Lakers in the News 7/23/15: Robert Upshaw and the curious case of the Lakers' final roster slot

lakersfreak · Last edited by lakersfreak on Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

Team Looking To Trade Three Players Away For Brendan Haywood
by Danny Cox - inquisitr.com

Even though the LA Lakers have missed out on a lot of targets they’ve taken aim at this NBA offseason, they’re not done working yet. Some believe that the final word on Nick Young is that the Lakers aren’t going to trade him away and will simply hold onto him for one more season. Now, rumors are coming about that the Lakers could still ship Young out in hopes of landing Brendan Haywood from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

One of the things that has everyone so interested in Haywood is that he has a contract that is not guaranteed. Trading for his deal would help free up cap space on any team, and that’s something the Lakers are still trying to do.

During the offseason, the Lakers have looked at trading away Nick Young, Robert Sucre, and Ryan Kelly. So far, there have been no real bites or offers that were worth the Lakers following through on.

Los Angeles has brought in Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, and Brandon Bass in the past few weeks, but they just aren’t done yet.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2274577/la-lakers-rumors-team-looking-to-trade-three-players-away-for-brendan-haywood/

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:46 am Post subject:

New Lakers center Hibbert expects to return to All-Star form
by Bill Oram - ocregister.com

To Larry Bird and others in charge in Indiana, Roy Hibbert was a lost cause. A lumbering center with little offensive game and a disinterested temperament, they were happy pawning him off for nothing more than a future second-round draft pick.

The Lakers, however, view Hibbert as a player who can not only regain his standing as an All-Star big man, but anchor their anemic defense, which last year ranked second-worst in the NBA.

“I expect to play at an All-Star defensive level, and everything else will come,” Hibbert said Wednesday.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hibbert-673403-lakers-year.html

Chronicle · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:46 am Post subject:

What do we need cap space for

_________________
Kobe

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:48 am Post subject:

Roy Hibbert leads new Lakers trio looking for fresh start
by Baxter Holmes - espn.go.com

The Los Angeles Lakers had hoped to be introducing a top-flight free agent (or two) this offseason, a big-name acquisition who could help revive the franchise that's in the midst of a full-on rebuild. But their top targets went elsewhere, leaving them with limited options.

They ended up signing forward Brandon Bass and guard Lou Williams while also acquiring former All-Star center Roy Hibbert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.

Sure, none of the three players are expected to contend for MVP status anytime soon, but they still represent quality additions to a roster that, as Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has said, needs plenty of help at every position after finishing a franchise-worst 21-61 last season.

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/41733/roy-hibbert-leads-new-lakers-trio-looking-for-fresh-start

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:49 am Post subject:

Roy Hibbert's defensive attitude is OK for Lakers
by Helene Elliot - latimes.com

Roy Hibbert had planned to spend the summer in Los Angeles anyway, so he didn't have a long way to go when the Lakers acquired him from the Indiana Pacers two weeks ago for a second-round draft pick.

"I knew I was going to get traded at some point, but I didn't think it would be to the place that I moved during the summer," he said Wednesday. "It worked out pretty well. I'm excited to be here."

Will the feeling be mutual?

The 7-foot-2 center became the Lakers' fall-back option after free agents LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and DeAndre Jordan turned them down, but Hibbert could become much more than a consolation prize for a team that desperately needs a fearsome defensive player. He might be a reclamation project after a bad season in Indiana — he averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks and his playing time dwindled down the stretch before the Pacers missed the playoffs — but he sounded as if he has taken the first mental strides toward adjusting to his new team and role.

"My main presence is going to be at the rim," Hibbert said while sharing the stage with free-agent signees Brandon Bass and Lou Williams at a news conference in El Segundo.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-hibbert-lakers-elliott-20150723-column.html

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:51 am Post subject:

Los Angeles Lakers Playing with Fire Having Kobe Bryant at Small Forward
by Adam Fromal - bleacherreport.com

Kobe Bryant and shooting guard have been synonymous for so many years.

The future Hall of Famer took over as the Los Angeles Lakers' starting 2-guard at the beginning of the 1998-99 campaign, and he was so successful in his role that Eddie Jones almost immediately became expendable. Despite the fact that the 27-year-old was coming off back-to-back All-Star campaigns, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Bryant ensured that he wasn't missed too much.

But now, he could be gearing up for a season in which he spends quite a bit of time at the 3. After years of holding down the fort as the NBA's standard-bearer at shooting guard, battling it out with Dwyane Wade for positional supremacy during the mid-2000s and finally ceding the crown to the new crop of dominant backcourt players, it may be time for Bryant to shift over in the lineup.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2528626-los-angeles-lakers-playing-with-fire-having-kobe-bryant-at-small-forward

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Apparently Bob Sugar plays center for the Lakers.

