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Community Shootaround: Lakers Future

July 7th, 2017 at 10:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Lonzo Ball Era has officially arrived in Los Angeles – well, Las Vegas technically – and the potential impact the No. 2 overall pick will have on the franchise can already be felt world-wide.

Sure the Lakers lost to the Clippers (in what Lavar Ball calls his son’s ‘worst game ever‘) but the rookie’s vision was on full display right from the onset of the first quarter.

Just over ten seconds into his NBA debut, Ball connected with Lakers 2016 first-round pick Brandon Ingram for a casual alley-oop.

Already the prospect of seeing Ball and the new-look Showtime squad has pushed the organization into new territory (or at least familiar territory that they haven’t seen in some time).

After years of Post-Prime-Kobe and consistent asset collection, the team has brought in a new executive staff, committed to a highly regarded young coach and laid out a framework for a roster that could remain in Los Angeles for years.

The result?

History. Sort of. As Ohm Youngmisuk detailed for ESPN – and we broke down here – the Las Vegas Summer League sold out their venue for Saturday’s entire session and had done so by noon today. That’s a first, Youngmisuk reports, reminding readers that the Thomas & Mack Center’s venue seats over 15,000 people.

The question, of course, is whether the franchise will live up to the hype or not. While there are several legitimate reasons to be genuinely optimistic about the future of the franchise, there was no shortage of hype this time last year either, when the team presented Ingram, D’Angelo Russell and then-new head coach Luke Walton as the pillars of the team’s future. Ball, then, hadn’t even yet suited up for a single Bruins game at that point.

We ask you, Lakers fans and haters alike, will this go down as the beginning of the next great Showtime dynasty? Are we finally seeing the core building blocks of the organization’s next great run? Or, for the pessimistic among us, will we simply be having an entirely different conversation this time next year?

Latest On Paul George

July 1st, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s a near-unanimous view around the league that Paul George will sign with the Lakers next summer despite Friday’s trade to the Thunder, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Lowe states that the chances of George heading to L.A. are about 75%, and the Celtics and Cavaliers had that in mind as they were working to obtain him.

The Lakers also subscribe to that view, which is why they weren’t willing to part with Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball to get George from the Pacers now. Lowe adds that Indiana didn’t have any interest in former Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was subsequently dealt to the Nets.

The ESPN writer shares more information about Friday’s major deal:

The Celtics wanted to see if they could land Gordon Hayward in free agency before completing a trade for George. They were reluctant to deal two starters in exchange for George without knowing whether they were getting Hayward.
Boston’s last offer for George didn’t include Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, the 2018 Nets pick or the Lakers/Kings pick that Boston received from Philadelphia. There were reports that the Celtics offered Indiana three picks at some point, but Lowe believes those were a combination of Boston’s future selections and protected 2019 first-rounders from the Grizzlies and Clippers. All of those draft choices could have fallen into the 20s, Lowe notes, and the Pacers wanted something more likely to be in the top 10.
A three-way trade involving the Pacers, Cavaliers and Nuggets was discussed on Friday. The deal would have sent George to Cleveland, Kevin Love to Denver and Gary Harris, Trey Lyles and a protected first-rounder to Indiana. Lowe describes the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Celtics as “stunned” when news broke that George was headed to Oklahoma City.
The Trail Blazers tried to get George on draft night, offering a package that included several picks and at least one player, but the Pacers turned it down.

Brogdon, Saric Headline 2016/17 NBA All-Rookie Teams

June 26th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced its All-Rookie teams for the 2016/17 season, with Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon and Sixers forward Dario Saric headlining the First Team. Brogdon and Saric were the only two players who were unanimously named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.

Here’s the full breakdown of this year’s All-Rookie squads:

First Team:

Malcolm Brogdon (Bucks)
Dario Saric (Sixers)
Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Buddy Hield (Kings)
Willy Hernangomez (Knicks)

Second Team:

Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
Marquese Chriss (Suns)
Brandon Ingram (Lakers)
Yogi Ferrell (Mavericks)

Brogdon, Saric, and Embiid are the finalists for the 2016/17 NBA Rookie of the Year award, which will be announced later tonight during the league’s TV broadcast on TNT.

Pluto’s Latest: George, Love, Ingram, Butler

June 25th, 2017 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers want to make a Paul George deal while they can still get value, but they aren’t interested in taking back Kevin Love from the Cavaliers, according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Indiana is focused on getting young players and draft picks in return for its star forward, who has announced that he will opt out of his contract next offseason and has expressed a desire to return to his hometown of Los Angeles and play for the Lakers.

The Pacers proposed a deal to the Lakers involving Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft. However, Magic Johnson, L.A.’s president of basketball operations, doesn’t want to part with Ingram, who averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 79 games as a rookie.

