Lakers in the News 11/23/15 - 11/29/15: Roy Hibbert must face his feelings when playing Pacers

lakersfreak · Last edited by lakersfreak on Sun Nov 29, 2015 6:05 pm; edited 24 times in total

Byron Scott preaches patience with D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle
by Janis Carr - ocregister.com

All that talk about bringing D’Angelo Russell along slowly isn’t just idle chatter. Coach Bryon Scott has said developing young players takes time, possibly a long time.

Scott said there’s no one more than he who wants the prized young point guard to be the next Damian Lillard right this very minute, but that’s not likely to happen tomorrow, next month or even by season’s end.

“I take (Portland guard C.J.) McCollum as an example,” Scott said before the Lakers fell to the Trail Blazers, 107-93. “It’s his third year. It takes time. I think everybody has to understand that. I don’t think a lot of people do, unfortunately.

“With D’Angelo, it might be sometime toward the end of next season where he says, ‘Man, I’m starting to get it.’ Same thing with Julius (Randle). We’re going to just be patient and keep working them the way we’ve been working them and try to bring them along.”

McCollum, Portland’s other starting guard, was drafted a year after Lillard, so where he fit into the Trail Blazers’ plans wasn’t altogether clear. He missed several games his rookie season because of injury and then found himself marooned behind Lillard and Wes Matthews the following season.

McCollum didn’t sit and stew. He seemingly learned from his time on the bench and when given the opportunity, he embraced it.

During the summer, the Trail Blazers overturned their roster, which opened up the starting role for McCollum, who has scored in double figures in Portland’s first 14 games. He is averaging 20.1 points a game, shooting 44.2 from the floor and handing out 3.6 assists a game, giving the Trail Blazers a potent backcourt with Lillard.

McCollum and Lillard combined to drop 47 points on the Lakers in Sunday’s victory.

Russell didn’t back down, either. He played a season-high 36 minutes against Portland and scored 13 points, had a season-high nine rebounds and six assists, all signs pointing to improvement.

“We want this kid to really develop into what we think he can, which is a great point guard,” Scott said, “because he has the vision, he has the talent. He has to get a little more familiar with what we do, but I think he’s gotten much better. I think he’s starting to feel more comfortable.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/think-693427-lakers-time.html

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:02 am Post subject:

TDIKH: November 23, 1997
by lakers.com

With the sheer dominance of the three-peat era that soon followed, the late 1990s Lakers teams can often be overlooked.

But in the moment the Lakers looked like one of the franchise’s classic units, as they beat the Clippers, 119-102, to improve to 11-0.

While Eddie Jones led the way with 28 points, including a 13-of-16 mark on free throws, Kobe Bryant provide firepower off the bench early in his first all-star season.

The teenager racked up 24 points, while also pitching in five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Though he didn’t shoot well (8-of-21), he consistently drew fouls toward an 8-of-9 clip on foul shots.

http://www.nba.com/lakers/tdikh/1123

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:03 am Post subject:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar addresses Lakers about poor start
by Mark Medina - dailynews.com

The Lakers gathered together to learn about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s life as told in his recent HBO documentary. But on Saturday, the Lakers also learned what Abdul-Jabbar thought of their recent play.

Unsurprisingly, Abdul-Jabbar did not give the Lakers two thumbs up after attending Friday’s loss to Toronto.

“ ‘You have to play as a team and have to play together and have each other’s back,’ ” Lakers coach Byron Scott recalled Abdul-Jabbar saying. “ ‘You have to want your teammates to be successful. You have to love each other.’ ”

Scott played with Abdul-Jabbar on the Showtime Lakers from 1983 to 1989 and they won three NBA championships together. But Scott insisted he did not tell Abdul-Jabbar to deliver his message. Yet, the Lakers’ coach conceded that Abdul-Jabbar “said all the things we’ve been saying.”

“I probably said it so many times, they probably tuned it out,” Scott said. “Once he said it, it made more sense.”

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20151122/kareem-abdul-jabbar-addresses-lakers-about-poor-start

Don Draper · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:11 am Post subject:

"he has to get a little more familiar with what we do"

Uh....which is?

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:26 am Post subject:

Breaking down D'Angelo Russell's steady improvement
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Before the 2015 NBA Draft, many noted that Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell would have an adjustment period coming into the league. The speed and skill on display in an NBA game is unequaled in basketball, and a 19-year old with a slight build and lack of overwhelming athleticism attempting to play the most demanding position in the sport was always going to be headed for an up and down start.

Russell definitely began with some downs, averaging 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assist over his first four games while shooting 34.1% from the field. There were brief flashes of the player the Lakers hoped Russell would become, but for the majority of the time Russell looked like one would expect a kid just over a year removed from high school playing against professional, grown men for the first time to look.

The good news is that after those downs, Russell's last two games have been ups. Russell has averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists with 2.5 turnovers on 42.3% shooting. Perhaps more importantly he has played 34.7 minutes per game and only marginally increased his usage rate from 20.9% to 22%. He should probably have the ball in his hands more, but it is encouraging he has managed to increase his production so significantly without a meaningful increase in opportunities.

It would be overly optimistic to expect Russell to go the rest of the year without going through more slumps or bumps in the road, but things are looking up. It's a small sample size, but Russell is showing signs of adjusting to shooting three-pointers from the NBA line, shooting 45.5% on threes over the Lakers' last two games:

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/11/23/9781578/la-lakers-dangelo-russell-stats-film-development

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:17 pm Post subject:

Byron Scott Has Troubling Views on Kobe
by Cody Williams - lakeshowlife.com

Kobe Bryant has been struggling for the Lakers, but Byron Scott’s thoughts on the situation are more troubling than anything

Kobe Bryant playing poorly to start the season for the Los Angeles Lakers isn’t something that’s even remotely secretive. At the start of his 20th year in the NBA, Kobe has been astonishingly inefficient shooting the ball and, in a broader sense, has been a ball-stopper in the offense who kills any of the scarce ball-movement in the Lakers offense.

After Bryant jacked up 22 shots in Sunday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers while only converting on six of those attempts, Lakers fans couldn’t do anything but lament how harmful Kobe’s high-volume shooting has been to the greater good of the team. It’s apparent to almost everyone watching these games, except for head coach Byron Scott.

On Monday, Scott was specifically asked by the media about Kobe’s inefficient shooting and isolation-based offense and how that affects the offense as a whole. The Lakers head coach responded in possibly the most troubling manner possible, saying that Kobe had earned the right to do that:

Byron lamented Lakers' dependence on isolation vs. Blazers. But Kobe's "got 20 years in this league ... so he has that privilege.

http://lakeshowlife.com/2015/11/23/lakers-byron-scott-kobe-bryant-privilege/

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:59 pm Post subject:

Byron Scott On Possible Lineup Changes
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

After falling to 2-11 after Sunday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers are searching for answers to turn things around.

With the 15-0 Golden State Warriors next up, the Lakers will have to figure something out quickly or risk being blown out in Oakland.

Many have wondered about the Lakers rotation and when changes could be made and according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, head coach Byron Scott is planning on making some changes if the Lakers lack effort:

Your daily Byron update: he told team today that he's going to make lineup changes if he doesn't like effort tomorrow

http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-news-byron-scott-on-possible-lineup-changes/2015/11/23/

Shaber · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:45 pm Post subject:

Shaber · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:46 pm Post subject:

J.C. Smith · Franchise Player Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 12744

Welcome to the starting lineup, Brandon Bass.

DrumR · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 1336

Of course our idiot coach will ignore the stats that show our starting lineup plays really well together. The only "changes" should be no Williams or Bass out of position. EVER. Also where is Nance? He was playing well now nothing.

jb2 · Franchise Player Joined: 03 Dec 2014 Posts: 11149

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:59 pm Post subject:

Lakers Road Back to Relevance: Who Stays, Who Goes
by Anthony Yassa - lakeshowlife.com

Lakers fans don’t need to be reminded of their teams’ recent struggles.

There has been much debate over the root cause of said struggles, with answers ranging from bad luck, to poor coaching, or the front office and management. In actuality the answer is probably a combination of each of those factors, but the truly important question is how can the Lakers right the ship? In order to answer that question, it may be necessary to examine some of the mistakes that have been made, and how they should be remedied in the future.

This series of articles will provide some possible answers to that question, with each part focusing on a different facet of the ongoing rebuild. This piece in particular will serve as an introduction to the series, and cover the first area in which the Lakers can look to for progress: free agency.

Rebuilding a franchise in the NBA is no small feat, but fortunately for the Lakers they already have the beginnings of a rebuild in place. With three promising young players in Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers already have a core to build around. However, to restore the once-great franchise to its former glory, the Lakers may need more than that.

There are three primary ways in which the Lakers can improve their team.

http://lakeshowlife.com/2015/11/22/lakers-road-back-relevance-stays-goes/

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:02 pm Post subject:

Three Things the Lakers Can Learn From the Undefeated Warriors
by Eric Yee - lakeshowlife.com

The Los Angeles Lakers are in shambles, but here are three things they can learn from the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors have jumped out to a 15-0 start, tied for the best start in NBA history, and look to break said record Tuesday night against the Lakers. The two teams are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum, in what can only be described as a Twilight Zone-esque twist: the once afterthought Warriors are now putting teams on notice that this is their league, and you just play in it.