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ChefLinda · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:33 am Post subject:

Thanks for doing the news while Cha*n is in China.

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:09 am Post subject:

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:26 am Post subject:

LaMarcus Aldridge says Lakers meeting was “blown out of proportion,” same with Knicks non-meeting
by Kurt Helin - probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

There’s a theory that LaMarcus Aldridge always knew what team he would choose this summer. He took the meetings, had a few nice steak dinners, but so long as the Spurs could work the cap situation out, he was coming to San Antonio.

True or not, those other meetings became big stories — particularly the Lakers meeting, which did not go well at all. The Lakers pitch was reportedly heavy on selling Los Angeles as a marketing and lifestyle destination — but Aldridge already has a home in the area (Orange County), they needed to sell him on basketball but didn’t. The Lakers went from being one of the co-favorites to land him to being voted off the island. The Lakers got a second meeting, but it didn’t change things.

Then Aldridge didn’t even meet with the Knicks.

Both of those were huge stories, but Aldridge told Basketball Insiders it got blown out of proportion.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/23/lamarcus-aldridge-says-lakers-meeting-was-blown-out-of-proportion-same-with-knicks-non-meeting/

Dr. Funkbot · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:39 pm Post subject:

The article is right, LMA would not have been a good fit. The Lakers have a bright future, but they are years away from the conference finals. I think that a younger player like R-Hib fits the bill better.
_________________
R.I.P. Doc Buss

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:45 pm Post subject:

Lakers’ Nick Young felt more assured about future after recent meeting with Mitch Kupchak
by Mark Medina - insidesocal.com

Lakers forward Nick Young recently met with general manager Mitch Kupchak, according to league sources familiar with the situation.

It is not entirely clear what Young and Kupchak addressed in their meeting. It is typical for Kupchak to meet with players to discuss both professional and private issues. But the conversation at least left Young feeling comfortable enough that he will enter the 2015-16 season on the Lakers’ roster, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

The Lakers had hoped to trade Young this offseason after averaging 13.4 points on a career-low 36.6 percent shooting. He has three years left on his contract worth $15.6 million and frequently clashed with coach Byron Scott. The issues ranged from Scott’s demanding coaching style, Young’s inconsistency and playful post-game interviews. But the Lakers failed to find much interest in Young on the open market.

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2015/07/23/lakers-nick-young-felt-more-assured-about-future-after-recent-meeting-with-mitch-kupchak/

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:48 pm Post subject:

Charles Barkley not shocked by Kobe's silence, calls Bryant 'a loner'
by foxsports.com

It made for a fantastic moment during the Los Angeles Lakers' introductory news conference for Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Brandon Bass on Wednesday. But was it really surprising to learn that Kobe Bryant hadn't reached out to the newest Lakers, given what's known of the future Hall of Famer?

According to a Hall of Famer in his own right, Charles Barkley, it's not surprising at all. The TNT analyst appeared on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show on Thursday morning and offered his take on Bryant not reaching out to his new teammates:

"Do I think it's unusual? No. Kobe is a loner. He's obviously one of the 10 greatest basketball players ever, and he's always treated me with respect. But he's a loner. He's got a one-track mind as far as basketball goes, and I don't think he's the type of guy -- doesn't make him a bad guy -- who's gonna reach out to guys like that. He will see them in training camp."

http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-charles-barkley-new-teammates-silence-loner-roy-hibbert-lou-williams-072315

lakersfreak · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:49 pm Post subject:

Robert Upshaw and the curious case of the Lakers' final roster slot
by Drew Garrison - silverscreenandroll.com

The Los Angeles Lakers sit at 14 signed players, leaving them a single spot to fill out before locking in their roster for the season. Their depth chart is currently a mix-and-match of veterans, fresh talent and prospects that are left over from the previous three seasons. Despite the team still having a handful of veteran's minimum players, their flexibility is now compromised by the number of young players they've compiled. This, from what we can glean from general manager Mitch Kupchak's most recent comments on Robert Upshaw and the potential of adding to the roster elsewhere, is one of the reasons they've yet to finalize their 15th player.

Upshaw makes a great deal of sense as the final prospect for the Lakers, and he's coming off what was a successful Las Vegas Summer League run. He's still very much a project player, but he's the kind that's worth the attention of a franchise. Put another way, Jim Buss loves developing big men, and Upshaw is the best prospect he's gotten a chance to oversee since Andrew Bynum. There are red flags regarding Robert's off-court decisions, though, which will continue to be an asterisk in any conversation about his place in the NBA.

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/7/23/9022785/la-lakers-free-agency-summer-league-robert-upsaw-roster-news

kobe_luver · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:37 pm Post subject:

I think Barkley got something right for once!

I think he explained the Kobe / teammates issue right on the money!

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ChickenStu · Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:57 am Post subject: