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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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Lakers in Review: Team nears training camp
by Eric Pincus - latimes.com
The Lakers start training camp Monday with 19 players under contract.
In addition to adding 32-year old Brazilian rookie point guard Marcelo Huertas, the Lakers signed undrafted center Robert Upshaw to a two-year, partially guaranteed contract.
Huertas hopes to make the team as a veteran backcourt presence. Upshaw needs to prove he's moved beyond issues that derailed his college career.
The team also brought back a link to the past, signing forward Metta World Peace, who has helped to mentor second-year forward Julius Randle over the summer.
The Lakers hope to foster a young core of at least eight players, built around D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Randle and possibly center Roy Hibbert.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-lakers-review-training-camp-nears-20150926-story.html |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Mitch Kupchak reiterates support for Byron Scott
by Mark Medina - dailynews.com
For a franchise that usually evaluates itself on wins and losses, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has shifted his expectations.
Though Lakers coach Byron Scott oversaw the team going 21-61 last season in what marked the franchise’s worst record in its 67-year-old history, Kupchak has not wavered in his support for Scott. Kupchak remained mindful of the Lakers missing an NBA-record 324 games because of injuries and a roster filled with unproven talent.
“He has more to work with this year,” Kupchak said of Scott. “I would think he would agree to that. So I’m hoping he’s rewarded with more W’s. I don’t expect him to conduct training camp any differently than he did last year.”
That will begin Tuesday in Honolulu. The Lakers’ nine-day camps will include seven days of practices and two exhibitions. Scott has developed a strong reputation for running conditioning-heavy practices in training camp, the latest one including three two-a-day sessions.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20150926/lakers-mitch-kupchak-reiterates-support-for-byron-scott |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Media Day optimism as good as it gets for Lakers
by Mark Heisler - dailynews.com
Media Day has changed in Lakerdom. Once a rite marking the opening of training camp, it has become the best day of the season.
After one day of triumphant optimism, it has all been downhill for two grisly seasons, with no indication that a turnaround is at hand in the upcoming one.
Nor after missing out on Carmelo Anthony and LaMarcus Aldrdige, are the Lakers likely to change their harsh reality and cratered perception enough to get into the running for Kevin Durant, the 2016 free agent they have looked forward to courting for years.
For one day, optimism reigns. It’s not hard to imagine what the Lakers will say, as if in a chorus:
• Everyone is writing us off. That’s fuel for our fire.
• We missed out on Aldridge, Greg Monroe and DeAndre Jordan last summer, but Roy Hibbert can be an important piece.
• We haven’t had a healthy Kobe for two seasons but he’s ready.
• Julius Randle didn’t have a chance as a rookie, but we think he’ll be fine.
• Summer League doesn’t mean anything. We think D’Angelo Russell will be fine.
• We know the West is even deeper with have-nots like Minnesota rising, but the playoffs aren’t out of reach.
Hey, it’s true, or, at least, some of it could be.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20150926/media-day-optimism-as-good-as-it-gets-for-lakers |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:39 am Post subject: |
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Kobe Gets The Veteran He Needs
by Brendan Patel - rantsports.com
Kobe Bryant has always been a tough-minded leader, pushing his teammates to the limit just as he would himself. He has had his fair share of run-ins with teammates in the past, but has also won five championships that prove he is a winner. Now, he finds himself in a difficult situation with a young Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster that has struggled in recent years. They have added some veterans in free agency, but Metta World Peace may be the one who can bridge the gap between Bryant and the rest of the team.
The Lakers may not be championship contenders, but you can expect Bryant to give it his all every game and try to will his team to the playoffs. This includes motivating the younger players, who are still developing and adapting to the professional game. It is easy to say things will go well before the season starts, but if the losses start piling up, things could go bad very quickly.
http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2015/09/27/los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant-gets-the-veteran-he-needs/ |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Kupchak defends Nick Young’s personality
by Mark Medina - insidesocal.com
As he continuously took shots that did not go in the basket, Lakers forward Nick Young upset coach Byron Scott in other ways.
Scott became frustrated that Young did not improve his passing or defense to compensate for his inconsistent shooting. Scott then became irked with Young’s frequent tardiness to games that he often fined him. Scott also chastised Young for interrupting Jeremy Lin’s post-game interview following a win against the Celtics, something Young had frequently done earlier in the season.
Yet, Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak dismissed any notion that the Lakers’ concerns about him partly reflect his “Swaggy P” persona. Instead, Kupchak argued it all traces back to Young averaging 13.4 points on a career-low 36.6 percent shooting before missing the last 27 games because of a fractured left knee.
“He doesn’t have to change his personality,” Kupchak said. “That’s not what this is about. This is about doing what the coach wants you to do on the court. And he knows that. I don’t want to make a bigger deal about this than it really is.”
Yet, this has become a big deal for a number of reasons.
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2015/09/26/lakers-mitch-kupchak-defends-nick-youngs-personality/ |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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The Professor Shows D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson Some Tricks
by Ryan Ward - lakersnation.com
Last week, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle made an appearance at the Power 106 All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game. Randle and Clarkson went head-to-head as the coaches of the two teams playing in the event while Russell watched as a spectator.
Before the game got underway, Ball Up’s Grayson Boucher aka The Professor, showed Russell and Clarkson some ball-handling tricks they could use in the NBA next season.
http://www.lakersnation.com/the-professor-shows-dangelo-russell-jordan-clarkson-some-tricks/2015/09/27/ |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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Lakers camp nears — and with it, questions about Kobe, Randle, Hibbert ...
by Mike Bresnahan - latimes.com
The Lakers couldn't get away from the court quickly enough the last time we saw them, stumbling toward a 21-61 record before a bored, if not horrified, fan base.
Guys named Dwight Buycks and Vander Blue logged playing time last season, the beginning and end of the Lakers' problems. Kobe Bryant played only 35 games and Julius Randle lasted only 14 minutes in the worst season in the franchise's 67-year existence.
Ready or not, training camp begins Tuesday in Honolulu. Here are five questions for the Lakers' season, which officially starts Oct. 28 against Minnesota.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-lakers-preview-20150928-story.html |
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lakersfreak Franchise Player
Joined: 11 Apr 2001 Posts: 12389 Location: Riverside Rescue
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