) each made the All-Defensive Second Team.

[RELATED: Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Defensive Player Of The Year]

Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:

First Team:

Second Team:

You can find the full voting results right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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