News 'n Views - June 2016: Lakers prepared for another summer of rejection
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:35 am    Post subject: News 'n Views - June 2016: Lakers prepared for another summer of rejection

What basketball situations are truly better than the Lakers?
by silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles might not be as far behind the league as people think.

The Los Angeles Lakers have put together a miserable 65-181 record in the last three seasons, including a franchise-worst 17-65 this past year. In those three seasons, the Lakers seem to be the talk of the NBA and how the franchise’s mismanagement of Kobe Bryant, their draft picks, and free agency have contributed to its decay.

Henry Abbott wrote what many have called a "hit piece" on Bryant and Kupchak using anonymous sources, Ramon Sesssions and Andrew Bynum. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes continued to pile on with his two-part article on how league insiders view LA’s rebuild. And just to show that not everyone is trying to bring the Lakers down, Matt Moore from CBS did his best to justify LA’s actions.

Sure, the Lakers have messed up in the last three seasons. They coaching position has been a revolving door and they even passed on the Zen Master during the 2012 season. They didn’t manage an aging Bryant’s minutes during the end of that year. Kupchak and management gave Bryant a contract that wasn’t team-friendly and definitely hindered the team’s ability to throw money at players. Ownership is divided and has made this divide public.

But most of the ‘mistakes’ have been miscalculations, and those happen all the time. Steve Nash and Dwight Howard didn’t work out. A deal for Chris Paul didn’t work out. Julius Randle got hurt 14 minutes into his rookie season. Even in those miscalculations, the Lakers got some benefits. They knew miscalculations can happen and put heavy protections on the picks they traded in the event that everything hit the fan.

Well, three years after the franchise’s last playoff appearance, the Lakers look ready to make the leap back to contention. Every article on the rebuild got one thing partially right; a true rebirth will not happen until Bryant left. The Lakers were able to stockpile assets during Bryant’s final years and accelerate any post-Kobe plans, but only his departure from the game would let the team move on. So after seeing the team ripped apart for its lack of rebuilding ability, where do the Lakers stand today in relation to the rest of the league? How many teams are truly in better situations than the Lakers?

Continued....


Last edited by lakersfreak on Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:18 am; edited 34 times in total
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:36 am    Post subject:

Lakers attend workout featuring Kris Dunn, Jakob Poeltl, Tyler Ulis, and more
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' pre-draft preparation process is in full swing.

Just because the Los Angeles Lakers are widely expected to select either LSU's Ben Simmons or Duke's Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick doesn't mean they are sitting out of the pre-draft scouting process entirely.

The Lakers still have to make sure there are no players they value over those two, as unlikely as that possibility is, as well as determining who will be a candidate for their 32nd overall pick. The front office also has to look at possible undrafted free agents to sign and take with them to Las Vegas Summer League or invite to training camp.

With this in mind, several Lakers executives attended a pre-draft workout featuring forward Jakob Poeltl and guards Kris Dunn and Tyler Ulis, according to Jonathan Givony of the Vertical. The workout was attended by representatives of all 30 NBA teams, and Givony reports that the Lakers contingent included Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak as well as fellow front office members Glenn Carraro, Jesse Buss and Ryan West.

The Lakers were prevented by league rules from witnessing the portion of the event featuring Dunn and Poeltl due to NBA rules because active NBA players Elfrid Payton, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Tyler Johnson were involved, but Givony writes that the two played well in the workout, with Towns offering Poeltl tips throughout.

Kupchak and company were, however, able to watch a second workout featuring Ulis as well as "Damian Jones, Guerschon Yabusele, Isaia Cordinier, Ron Baker, Santiago Yusta, Alex Poythress and Brandon Austin." According to Givony, Jones helped himself more than any other prospect during this session:

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:38 am    Post subject:

Miami Heat’s top priority is Kevin Durant, not Hassan Whiteside
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

Was a Western Conference Finals Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant’s final game as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder?

We won’t know the answer to that question for about another month or so when free agency starts. What we do know, however, is that teams will be lining up for the 27-year-old in an effort to sway him away from Oklahoma City. The Los Angeles Lakers will be one of those teams, hoping to get a meeting with Durant when free agency opens up on July 1.

