News 'n Views - June 2016: Lakers prepared for another summer of rejection

Annihilator · Star Player Joined: 02 Jul 2001 Posts: 4035

Lakers Rumors: D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota Timberwolves for No.5 pick as Lakers Eye Other Prospects Speculated

I don't think I believe this, but here is the link:

http://en.yibada.com/articles/132954/20160618/lakers-rumors-d-angelo-russell-minnesota-timberwolves-5-pick-eye.htm
_________________
“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

--Anonymous

tom · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2009 Posts: 7251

Didn't see this article posted..

Luke Walton’s odd, long Warriors farewell, without wandering eye

http://nypost.com/2016/06/19/luke-waltons-odd-long-warriors-farewell-without-wandering-eye/

M2K · Star Player Joined: 20 Feb 2011 Posts: 2432

yohanone · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 8:34 pm Post subject:

mirak · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 5238

This is some serious Psy-ops bleep.

Unless there's a blockbuster trade that makes us instant contenders, we're drafting Simmons or Ingram

lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:26 am Post subject:

Brandon Ingram Wows On ESPN’s ‘Sport Science’ (video)
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

Duke’s Brandon Ingram is the consensus favorite to be selected with the Los Angeles Lakers’ second overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday. There is still a possibility that the Philadelphia 76ers scoop up Ingram with the first overall pick, but they appear to be completely locked-in on LSU’s Ben Simmons.

Fortunately, this may be exactly what the Lakers are hoping for. A recent report indicated that Los Angeles would select Ingram over Simmons if they had the first overall pick, believing that Ingram’s fit with their core gives him an edge.

There is certainly no disputing the fact that Ingram is an intriguing talent, and ESPN’s recent Sport Science video does a great job of breaking down exactly why he has the Lakers’ so excited.

Of note, Sport Science mentions that the 6’9″ Ingram’s wingspan, which measures 7’3,” is so massive that it puts his reach on par with center Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons. Even more impressive, Sport Science calculates that Ingram’s length, combined with his leaping ability, gives him a larger defensive range than the lanky limbs of Kevin Durant.

They also put Ingram into a contraption known as a “phone booth,” which mimics shooting with defensive pressure by limiting space and significantly restricting vision. Even with this daunting obstacle, Ingram shot an impressive 70 percent on 20-foot jumpers. With his high-release and ability to hit contested shots, Ingram could become a deadly scorer at the NBA level.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:28 am Post subject:

Duke’s Brandon Ingram Reflects On Mike Krzyzewski’s Impact On Him (video)
by Maximo Gonzales - lakersnation.com

With the Philadelphia 76ers seemingly locked in on taking LSU’s Ben Simmons with the top pick in this year’s draft, all signs point to the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring Duke star Brandon Ingram. Despite the obvious intrigue over Simmons, it was rumored that the Lakers would have preferred Ingram even if they had the No. 1 overall pick.

After somewhat flying under-the-radar at the beginning of this year’s season at Duke, the wiry sharpshooter burst onto the scene finishing averaging 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, while also getting it done on the defensive end with 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Although he was unable to lead the Blue Devils deep into the tournament, Ingram joins a long list of elite athletes to play under head coach Mike Krzyzewski in arguably the most prestigious basketball school in the nation.

Brandon Ingram recently sat down for an interview with ESPN and talked about Coach K’s impact on him after one season at Duke:

“A big impact. He still keeps up with me now,” Ingram said of Krzyzewski. “Probably texts and calls me every week. I don’t think that’s a normal thing that goes around with college coaches. It’s made a big impact on me and a big impact on my family.”

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:29 am Post subject:

Luke Walton could start coaching the Lakers as soon as Today
by Grant Goldberg - lakersoutsiders.com

One thing was a certainty after Game 7 of the NBA Finals: The Lakers were getting their head coach, Luke Walton, after the final buzzer. Whether we’d have to endure a parade or some other reason he would be available the day after was the question. When the Cavaliers were crowned champions of the NBA, Luke Walton became a Laker once more.

According to the OC Register’s Bill Oram, the Lakers expect that Walton could be in office as soon as tomorrow.

