News 'n Views - July 2016: What’s Brandon Ingram’s Ceiling?
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lakersfreak
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:40 am    Post subject:

Brandon Ingram has skill and moxie, scouts say
by Broderick Turner - latimes.com

Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram got more than just a passing grade during his pro basketball debut earlier this month at the summer league in Las Vegas.

NBA coaches and scouts on hand said they saw an 18-year-old with enough talent on both offense and defense to be successful in the league. They witnessed a young player with moxie, competitiveness and a willingness to learn.

The one question mark about Ingram — the No. 2 overall pick in the draft out of Duke — is how well his willowy 6-foot-9, 190-pound frame will hold up against stronger players.

But Lakers Coach Luke Walton liked what Ingram showed on the court.

“He’s a really intelligent player,” Walton said. “He can pass a lot better than I would have guessed, as far as just making the easy and right read off plays. He would come up and ask what our coaching staff thinks he can do better, where he can focus on improving and learning the NBA game.

“So, to me, a kid that young and that talented that wants to learn as bad as he does and is willing to work as hard as he is, that’s what I really was watching at summer league.”

Ingram played five games at small forward and averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. He shot 41.2% from the field, 25% from three-point range and 71.4% from the free-throw line.

“I saw a good-looking prospect,” an Eastern Conference scout said of Ingram. “There were some games where he excelled, and there were some games where he struggled. But overall . . . he’s a matchup nightmare."

“You see a guy that can create his own shot. He has unrivaled length [for his position] with great ball skills. That’s a hard combination to find. I think the sky is the limit for him.”

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:41 am    Post subject:

Mitch Kupchak On Ivica Zubac: ‘A Little Bit Ahead Of What We Thought’
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

While players like Larry Nance Jr., D’Angelo Russell, and Brandon Ingram garnered much of the attention during Summer League, arguably the favorite player of the fans coming out of the summer was rookie second-round pick Ivica Zubac.

The young Croatian showed off his skills on both offense and defense as well as a ton of energy and emotion as he suited up for his favorite team growing up.

Zubac said he even surprised himself with his play and General Manager Mitch Kupchak also noted that he didn’t expect Zubac to play as well as he did this summer via Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com:

Kupchak said that he “quite frankly” didn’t expect Ivica Zubac to play as well as he did at Summer League, where he affected both sides of the floor with 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and a 64.7 field goal percentage.

Kupchak added that expectations were low for Zubac, especially considering his lack of practice time, but he’s ahead of where the team originally thought he would be:

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:43 am    Post subject:

Carmelo Anthony and Gregg Popovich’s Advice to D’Angelo Russell
by Eric Yee - lakersnation.com

Carmelo Anthony was seen giving Lakers’ guard, D’Angelo Russell some advice on the sidelines, but what was he saying?

Apparently knowing that time is of the essence, the young Lakers wasted no time picking the brains of everyone they could over their four day journey with Team USA.

From Julius Randle asking DeMarcus Cousins the ins-and-outs of big man play to Brandon Ingram desperately trying to learn from Kevin Durant, the Lakers’ trio are not taking their Team USA opportunity for granted by any means.

However, of the many interactions that have been recorded, in addtion to what Coach Gregg Popovich discussed with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, the question that has fans stumped is exactly what Carmelo Anthony was telling D’Angelo during Day 2’s scrimmage.

In an interview with LakersNation’s Serena Winters, Russell said

He was just giving me motivational, motivational tips, as far as my aggression and my approach to the game. It was just all positive, all positive tips. Just take it and run with it. . .

All these guys they have something to offer, as far as their wisdom and I just listen as much as possible. When they talk, I listen.


Based on the footage above, it’s definitely a Carmelo Anthony dominated conversation — it doesn’t look like Russell says one word — which attests to his statement that when they talk, he listens.

However, it might be his description of Coach Pop that took the cake:

He’s like a serious… playful… I don’t know, like, vet.. I don’t know, it’s like he knows every answer and it’s like you couldn’t argue with him, you can’t tell him he’s wrong, you can’t do any of that. He’s like a guru.

Russell’s maturity seems to be speaking for itself, even saying that he’d rather not reveal what he and Coach Pop spoke about specifically as he preferred if his game did the talking.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:44 am    Post subject:

Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant Discuss What They Learned From Kobe Bryant On Team USA
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Because Kobe Bryant had such a storied 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, it is sometimes forgotten how important he was in returning the USA Men’s Basketball program back to greatness.

Kobe was a key player on both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic squads and his impact was felt throughout the program as Coach K recently spoke to. In teaming with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, Kobe, changed the way they saw things as well.

Carmelo was teammates with Kobe in both 2008 and 2012 and pointed to Kobe’s mental approach as the thing he took from him according to Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com:

“For me, it was more his mental approach to the games and seeing him in the locker room before the games and seeing how he prepares for the games and for teams and for individuals,” Anthony said. “I took more from that than anything from his game.”


Durant was only teammates with Kobe in 2012 and while he also spoke on Kobe’s mental approach, what stood out most to him was Kobe’s willingness to sacrifice in order for the team to win:

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:46 am    Post subject:

Los Angeles Dodgers Set to Host Lakers Night At Chavez Ravine
by Maximo Gonzales - lakersnation.com

Lakers Night - Mon, August 8th, 7:10 pm

Ever since the Lakers and the Dodgers made the move to Los Angeles in the late 1950’s, the two teams almost go hand-in-hand for sports fans in L.A.

Both franchises were the first from their perspective sports to move to Los Angeles, and the result is quite possibly the largest multi-sport fanbase in all of professional sports. On Monday, August 8th, those franchises will unite once again as Chavez Ravine will play host to their purple and gold brethren on Lakers night at Dodger Stadium.

Both teams pulled out all the stops last year by giving fans an opportunity to strike a pose with the 1988 NBA championship and World Series trophies. Los Angeles is the only city to have an NBA team and an MLB to win the championship in the same year.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:49 am    Post subject:

Programming Note

News is thin this time of year.

While I like to give 2 daily updates it may not happen due to lack of material.

Just an FYI
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 5:36 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant Discuss What They Learned From Kobe Bryant On Team USA
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Because Kobe Bryant had such a storied 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, it is sometimes forgotten how important he was in returning the USA Men’s Basketball program back to greatness.

Kobe was a key player on both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic squads and his impact was felt throughout the program as Coach K recently spoke to. In teaming with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, Kobe, changed the way they saw things as well.

Carmelo was teammates with Kobe in both 2008 and 2012 and pointed to Kobe’s mental approach as the thing he took from him according to Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com:

“For me, it was more his mental approach to the games and seeing him in the locker room before the games and seeing how he prepares for the games and for teams and for individuals,” Anthony said. “I took more from that than anything from his game.”


Durant was only teammates with Kobe in 2012 and while he also spoke on Kobe’s mental approach, what stood out most to him was Kobe’s willingness to sacrifice in order for the team to win:

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:31 am    Post subject:

Realistic Expectations for Lakers Rookie Ivica Zubac in 2016-17
by David Murphy - bleacherreport.com

During the recently concluded Las Vegas Summer League, rookie big man Ivica Zubac surpassed all expectations.

The 19-year-old Croatian was the Los Angeles Lakers’ 32nd overall draft pick in June. However, he played like a borderline lottery selection this summer, averaging 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, starting every game and displaying a surprising comfort level and poise.

It wasn’t all peaches and cream—Zubac was the unfortunate recipient of a murderous dunk on his head, courtesy of Jerami Grant. Welcome to the NBA, tall teenager.

Regardless of rites of passage that will live in online infamy forever, Zubac is a genuine draft steal. But he’ll have to do a lot more than excel in Las Vegas to earn a regular rotation spot under new Lakers coach Luke Walton.

After all, L.A. already has a traditional starting center in Timofey Mozgov, the hulking 7’1” Russian who signed a four-year, $64 million deal this summer. Walton can also use Larry Nance Jr. and Tarik Black as undersized 5s in small-ball lineups.

So where does that leave the 7’1” Zubac? The answer may lie in a level of offensive potential and versatility that L.A. has lacked in recent years.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:32 am    Post subject:

Coach Describes Brandon Ingram As ‘Weak’, But Not ‘Soft’
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers took a risk when they selected Duke’s Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft. At just 18-years-old and with limbs that put Dhalsim to shame, Ingram appears to have just about everything the Lakers could want in their small forward of the future.