Another one of those teams, though, is the Miami Heat. Miami is facing an important offseason, faced with some major challenges, such as convincing Hassan Whiteside to return to South Beach.

The Lakers have been heavily linked to Whiteside, seeing as they need to fill the massive void at the center position. Due to his unique contract situation, the Lakers can offer the same amount of money and years for Whiteside that Miami can, which helps level the playing field a bit.

The Heat want Whiteside back, but he isn’t their top priority, according to ESPN’s Dan Le Batard (13:40 mark).

“What I’m telling you, no matter how much you laugh at it, is that the Heat is getting in the room with Durant. Now, what happens from there, who knows? But you can sit here and laugh at it all you want, but the plan, the construct is – the priority, the No. 1 thing this offseason – is get in the room with Durant.”

Le Batard continued and specifically mentioned that Durant takes precedence over Whiteside for Miami.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:40 am    Post subject:

Jordan Clarkson literally ran around the house to celebrate the Lakers hiring Luke Walton as head coach
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

You could say he's excited by Los Angeles' first big move of the summer.

The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans have suffered through the worst three seasons in the history of the franchise over the past three seasons, and reasons for excitement were mostly few and far between.

The Kobe Bryant farewell tour had it's joyful moments, but it was an often painful to watch process as well. The younger Lakers each took turns flashing glimpses of their potential, but mostly were unable to put together strong play with any consistency.

All of these extenuating circumstances left the Lakers' legion of supporters understandably ecstatic when the team decided to hire Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton to replace Byron Scott. Fans weren't alone, with D'Angelo Russell saying he was "happy" with the hire and Julius Randle discussing all of the ways he believes Walton will help his game.

Their teammate, Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, admitted to Michael Pina of Bleacher Report that he showed a little more emotion when he heard the news:

After two years of hopelessness and unwatchable basketball, he's excited about Luke Walton becoming Los Angeles' new head coach. Clarkson happily ran around his house, yelling, when D'Angelo Russell first broke the news with a text message, perhaps a sign of the franchise's upward trajectory.

Clarkson's reaction mirrors that of many Lakers fans that night, which is even more notable because of how he describes himself later in the feature (emphasis mine):

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:41 am    Post subject:

Jordan Clarkson says he's willing to come off the bench
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Could Los Angeles' starting backcourt be split up in the rotation?

When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted D'Angelo Russell with the second overall pick last summer, it was a surprise to some in no small part due to the presence of Jordan Clarkson on the roster. Traditional thinking suggested that the Lakers already had their point guard of the future after a season in which Clarkson averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on the way to a spot on the All-Rookie first teams.

The Lakers disagreed with that line of thinking, believing that Clarkson and Russell could play together in the same backcourt. "Our vision would be for both of those players to play in the backcourt for the next 10-to-12 years," said Mitch Kupchak in an interview following Russell's selection.

The results in their first season were mixed. Clarkson shot a slightly lower percentage overall with Russell on the court with him (42.3 percent vs. 44.2 percent when Russell sat), but he did can more of his three-pointers when Russell played (35.4 percent) than when he was on the bench (33.8 percent).

Most of that lower overall field goal percentage can probably be chalked up to his attempting a tad more threes with Russell on the court and going against opposing starters with the rest of the Lakers' starting lineup (one of the worst groups in the league last year), but Clarkson told Michael Pina of Bleacher Report that he's willing to sacrifice his starting spot for the betterment on the team if necessary (empashis mine):

Those flaws make pairing him beside D'Angelo Russell (another guard who's most comfortable with the ball in his hands and subpar defensively) for the foreseeable future feel like a questionable call. But Clarkson doesn't see it that way.

"We're both 6'5", long and able to put the ball on the ground. Score as well as pass. So we kind of want to make our own lane," he said. "When it comes to defense, there's a lot of team stuff that has to go on. Steph [Curry] is not the greatest defender in the world. But if we find the right pieces to put together with us, I think it will help us a lot. At the same time, I feel like we can grow in that area, for sure."