Pluto passes on several other tidbits in his latest column:

The Celtics could have as many as 10 first-rounders over the next three years and seem like a natural facilitator to take on Love and get George to Cleveland in a three-team trade. But an unidentified NBA executive tells Pluto the Celtics also want George and are more likely to deal with the Pacers directly.
The Bulls weren’t interested in Love either, which is why the Cavaliers had little chance of trading for Jimmy Butler. Chicago has gotten tired of being mediocre and is looking for young talent to start rebuilding around. However, Pluto says most of the league iwas “stunned” that the Bulls couldn’t get more than Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and a swap of first-rounders in return for Butler. The Celtics reportedly offered a better package that included several future draft picks.
The Cavaliers are still waiting to hear if Chauncey Billups will accept their GM offer. Sources tell Pluto that Billups has been pursuing a GM job for more than a year, so it’s not clear why there’s a delay. Billups has never worked in an NBA front office, Pluto notes, so he would need to hire an experienced executive as an assistant. A top candidate is George David, a former assistant GM with the Pistons who has a background in scouting.

Woj’s Latest: Pacers, George, Lakers, Knicks

June 19th, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Before Paul George‘s camp informed the Pacers that George expects to opt out and leave Indiana next year, the team had been considering pursuing some notable free agents, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. On his latest podcast with Bobby Marks, Wojnarowski identifies point guard Jrue Holiday and forward Danilo Gallinari as a pair of veterans being eyed by the Pacers.

However, according to Wojnarowski, George didn’t want the Pacers to make major moves for his benefit this offseason, locking themselves into big free agent contracts in the hopes that he would be willing to re-sign. With George’s days in Indiana now numbered, the club will likely forgo its potential pursuit of free agents like Holiday and Gallinari.

Here are some more highlights from Wojnarowski’s conversation with Marks, which centered on George but touched on a few other topics as well:

Although Larry Bird is no longer the Pacers‘ president, he’s still a consultant for the team, and he likely wants to avoid sending George to his old rivals in Los Angeles for pennies on the dollar, Wojnarowski observes. Still, Wojnarowski and Marks don’t expect George’s camp to help accommodate a trade to any team besides the Lakers, since the star forward may simply prefer to stay with the Pacers for one more season rather than being sent to a team he’ll likely leave in a year.
The Lakers won’t offer Brandon Ingram or the No. 2 overall pick in a package for George, according to Wojnarowski, who predicts that L.A. wouldn’t offer the Pacers more than some combination of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and the No. 28 pick.
As the Lakers look ahead to the 2018 offseason, which could see them going after top free agents like George and LeBron James, they’ll want to clear Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng from their books. However, Wojnarowski says the only way that will happen is if the club is willing to attach a first-round pick or a talented young player like D’Angelo Russell to one of those bad contracts. Using the stretch provision on the duo in the summer of 2018 probably makes more sense for L.A.
In Wojnarowski’s view, the door was open for the Knicks to be in the Chris Paul discussion this summer, since there’s no perfect fit for CP3 if he wants to leave the Clippers. In theory, the Knicks could have been that fit, but with Phil Jackson and the triangle around, nobody is talking about wanting to play in New York, says Woj.
Continuing his discussion of the Knicks, Wojnarowski suggests that Jackson’s treatment of Carmelo Anthony has soured many veterans on New York. In particular, Anthony’s friends like Paul, LeBron, and Dwyane Wade view Carmelo’s situation as a cautionary tale, and that view seems to be widely shared around the NBA.

Lakers Maintain Brandon Ingram Is Not Available

June 16th, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers reportedly haven’t ruled out the possibility of trading this year’s second overall pick, but last year’s No. 2 pick is staying put. The Lakers have maintained during recent discussions with teams that Brandon Ingram is not available, according to Mark Medina of The Orange County Register.

Ingram’s status doesn’t come as a surprise, as 2016’s second overall pick was viewed as perhaps the only untouchable player on the Lakers’ roster heading into the team’s first offseason with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka at the helm. Although Ingram’s rookie season wasn’t exceptional, the Lakers are encouraged by the “steady growth” he has shown with his defense, shooting, and aggressiveness, per Medina.

In 79 games (40 starts) last year, Ingram averaged 9.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.1 APG. The former Duke Blue Devil looked better down the stretch — after entering the starting lineup for good on February 6, he averaged 12.2 PPG and shot 46.6% from the field. He had made just 35.9% of his field goal attempts up until that point.

Medina also reports that the Lakers have heard from prospects that they would like to play alongside Ingram, who is still just 19 years old.

Lakers Notes: Scott, Russell, Ingram

May 25th, 2017 at 4:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Former Lakers coach Byron Scott said he “felt betrayed, lied to and deceived” by former GM Mitch Kupchak and former team president Jim Buss, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Scott said that the pair of executives promised him that the team would pick up his third-year option on his contract and he believes that they made him a scapegoat for the franchise’s struggles during Kobe Bryant‘s final season. He also believes the front office used him to manage Bryant.

“If I asked him to do certain things, Kobe would do it because of his respect for me,” said Scott. “Basically, you just wanted me there to help you guys get through the next two years, so Kobe doesn’t go crazy on you guys. I would be the one that can handle it. They know me. I’m not going to back down. I’m not going to be intimidated by anybody.”