The question now remains, what happened to “the cuddly little Warriors of old?”

It wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies for the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Just like any team not named the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, or San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors had to reach the bottom before ascending to the top.

Just six seasons ago the Warriors finished a dreadful 26-56. Four seasons ago they were 23-43. Even in the season prior to winning it all, the Warriors were bounced in the first round of the Playoffs. So what has accounted for the their rapid rise to success?

Though this question could be answered simply in three words — “Healthy Stephen Curry” — other factors would be the coaching change, which in turn changed the attitude of the entire franchise. That said, there are a variety of other reasons that the Lakers would be wise to recognize.

http://lakeshowlife.com/2015/11/23/three-things-the-lakers-can-learn-from-the-undefeated-warriors/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=Trending%20on%20FS

DoubleClutch · Star Player Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 2712 Location: Town

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:51 am Post subject:

After Practice Videos - 11/23/15
by lakersnation.com

Byron Scott Defends Kobe Bryant's Shot Selection, Earned 'Privilege'

Julius Randle Looking Ahead To Lakers Vs. Warriors

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:54 am Post subject:

Byron Scott threatens to bench young players for lack of execution
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott told reporters on Wednesday that he was not going to hold Kobe Bryant accountable for his poor shot selection and horrific shooting percentages on those shots. Scott did say, however, that he is going to begin to hold the Lakers' younger players accountable for defensive mistakes.

"I told them today, 'my patience has run thin.'" Scott said, as reported by NBCLA's Shahan Ahmed. "Defensively, if you're not doing the things that I need you to do, if you're not getting back in transition, if we say that we're going to 'red' on pick-and-roll, which means we're going to trap, if you don't do that, then I'm just going to start taking guys out because they got to start getting it."

Scott being frustrated by the innumerable lapses of a Lakers' defense currently ranked 28th out of 30 NBA teams is understandable. But when you play Brandon Bass at center or Kobe Bryant and Lou Williams at all, a certain amount of defensive errors are a guarantee. Those were not the players Scott mentioned by name when talking about the Lakers' mistakes (again via NBCLA):

"First play of the game they run, Jordan goes under (the screen), and that's not our game plan," Scott continued. "Like I told them, that's a lack of focus. Things like that are the things that are really, really hurting us. D'Angelo did the same thing in the fourth quarter."

Calling out second-year Jordan Clarkson and rookie D'Angelo Russell by name sent a clear message that none of the young players have a pass. If the no. 2 pick and the Lakers' most consistent young player got called out for mistakes by name, Scott in effect singled out two of his young leaders as prime candidates for benching.

"I think guys are maybe getting a little too comfortable," he said. "They got to be held a little bit more accountable for their actions out there. Like I said, I've been lenient because they are young and they're learning, but it's that time that you got to start getting it."

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/11/24/9790232/la-lakers-byron-scott-bench-young-players

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:55 am Post subject:

D'Angelo Russell trying to earn respect, says tweaked ankle is fine
by Eric Pincus - latimes.com

D'Angelo Russell isn't too concerned about a mild left ankle sprain, suffered Sunday night during the Lakers' 107-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Russell took a quick trip to the locker room during the game to get the ankle taped up by the Lakers' trainers.

He said after the game that he tweaked the ankle "just a little bit. It's fine though."

Even with the minor injury, Russell played a career-high 36 minutes, scoring 13 points with a best nine rebounds and six assists (matching his career best).

In the Lakers' Friday night loss to the Toronto Raptors, he was on the court for 34 minutes, scoring 17 points.

Does he see progress dating back to the start of the season?

"Yeah, sure," said Russell.

Is he playing how he expected to play to this point?

"Better and better, every day" he answered.

For the 19-year rookie, playing with veterans like Kobe Bryant, Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, Nick Young and Metta World Peace is an adjustment.

"I'm trying to earn the respect from playing with the older guys, and them respecting my play calls," he said.

Russell said he wants his fellow Lakers to want to be on the court with him.

"I'm not worried about what everybody is saying, just keep playing and wanting my teammates to want to play with me," he said.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-d-angelo-russell-respect-ankle-is-fine-20151123-story.html

yinoma2001 · Retired Number Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 119489

LakersMDGurl · Franchise Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 18015

TDRock · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 9:40 am Post subject:

Vin · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 9:44 am Post subject:

Ok so on one hand his patience his unlimited with Kobe but on the other it's running thin with the young guys ?

How is that fair ? That's a joke of an environnement to work in.

driver · Star Player Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 6854

JayLida · Starting Rotation Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 902

Vin · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:54 pm Post subject:

Honestly any player who shoots 30% and shoots it 20 times per game should be benched or asked to adjust. Oh well but it's Kobe so it's cool.