Lakers expect that Luke Walton could be in the office as early as tomorrow. Draft is four days away.
8:40 PM - 19 Jun 2016 · Redondo Beach, CA, United States

Walton can join Brian Shaw, Jesse Mermuys, and the rest of the Lakers’ brass in the final days leading up to Thursday’s NBA Draft.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:30 am Post subject:

Warriors GM Bob Myers Praises Competitiveness Of New Lakers Coach Luke Walton
by Maximo Gonzales - lakersnation.com

With the Los Angeles Lakers officially signing their new head coach in Luke Walton following the 2015-16 regular season, there’s been speculation as to how long it will take before the team is looked at as a competitor in this league. Though his coaching career has been brief, Walton has already proved himself capable of leading an NBA squad.

After Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr needed time off to recover from back surgery, Walton took over as interim head coach for a majority of the season leading them to a 24-0 start, which put them on course for the best single-season record in NBA history. Aside from Walton’s laidback demeanor, Warriors GM Bob Myers commented on Luke’s competitiveness via Bill Oram of the OC Register.

“He’s really one of the biggest competitors I’ve been around,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers says, “and also one that’s been able to calibrate appropriately the place that basketball has in our lives.”

Despite Kerr being awarded NBA Coach of the Year, Walton deserved some recognition as he finished tied for eighth in the voting. As a result, Walton had quite a few suitors with coaching vacancies when he expressed his interest in taking over full-time as the head man in charge.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:31 am Post subject:

Kyrie Irving credits 'Mamba Mentality' for the Cleveland Cavaliers' game seven win over the Golden State Warriors (video)
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

One of the NBA's former greats inspired another.

Kobe Bryant's effect on the NBA's current era was obvious while watching his 20th and final season this year. From city to city, player after player waxed poetic about how Bryant was one of their idols growing up or revealed what aspects of his game they tried to bring to their own.

Following their improbable NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving shared that Bryant's mental approach to basketball inspired him to help lead Cleveland Cavaliers to victory.

"All I was thinking at the end of the game was Mamba Mentality," Irving told the assembled media following the win. Irving was solid in the game, and while he missed two of his final three shots, the one he made was a clutch pull-up three-pointer over Stephen Curry with less than a minute that gave the Cavaliers a 92-89 lead they would never relinquish. Watch the jumper, and try not to see a little bit of Bryant in it:

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:34 am Post subject:

Jordan Clarkson was working out during the NBA Finals
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' young guard may actually be living in the gym at this point.

How did you spend one of the greatest Sunday nights for television in recent history?

Maybe you were watching the penultimate episode of the current season of Game of Thrones? Among this blog's readers, it's more likely you were watching an unforgettable game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals, in which LeBron James and Kyrie Irving powered the Cleveland Cavaliers to the first ever comeback from a 3-1 Finals deficit and broke the city's seemingly endless championship drought.

If you're Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, well first of all thanks for reading. You have a lot of choices in sites covering the Lakers, so I appreciate the viewership.

Secondly, you weren't doing any of those aforementioned things. You were in a place that has basically been your second home since the 2014 pre-draft process, a gym, where you were continuing your attempts to improve your game and come back as a better player next season.

Clarkson posted a quick photo of his Sunday night workout on Twitter with a handy timestamp to show that instead of watching the NBA Finals, he was trying to build himself to the level where he could play in the series one day:

5:32 posted pic.twitter.com/MgKg5FVm8A

— Jordan Clarkson (@JClark5on) June 20, 2016

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:35 am Post subject:

The Lakers’ young core will be a force to be reckoned with
by Thai Luong - lakersoutsiders.com

There is no question that the Lakers stunk last year. They were unbearable to watch and love. They turned the beautiful game of basketball into something so abysmal and destructive that had every fan crying for mercy. It was a struggle to find any sort of motivation to watch them play, but there was one huge magnetic force that kept us fans paying attention to the TV screen: the youth of the Lakers. We saw glimpses of potential. We envisioned future greatness for these young Lakers. We knew that these kids will be special someday.

The Lakers’ young core comprised of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr. gave us a renewed sense of hope and optimism. The hopefulness that these players brought was exponentially magnified when the Lakers signed Luke Walton and received the second overall pick in this year’s draft. The Lakers will enter next season with essentially five outstanding young players, three of which were lottery picks and a young coach that will be eager to lead this franchise back to the promise land. I believe that the Lakers’ young core will be a force to be feared for years to come. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at them for yourself, starting with Russell.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:36 am Post subject:

NBA Salary Cap Jumping to $94 Million, Lakers Sitting Pretty in Free Agency
by Cody Williams - lakeshowlife.com

The NBA salary cap is jumping to $94 million next season and the Lakers are going to have all of the cap-room in the world

Expecting the NBA salary cap to jump up heading into the 2016-17 season has been more than commonplace ever since the league signed their newest TV deal. The figure that had been tossed around for quite some time had been somewhere very close to $90 million. Now it appears that the cap is going to be even higher than that.

According to a report from Shams Charania of The Vertical, the NBA has informed every team in the league that the salary cap is going to be at $94 million. While that’s still not set in stone until July 6, that’s the figure they’ve done the legwork to figure out right now and the actual number will be closer to that than the original $90 million figure.

Obviously this is great news for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are expected to be one of the biggest players in free agency this offseason and this latest news gives them even more cap room to work with to try and sign big-name free agents.

Looking at the books right now according to Spotrac, the Lakers only have just a hair over $26 million in active contracts going into next season. That gives them somewhere in the ballpark of $68 million in cap room to operate with in free agency if they’re trying to make a splash.

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Lakerswaves · Rookie Joined: 20 Jun 2016 Posts: 12

Video: Brandon Ingram’s basketball journey

The NBA draft is on Thursday and a future star will hear his name selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. That future star could be former Duke’s Brandon Ingram. The Lakers are reportedly high on Ingram. The Lakers lack front court depth and Ingram would be an exceptional fit to fill that void. Ingram is a great scorer and a decent shooter from deep. He also has a 7-foot-3 inch wingspan that will be disruptive on the defensive end.

A lot of casual fans know Ingram’s physical capabilities and basketball skills, but do we know his personal story? Duke Basketball did a wonderful job documenting Ingram’s journey from when he was a kid in middle school to his decision to play for Duke University. The nine-minute clip shows Ingram’s deep and passionate love for the game of basketball. Ingram spent most of his time growing up shooting hoops at a local gym his father ran. He even skipped his senior prom opportunity for the hardwood floor in the gym.

Ingram’s journey is inspiring, and it could all come to fruition on Thursday when he hears his name called in the NBA draft. Hopefully, it will be by the Lakers. Check out the awesome video here:
https://lakersoutsiders.com/2016/06/20/video-brandon-ingrams-basketball-journey/

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:05 am Post subject:

Luke Walton to be introduced as head coach at 3 p.m. today
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles welcomes their new head coach.

The Los Angeles Lakers will officially introduce Luke Walton as the team's new head coach at a press conference at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the team announced in a press release. Walton could reportedly begin his duties as head coach as soon as Monday night, and one of his first tasks will be his first press conference since being hired as head coach.

Walton's hiring becoming official doesn't come a moment too soon, with the Lakers holding the second and 32nd overall picks in the 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday and free agency beginning on July 1st, the Lakers will benefit from having their head coach in place as they prepare for their big offseason.

Walton will also have to finish assembling his assistant coaching staff, which will reportedly include Brian Shaw and Jesse Mermuys, with reports that the recently retired Richard Jefferson and Golden State Warriors player development coach Chris DeMarco could soon join them on the bench.

Source

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:07 am Post subject:

Brandon Ingram revels in work, shies away from spotlight
by Mark Medina - ocregister.com

Brandon Ingram heard a deafening roar every time he touched the ball. The cheers built in anticipation of another one of his thunderous dunks or high-arcing 3-pointers.

Ingram resisted fueling the frenetic fan atmosphere that followed him through four years at Kinston High in North Carolina. When he got five points from setting the school record for most scored in a game (46), Ingram refused to keep shooting so he could keep his teammates involved.

“When he got close, we wanted to give him the ball,” recalled Darnell Dunn, who played with Ingram through four years at Kinston. “But he wasn’t too worried about it.”

This contradicts conventional wisdom about supposedly entitled NBA prospects. With Ingram perhaps becoming the heir apparent to Kobe Bryant as the Lakers’ expected No.2 pick in Thursday’s draft, it does not appear Ingram seems intent on reaching Bryant’s career-high 81-point game or his career-capping 60-point performance.

After all, Ingram did not seem worried when he needed only three more points in another game to set the school record. With the Vikings coasting toward another double-digit victory, Ingram agreed with his high school coach’s decision to sit him for the final four minutes.

“‘I can have my name as the scoring leader there,’” Kinston coach Perry Tyndall recalled Ingram saying. “But that’s not the driving force behind what I want to do.”

Instead, Ingram’s father sees a broader driving force in his son as he inches toward the beginning of his NBA career. As Donald Ingram put it, “he just wants to be the best at everything.”

Scouts, executives and those close to Ingram hesitate to attach any long-term projections on his NBA career after he was named ACC Freshman of the Year during his lone season at Duke. Still, they gush about his outside shooting (41 percent), perimeter defense and positional versatility. Those close to Ingram also downplay the concerns about his 190-pound playing weight.

They focus, instead, on what made Ingram tick as he guided Kinston to four state championships, learned in various AAU programs and excelled at Duke. Nothing captured that more than Ingram’s apathy toward setting a school record. It illustrated how he can both master individual greatness and prioritize team needs.

“I’ve never seen any other athlete like him,” said Mykel Hart, another one of Ingram’s high school teammates. “He’s very humble. He never puts himself above anyone. Instead, he’s just worried about staying in the gym everyday. It works for him.”

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lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:09 am Post subject:

Today in Lakers History: Shaq and Kobe Bryant Clinch First Title
by Jeremy Rucker - lakeshowlife.com

It was 16 years ago to date that the Los Angeles Lakers claimed their first NBA championship in 12 seasons, a lifetime for the team’s devout yet insatiable fan base

June 19, 2000.

That date saw the Los Angeles Lakers earn a 116-111 Game 6 victory over the Indiana Pacers. With that, they secured the first title for Southern California since the Showtime Lakers hoisted their last Larry O’Brien trophy in 1988.

The 2000 Lakers finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record, as league MVP Shaquille O’Neal, aided by Kobe Bryant and a reliable supporting cast, blitzed through the Western Conference en route to a 67-15 record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. That advantage would be prove critical, as the team was pushed to elimination twice before hosting the Pacers in the NBA Finals.

After two inspired outings at home, the team left Los Angeles up 2-0 in the series, but down Bryant, who suffered an ankle injury during the second Lakers victory. Although Kobe returned to provide some late-game heroics in Game 4, losses in Games 3 and 5 put the onus on the Purple and Gold to deliver in Game 6.

Behind Shaq’s 41 points, the team did just that—raising the first of three consecutive banners that kickstarted yet another chapter of success.

Yet, it was a long and winding return to relevance for this organization, a franchise that cycled through six head coaches between Pat Riley’s departure in 1990 and the arrival of Phil Jackson in the summer of 1999.

Riley’s departure came just one season after the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a year before Magic Johnson’s HIV revelation, a three-year span that signaled the official end of a Showtime Lakers team that won five titles in nine seasons.

By 1992, the team was nearly unrecognizable—only James Worthy and Byron Scott remained from the latest championship roster and both were on their last legs. A year later, the team fired second-year coach Randy Pfund and brought back Magic to finish out the season as coach.

The team lost its final 10 games and failed to reach the playoffs.

Fortunes changed after 1994 as young guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones thrived under the leadership of Del Harris. The team quickly improved and fought deep into the Western Conference playoffs for four consecutive years, but even the arrival of Bryant and O’Neal in 1996 couldn’t get the Lake Show back atop the West and into the NBA Finals.

That all changed when General Manager Jerry West fired Harris in 1999 before luring the esteemed Phil Jackson from Chicago that summer. The rest, as they say, is history.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:57 pm Post subject:

Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak squashes D’Angelo Russell trade rumors
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

The final days leading up to the NBA Draft are generally filled with rumors, especially when the Los Angeles Lakers are going to have a chance to land one of the top prospects.

Ever since the Lakers landed the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, rumors surfaced around the team possibly trading last year’s second overall selection, D’Angelo Russell.