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Scott remains a big fan of Julius Randle, but he’s not as bullish on D’Angelo Russell, Medina passes along in the same piece. “I don’t know if his work ethic has gotten any better. Some of the people I’ve talked to in the organization said that it hasn’t,” Scott said of Russell. “I just wish him all the best. The maturity level will catch up to him sooner or later when he realizes it’s an honor and a privilege to be in the NBA and be in the position that he’s in. He has to take full advantage of it.”
Team president Magic Johnson only considers one player on the Lakers to be untouchable, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com relays. “I would say probably the only player that we would say, hey, we would probably not move is Brandon Ingram,” Johnson in an ESPN radio appearance. “I think that we’re excited about Brandon, his length, his size, his agility, his athleticism. And then when you think about, you know, he was a baby coming in, in his first year last season and we see that he really has a high ceiling and we’re excited about what he can possibly turn into.”
The Lakers have hired Gunnar Peterson as their Director of Strength and Endurance Training, per NBA.com. Peterson has worked with many entertainers and athletes as a fitness trainer.

Latest On Paul George And The Lakers

April 24th, 2017 at 4:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Paul George has been talking about playing for the Lakers for years, an anonymous former teammate tells Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News. The small forward never made his desire to play for Los Angeles a secret within the team’s locker room, according to George’s former Pacers teammate.

Lakers team president Magic Johnson will likely pursue George and look to build a title contender around him, sources tell Lawrence. Johnson alluded to such plans during a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Lawrence acknowledges that George is a tremendous talent but hears that his leadership ability is being questioned around the league. Rival teams noticed how George handled himself in the media following the team’s Game 1 loss where C.J. Miles took the last shot instead of passing it to George. “C.J. took it upon himself,” George said following the game. “I’m confident in all my guys taking shots, that’s not the issue. But in that situation like that, I’ve gotta get that.”

A star should want the ball at the end of the game, but taking issue with teammates through the media is not the way top players should lead. “He’s not a winner by saying that [stuff] in public,” one GM told Lawrence. “That’s no way to support a teammate, but that’s how Paul rolls.”

Those comments after Game 1, along with George’s statements about Lance Stephenson‘s body language, have irritated members of the Pacers organization, particularly coach Nate McMillan and team president Larry Bird.

Several NBA executives are under the belief that George’s unhappiness and public blaming of teammates is a result of the Pacers not surrounding him with the right pieces. Lawrence believes the Lakers need to surround George with “strong-willed” veterans should they trade for him this year or sign him next summer. One GM told Lawrence that the Celtics would be a much better fit than the Lakers because of Boston’s personnel.

Lawrence speculates that the team could part with D’Angelo Russell and/or Julius Randle in a hypothetical trade for George. The scribe adds that Brandon Ingram may not be on the table due to his high ceiling.

George said publicly that he hasn’t yet made a decision on his future with Indiana. “I ain’t even at that point, yet,” George said. He can become a free agent next summer by turning down a player option, which is worth approximately $20.7MM.

Lakers Notes: Draft Pick, Walton, Ingram, Robinson

April 14th, 2017 at 12:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka says the organization has a plan in place whether it gets to keep its first-round pick or not, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. The Lakers will learn their fate at the May 16th lottery, where they need the pick to fall within the top three to prevent it from being sent to Philadelphia. At 26-56, L.A. had the third-worst record in the league, which gives the franchise a 47% chance of keeping the selection. “If we get the lottery balls to bounce our way, yes, we have a great attack plan for the draft,” Pelinka said. “But if we don’t, just like [many famous] sports moments, we have to find a way, and we do have a plan, to still get to where our ultimate destination is without the draft pick.”

There’s more Lakers news out of Los Angeles:

The Lakers would like to add talent this summer without disrupting the young group of players they have in place, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Now that the season is over, coach Luke Walton plans to join Pelinka and president of basketball operations Magic Johnson to develop a strategy for the future. “They both believe in the young core we have. They believe with time we’ll be able to get it done,” Walton said, “But at the same time, they’ll be looking for different ways to make the team more successful sooner rather than later. It’s kind of a fine line in balancing all of that.”
Pelinka and Johnson have told rookie Brandon Ingram to work out with Kobe Bryant this summer, Medina relays in a separate piece. They also want the 6’9″, 190-pounder to add muscle over the offseason, but the organization believes Ingram could benefit most from being exposed to Bryant’s mental approach. “He had a curiosity for the game,” said Pelinka, who was Bryant’s former agent. “I think for a young player like Brandon to tap into the highest level of obsession with excellence and learn what that means is critical.”
Another summer of uncertainty awaits free agent Thomas Robinson, but he was happy with what he heard during Thursday’s exit interview, Medina notes in another story. Robinson averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per night in 48 games after earning a roster spot in training camp. “They were impressed with the way I handled myself this year,” Robinson said of the meeting with Pelinka, Johnson and Walton. “They’re happy with that part with who I am as a person and as a player. I take that as a good thing. Hopefully it turns into me coming back as a Laker.” He added that there was no commitment from the team about bringing him back next season. The No. 5 pick in the 2012 draft, Robinson has been with six organizations during his five NBA seasons.

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).