However, Ingram isn’t without his faults, and one in particular is reason for concern. He may be 6’9″, but at just 195 pounds he looks as though a strong breeze could carry him away. In the NBA, the bigger and stronger players will attempt to bully Ingram, and until he puts on some muscle they will likely be successful.

In a piece by Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times, one Western Conference coach weighed in on Ingram’s problem with pounds:

“It’s a difference between being soft and being weak. He’s just weak right now. He’s not soft, by any stretch of the imagination.”

From what we saw in the Las Vegas Summer League, the anonymous coach is correct in his assesment. Ingram is undeniably weak right now physically, but his mentality isn’t. He didn’t shy away from contact, instead hurling himself into defenders in order to get to the free throw line.

With that being the case, the mystery coach wasn’t concerned with Ingram’s long-term prospects:

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:17 pm    Post subject:

Walton says the Lakers won’t be judged on wins and losses, yet
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

He is also impressed with the leadership of his young players.

Luke Walton has made comments here and there to reporters, and obviously at his introductory press conference, but it’s fitting that his biggest interview so far would come with his literal biggest teammate. The new Los Angeles Lakers head coach went on the “The Big Podcast with Shaq” for an interview that came out Monday morning, and he confirmed something many had expected: this year’s young team won’t be judged on their record.

“The expectations, to me, aren’t going to be wins and losses, right now at least. The expectations are going to be the way we play,” said Walton. “It’s about having an edge when you play, it’s about competing every single time on offense and defense, it’s about playing the right way.”

Walton made it clear that rather than set a (relatively unrealistic) goal like making the playoffs, he will instead be leaning on his coaching staff to help develop a culture that can create wins down the road as the team gains more experience.

“I’m coming in here and I have Brian Shaw who also has experience on my side, and a great young coaching staff behind him,” said Walton. “It’s about setting the foundation for the future, because we don’t plan on this being a one-year thing. We plan on being here, and part of what’s so exciting is we get to start it this year, so the expectations and the focus for me are going to be how we go about practice and the details of the game.”

So exactly what kind of details is Walton focusing on?

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:18 pm    Post subject:

Do the Lakers really need to make a big free agency splash?
by Daman Rangoola - silverscreenandroll.com

Looking at past contenders to try to find out if the team's rebuild is on the right path.

With the emphasis on the Lakers and their free agency "failures" reaching a fever pitch over the past couple of seasons, I became very interested in how the contenders have been built over the past ten years. How were those teams constructed? Are there any common themes that can be found? What is the trend? Here’s my attempt to answer that question.

Methodology: I defined "contenders" as teams in the Finals for the past ten years (a total of 20 teams) and based on the Win Share contribution of the top ten players and used the % of the total to assess whether a team has been built primarily through "trades, free agency or drafted".

Potential flaws:


-Obviously contenders aren’t limited to just the teams that made the Finals, but for the sake of simplicity, I restricted it to such.

-Win Shares aren’t the definitive stat of a player’s worth to a team

-Some designations aren’t quite clean. Would LeBron have re-joined the Cavaliers if he wasn’t drafted by them in the first place?

-I chose to keep a strict designation for Draft Day trades to be considered "Trades" vs "Drafted". To me, a deal for Kobe Bryant doesn't happen without an asset deemed worthy to trade in Vlade Divac, and that's why it's important to me to count it as trade.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:20 pm    Post subject:

Who You Got?: Larry Nance Jr. or Julius Randle
by Andrew Bailey - todaysfastbreak.com

Julius Randle was the first lottery pick of this rebuilding era for the Los Angeles Lakers. The next year, they may have gotten a better player with a worse pick in Larry Nance Jr.

Conventional wisdom suggests they stay the course with the younger Randle (he’s 21, compared to the 23-year-old Nance) as the power forward of the future, but there are reasons to believe that might not be the right call.

There are reasons to go either way. Last season, Nance had the more positive impact on the team, but Randle provided more raw production.

To truly settle the debate, though, we need to do a deeper dive into specific aspects of the game.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:22 pm    Post subject:

Jordan Clarkson Lights Up Drew League With 33 Points
by Nathaniel Lastrapes - lakersnation.com

All the excitement in the offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers has come to pass now that Summer League and Team USA Camp has concluded. D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram were all invited to participate in training camp for the US Men’s Olympic Basketball program as part of the Select Team.

With all of the hype surrounding those guys it can sometimes be easy to forget about Jordan Clarkson, however. Clarkson is the Lakers leading returning scorer and would have led last year’s squad in scoring had Kobe not gone off for 60 points in his career finale.

Clarkson has had a pretty busy offseason himself after re-signing with the Lakers on a four year, $50 million contract. Clarkson has also been a constant in the gym and recently played in a game in the Drew League with his Lakers teammate, Nick Young (via lakersworld16):

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:23 pm    Post subject:

Team USA 1 On 1 Drills: ONLY 2 Dribbles! (Raw Video Footage)
by lakersnation.com

Members of Team USA and the USA Select Team, including D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle get into it 1-on-1 in a drill that limits you to 2 dribbles.
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 12:02 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Jordan Clarkson Lights Up Drew League With 33 Points
by Nathaniel Lastrapes - lakersnation.com

All the excitement in the offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers has come to pass now that Summer League and Team USA Camp has concluded. D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram were all invited to participate in training camp for the US Men’s Olympic Basketball program as part of the Select Team.

With all of the hype surrounding those guys it can sometimes be easy to forget about Jordan Clarkson, however. Clarkson is the Lakers leading returning scorer and would have led last year’s squad in scoring had Kobe not gone off for 60 points in his career finale.

Clarkson has had a pretty busy offseason himself after re-signing with the Lakers on a four year, $50 million contract. Clarkson has also been a constant in the gym and recently played in a game in the Drew League with his Lakers teammate, Nick Young (via lakersworld16):

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Very cool.
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 6:56 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Who You Got?: Larry Nance Jr. or Julius Randle
by Andrew Bailey - todaysfastbreak.com

Julius Randle was the first lottery pick of this rebuilding era for the Los Angeles Lakers. The next year, they may have gotten a better player with a worse pick in Larry Nance Jr.

Conventional wisdom suggests they stay the course with the younger Randle (he’s 21, compared to the 23-year-old Nance) as the power forward of the future, but there are reasons to believe that might not be the right call.

There are reasons to go either way. Last season, Nance had the more positive impact on the team, but Randle provided more raw production.

To truly settle the debate, though, we need to do a deeper dive into specific aspects of the game.

Continued....


I got Larry, especially if he can knock down the 3 like he did in SL. He brings wayyyy more to the table defensively as well.

Randle's career in the NBA, whether he becomes a 6th man or all-star, hinges on whether he develops a jumper or not.
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:35 am    Post subject:

Lakers Made Wrong Moves For Right Reasons In Free Agency
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

It’s been a curious summer for the Los Angeles Lakers, one that saw them take steps forward both in terms of roster building and ideology. Luke Walton is back in town, and the organization appears ready to make an effort to modernize. Unfortunately, they also made some questionable decisions in free agency.

On the surface, the moves the Lakers made are head scratchers, but looking at the big picture we can understand why they took the path that they did.

For the past few years, the Lakers’ free agent strategy has been to open the Buss family vault for star players but practice frugality with everyone else. When they struck out, they would simply take their cap space and used it on one-year deals so they could chase the White Whale again next year. It’s a star-driven league, and the Lakers badly needed another one.

With Kobe Bryant on his way out, the Lakers had to have someone to pass the torch to. They were choosy to a fault, but it’s somewhat understandable given the pain they suffered to get their cap space.

In the span of a year, the Lakers lost two of the top big men of the past decade in Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard to free agency. In short order, one of the league’s glamor franchises became a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing talented players to hit the market (something Oklahoma City now knows all too well).

Thanks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement making sign-and-trades much more difficult, the Lakers received only cap space as consolation for watching Gasol and Howard take their talents elsewhere. The NBA had intended to give players less incentive to leave by all but eliminating sign-and-trades, but the perhaps unintended consequence was that they also left teams with nothing to show for stars who were determined to leave.

So there stood the once-mighty Lakers, wounded and vulnerable. Bryant was on his last legs, Gasol and Howard fled, and future draft picks were relatively scarce thanks to a few short-sighted trades. If the Lakers were going to improve quickly, they would have to put most of their eggs (cooling or otherwise) in the free agency, where they would attempt to lure the best of the best to sunny So Cal.

As such, the Lakers’ precious ledger wasn’t going to be weighed down by the salaries of non-stars. The cap space they never wanted was now their lifeline to return from the brink. They needed a new torch-bearer, and so the Lakers hoped to bring one in by emphasizing their glorious past and the lifestyle that Los Angeles brings.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:36 am    Post subject:

Latest on the Russell Westbrook Trade Front
by Eric Yee - lakeshowlife.com

Despite the latest rumors, many still view the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to land Russell Westbrook come next season

Contrary to what anyone will tell you about Russell Westbrook, don’t be fooled, this kid is the real deal.

Citing hollow triple-doubles and selfish play, any team including the Lakers would be lying if they told you they didn’t want the 27 year old guard to play for their organization. And with Kevin Durant leaving for greener pastures, that could end up happening “sooner than later.”

Though nothing is at all imminent — in actuality, it appears far from it — the most recent rumblings have the UCLA Alumni, “both angry and hurt not only by Durant’s decision to leave but also because Durant didn’t even call to tell him personally,” per RealGm.

As a longstanding representative for emotion fueled NBA players, this news should come as no surprise, as Westbrook likely felt blindsided by Durant’s shocking decision which reaffirmed the mantra that at the end of the day, the NBA is truly “just business.”

However, you can be damn sure that that logic won’t register with Westbrook while his wounds are still open, and even perhaps after they’re fully healed.

RealGm also revealed that despite his feelings of betrayal, he’s not abandoning ship just yet as he prepares to play this season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:40 am    Post subject:

Paul George Says D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle Stood Out At Team USA Camp
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Just last week a couple of young Lakers got an excellent opportunity as D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram were part of the USA Select Team and took part in Team USA’s camp in Las Vegas.

As part of the Select Team with other young stars such as Devin Booker and Jabari Parker, they got to practice and scrimmage against the US Olympic team. That means they were able to measure themselves against the likes of Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, and DeMarcus Cousins.

Apparently they left an impact, at least on George, as according to Michael Pina of Bleacher Report, George singled out Russell and Randle as two of the players who stood out most:

Asked Paul George if anyone from USA Basketball's select team stood out last week. His answer will please Laker fans

— Michael Pina (@MichaelVPina) July 26, 2016


This is surely something that is nice to hear as Russell and Randle seem to be improving and coming close to fulfilling their vast potential. Russell was seen on video going head to head with Irving and others while Randle spoke about battling Cousins.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:08 am    Post subject:

Luke Walton is the perfect coach to groom young core
by Keith Rivas - lasportshub.com

The latest Lakers rumors have to do with how a new coach will realistically fit in with the young core put in place.

What we have gotten to see from the Lakers in summer league action shouldn’t be stuff that we put too much hype into, but it’d be foolish to overlook what’s been accomplished thus far.

Normally the majority of players in summer league are trying to fight for a roster spot and have to go above and beyond to get playing time in the regular season.

With Los Angeles, however, the team is using players that are sure to get some quality playing time in the coming season and hopefully more than that in the long-term.

D’Angelo Russell has been the indisputable leader of the team, growing and blossoming in just his second season in the NBA.

Behind him is former Duke star Brandon Ingram, who was taken second overall in the most recent NBA Draft, along with fellow draft pick Ivica Zubac and others.

With the news that Brandon Bass won’t be re-joining the Lakers and instead will be trying to help the Clippers compete for a championship, it only encourages chemistry at the core of the rebuild the Lakers are going through.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:10 am    Post subject:

Luke Walton listening to ‘I Love L.A.’ while playing beach volleyball proves he was born to be Lakers head coach(Video)
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE.

Anyone who’s been to a Los Angeles Lakers game has heard the song, or at least the most famous part of it. The chorus of Randy Newman’s "I Love L.A." is a musical staple at Staples Center, but that’s not the only place the Lakers (or at least their head coach) are playing it.

It was hot in Los Angeles on Saturday, but not too hot for new Lakers head coach Luke Walton to hit the beach for some volleyball, which we have video of courtesy of Richard Jefferson’s must-follow Snapchat account.

Like any true Laker, Walton is listening to Newman to get himself ready. Really, the only way this video could scream "Lakers Head Coach" any more is if Jack Nicholson was sitting courtside wearing sunglasses and cheering him on.

Never has it been more clear before this moment that the Lakers absolutely made the right choice in hiring Walton as head coach:

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:11 am    Post subject:

Season in Review: Julius Randle
by Honi Ahmadian - lakersoutsiders.com

In a new short series for Lakers Outsiders, I will be reviewing all of the young players currently on the Lakers’ roster who project to be part of the team’s future going forward. I’ll be looking at their play in the 2015-16 season as well as predicting how they will fare next year with development and a new coaching staff.

In recent weeks, no Lakers player has been more divisive than Julius Randle. The power forward is entering his third season in the league but is effectively a sophomore after missing all but one game of his rookie season.

Randle has the tools to be a unique player. A bruising big man with the ball skills of a guard, the former Kentucky Wildcat has the type of untapped potential any coach would like to mold into his own vision. On the other hand, Julius has plenty of flaws that have thus far limited how high his ceiling has been and could be.

The question with Randle in this third season will be whether he can improve on those flaws enough to prove once again why he was touted as one of the best prospects in his draft class.

Randle is a bit of an enigma offensively. He flashes skills that are uncommon for players of his size yet lacks some of the more necessary abilities to make him an efficient player.

Perhaps the biggest issue for the power forward is his finishing ability around the rim. The lefty big man struggled mightily in finishing with his less dominant hand. His lack of confidence shows in his unwillingness to even attempt such shots.

Too many times last season, Randle would beat his man but forcefully attempt a wild lay-up with his left hand instead of taking the more logical course of action and using his right. That needs to improve for Randle to be an efficient offensive player.

Lacking a jump shot, Randle has to at least be able to finish at the rim efficiently. Last season, he simply did not do that, with an effective field goal percentage of 49.9 within ten feet of the basket. For comparison’s sake, rookie Larry Nance, Jr. had an eFG of 65.5 percent on those same shots.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:12 am    Post subject:

Here’s how much cap space the Lakers have left in 2016 and 2017
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles still has enough room to add a max player next year.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster is just about full, and with free agency slowed to a trickle, the team is probably done making big moves. So now that the dust is mostly settled, how much cap space do the Lakers have left?

For answers on all cap related questions, arguably the top guy to turn to is Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, who rounded up how much money each team has left with free agency mostly over. According to Pincus, if the Lakers pick up all of their rookie-scale team options, they project to have $13.4 million left this year (2016), and could free up as much as $31.7 million next summer (2017).

That’s a big year for free agency, with names like Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and even Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry (among others) set to hit the market. But as demonstrated by the Golden State Warriors this summer, creative front offices can free up space to add free agents fairly easily as the cap continues to rise. As of right now, the Lakers look to have enough room to make a big move next year, but the last few offseasons have shown that is less important than having the right environment.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:13 am    Post subject:

Here’s Kobe Bryant Driving a Ferrari in Italy (Video)
by Cody Williams - lakeshowlife.com

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is out here still enjoying his retirement, now in Italy driving a Ferrari on a race track

With Kobe Bryant finally hanging up No. 24 for the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2015-16 NBA season, the big question was what the next chapter was for The Black Mamba. Granted, we already knew a few things that Kobe would be up to.

Obviously Bryant would stay in the gym to remain in shape and even get up shots as well. In addition, he’s always going to be a global ambassador for the Lakers, the NBA, and the game of basketball. On top of all of that, Kobe also announced his desire to partake in “storytelling” in his post-career life.

However, one thing that was apparently on his bucket list going into retirement after his illustrious career with the Lakers was a lot like the primal desire of Ricky Bobby: Kobe wanted to go fast.

On Wednesday, Kobe posted a video to Instagram of the former superstar driving a Ferrari in Maranello, Italy around a race track in the town:

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 7:32 am    Post subject:

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