Russell was in attendance this afternoon when the team officially announced and introduced Luke Walton as the 26th head coach in franchise history. While Walton spent the day assuring the fan base that they can once again have faith in the man at the helm, general manager Mitch Kupchak was reassuring his point guard that he isn’t going anywhere, according to Lakers Nation’s Serena Winters.

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak reassures D’Angelo Russell not to worry about trade talks:
5:11 PM - 21 Jun 2016

While it is evident that most of the people that have started rumors of a trade centered around Russell didn’t watch him play much last season, many Lakers fans understand the flashes of brilliance he displayed last season (playing for Byron Scott, no less) and the upside he possesses.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:58 pm Post subject:

Luke Walton ready to bring LA back to stardom
by Corbin Warnock - lasportshub.com

Luke Walton was introduced in LA as the Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach on Tuesday June 21, 2016.

Walton was formerly an assistant coach to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Coming off fresh of a Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals, Walton reported to LA as soon as he could and started getting to work as new head coach of the Lakers.

Walton has the recipe to win multiple NBA Finals Championships, as he won a couple with the Lakers as a player and won a title as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

He is excited to start getting to work as being head coach of the Lakers which is his dream job.

Many critics including his father said he should not take this job, partially because they have had 3 straight losing seasons.

His dad does not want to see him fail, no dad wants to see their kid fail, they want to see them succeed.

Yet, this is his dream job and he wants to succeed on being the main guy instead of an assistant.

Let us remember when Kerr was out with a back injury, Walton lead the Warriors to a 39-4 historic start in the NBA.

Now the question remains can he do that with the Lakers upcoming roster?

Also, he wants to prove to all the critics and doubters instead of failing, he can and he will turn this Los Angeles Lakers team back to stardom.

He has plenty of work to do that will keep him busy from coaching staff to player personnel.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:59 pm Post subject:

New Lakers Coach Luke Walton says, 'We're going to compete'
by Broderick Turner - latimes.com

The daunting task of trying to turn around the once proud Lakers franchise is not something that frightens Luke Walton.

Instead, Walton said he has embraced the immense challenge that lies ahead for him as the new coach of the Lakers.

This is the franchise that drafted Walton in 2003 and with which he won two NBA championships as a player.

So nothing would make Walton feel better than to make the Lakers into title contenders again, something he kept repeating at his introductory news conference Tuesday at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo.

“There is work to be done. But that’s, to me, exciting,” Walton said. “That’s why you do this. The timetable? Who knows?

“It’s us coming to work every day. It’s us working hard. It’s watching improvement in the young guys that’s exciting. It’s watching us get better as a team. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing.”

Walton is taking over a team that had a 21-61 record during the 2014-15 season, the worst mark in franchise history. Then the 2015-16 team sank to even lower depths, finishing 17-65.

Walton is no longer an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, who won the 2015 NBA championship over Cleveland but lost in the 2016 Finals to the Cavaliers on Sunday.

He won’t have stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, players that Walton guided to a 39-4 record when he was the Warriors’ interim head coach while Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery.

But that coaching experience taught Walton to put an “emphasis on the culture,” he said, and plans to keep everyone accountable on the Lakers.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:01 am Post subject:

Luke Walton New Head Coach Videos
by lakersnation.com

Lakers Introduce Luke Walton (Press Conference In Full)

Lakers Nation Interviews Luke Walton: Free Agency, D'Angelo Russell

lakersfreak · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:02 am Post subject:

D’Angelo Russell Anxious To Play After Watching Luke Walton’s Presser
by Ryan Ward - lakersnation.com

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers introduced Luke Walton as the team’s new head coach at the practice facility in El Segundo. It was a packed house to watch Walton’s introductory press conference with plenty of media and members of the Lakers organization on hand to welcome the former player turned head coach back to Los Angeles.

Also in attendance for Walton’s presser on Tuesday was a few of the young players he has inherited from last year’s Lakers squad. The rookie trio of D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr., and Anthony Brown watched as their new head coach emphasized playing a new brand of exciting basketball in Los Angeles.

After Walton’s press conference, Russell spoke with a few media members as well as James Worthy and Chris McGee of TWCSportsNet. Russell says Walton’s arrival has gotten him so excited that he can’t wait to play for him, via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:

Russell on listening to Walton talk about the game and building culture: “I got excited. I want to play right now.”
3:50 PM - 21 Jun 2016

Russell is one of the many young players on the current Lakers roster that stands to benefit greatly from the style of offense Walton plans to play next season. Walton has made it clear that the Lakers will play a more uptempo style like the Golden State Warriors with Russell expected to play a significant role moving forward.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:03 am Post subject:

D’Angelo Russell Working To Become A ‘Bully’ This Summer
by Eric Yee - lakeshowlife.com

D’Angelo Russell was at Luke Walton‘s introductory Lakers’ press conference and had some interesting things to say about what he’s working on this offseason

Immediately after Luke Walton’s introductory press conference for the Los Angeles Lakers, point guard, D’Angelo Russell spoke about his new coach and what he’s been working on this summer.

Dressed head to toe in BAPE attire, the sophomore guard spoke about how “It was great. It was great just to see Luke be here… To hear the things that he had in store for us was even better.”

Considering the strained relationship that he had with former coach, Byron Scott, you’d fully expect him to say these things, but he really seems genuinely ecstatic about the fresh start under Walton.

“I can speak for myself, I’m more than excited. Like I said, I can’t wait til the first practice, the first summer league game, or the first preseason game. Whatever it takes, I’m just ready to get it started.”

Hilariously, when asked if he was “pulling for them [the Warriors]” to win the NBA Finals, Russell responded “Who..” with a sarcastic look upon his face.

The most telling thing Russell spoke about, however, was actually what he has been working on this offseason and what his plans for next season are.

I’m working on being a bully… being a bully. I’ve been in the weight room as much as possible, working on every part of my game, scoring.

Just changing my body is the main focus cause, getting that year under your belt you really have a clue what it takes, and what it feels like so I’m just really working on being a bully.

What exactly this entails remains to be seen — whether he means a defensive bulldog like Tony Allen or a big, post up friendly guard like Chauncey Billups — but his dedication to the bully life is encouraging.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:05 am Post subject:

Lakers open Summer League vs Pelicans
by Grant Goldberg - lakersoutsiders.com

It is a time of new beginnings in Lakerland. The Kobe Bryant era has ended, along with Byron Scott’s reign of terror. Thursday night should bring two (or more) new Lakers onto the roster, one of them being Brandon Ingram. A week and some change after the Draft, Free Agency opens up on July 1st. Then we finally get some Lakers basketball. Well, Summer League Lakers basketball.

The NBA Summer League starts up on July 8th, and the Lakers’ first three games have been announced.

The Lakers kick things off against the New Orleans Pelicans on the 8th, followed by a game against (Ben Simmons’) 76ers on the 9th, and a contest against a team that the Lakers mentally broke taking place on the 11th.

Lakers' No. 2 & 32 picks, D'Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr. & Anthony Brown plan to play in Summer League. Randle & Clarkson expected to sit
11:34 AM - 21 Jun 2016

The L.A. Daily News’ Mark Medina gave some details to who is on the Lakers’ Summer League squad, including Russell, Larry Nance Jr., and Anthony Brown. The full rosters haven’t been announced yet but expect them to surface in the days following the NBA Draft.

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lakersfreak · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:06 am Post subject:

Luke Walton to be “heavily involved” with Lakers’ summer league team
by Mark Medina - insidesocal.com

The swirling emotions and quickly evolving job descriptions hardly has allowed Luke Walton to think.

Two days after nursing frustration over the Golden State Warriors losing Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Luke Walton morphed from Warriors assistant to Lakers head coach. So, Walton has not exactly ironed out specifics on if he will be coach the Lakers’ summer league team, or who will represent his coaching staff.

Yet, Walton has determined he will be “heavily involved in practice” when the Lakers begin summer league play on July 8 in Las Vegas. He believed he will fill out his coaching staff “before summer league starts.” Walton also has hired Brian Shaw as his lead assistant, while player development coaches Mark Madsen, Thomas Scott and J.J. Outlaw have worked with players at the Lakers’ practice facility.

“These are all things that normally would’ve been taken care of by now,” Walton said. “But because of the circumstances and the Lakers being so great about not pressing me, I had work to do. We’re still slowly working on it.”

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