If it's the eventual solution to a problem that may never even bubble up in Walton's egalitarian offense, Clarkson has no problem coming off the bench so long as his minutes don't dwindle.


Clarkson's ball-handling does make him a capable option to tun point at times, but he also showed the ability to thrive at times as a secondary attacker while playing off of Russell last season. Incoming Lakers head coach Luke Walton has says he plans to install an offense similar to the type he ran with the Warriors, and part of what makes that system so successful is it's integration of multiple ball handlers to threaten defenses several times on the same possession until they break down.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:42 am    Post subject:

Jordan Clarkson Working On ‘Boosting’ Three-Point Percentage
by Ryan Ward - lakersnation.com

After following up an impressive rookie season with another solid year as one of the most consistent players for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan Clarkson is far from content with his game. Clarkson is already working on what he wants to improve for next season.

It will be a big offseason for Clarkson with the Missouri product set to become a restricted free agent in July. Along with preparing for free agency, Clarkson is determined to improve his three-point shooting. The soon-to-be 24-year-old said the following about his offseason focus in an interview with Michael Pina of Bleacher Report:

“What I’ve been focused on recently is a lot of shots off the dribble, coming off screens. Mostly just boosting my three-point percentage,” he explained afterward. “There’s times where, in the game, I have to shoot those kind of shots, and I just want to be able to make them.”

In 79 games, Clarkson shot 34.7 percent from the three-point line which is slightly improved from his rookie year where he shot 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:38 pm    Post subject:

Making The Case For The Lakers To Draft Brandon Ingram
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

Fortune smiled upon the Los Angeles Lakers on the night of the draft lottery, allowing them to walk away with their top-three protected pick intact. Their slot with the second overall selection was a particularly coveted spot due to the two players at the top of nearly every draft board- Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.

In this top-heavy draft, it’s widely believed that there is a drop in talented once Simmons and Ingram are off the board, and a real debate has emerged over which one of the two should be selected by the Philadelphia 76ers’ first with overall pick.

The Lakers, on the other hand, have essentially landed the easiest decision of the night; all they need to do is select whichever player Philadelphia passes on.

However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t weigh the pros and cons of either player ending up in Los Angeles. It’s a surprisingly complicated issue that requires a closer look at each candidate before one can make the decision to officially join #TeamIngram or #TeamSimmons.

Today, let’s take a look at the player who appears to be most likely to become a Laker: Brandon Ingram.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:40 pm    Post subject:

Brandon Ingram Shooting Workout Video Via Adrian Wojnarowski
by Eric Yee - lakeshowlife.com

Watch Lakers’ prospect, Brandon Ingram splash home threes in a video via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, The Vertical

Normally Adrian Wojnarowski drops BREAKING NEWS, aka Woj Bombs, via his preferred weapon of choice, Twitter but this time around the NBA insider took to Instagram to bring fans video of Lakers’ prospect, Brandon Ingram shooting threes in a short workout clip.

By now, fans who follow the game are familiar with Ingram’s ability to stroke the long ball and this video shows exactly that, though it also shows what many assume will be his biggest flaw come next season: his slender 6’10, sub 200 pound frame.

Hitting six of eight threes from distance in a shooting drill that involved no defense whatsoever may not seem impressive to some, but the Lakers will take any help they can get from that area on the floor, as the team collectively shot just under 32 percent for the year from distance.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:41 pm    Post subject:

Ben Simmons doesn't plan to work out for Lakers or Sixers
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Philadelphia is still likely to take him first overall.

The Los Angeles Lakers have begun working out prospects for their entire range of picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. The team has brought in top-ten projected picks like Jaylen Brown while also working out several candidates for their 32nd overall pick or players they might decide to pursue as undrafted free agents.

Two players that notably have yet to reportedly work out for Los Angeles are the two they are most frequently projected to take, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. The latter interviewed with the Lakers front office at the NBA combine but has yet to actually work out for the team and in the case of Simmons, that may not happen at all.

Simmons has "yet to commit to working out for anyone, including [the] Sixers and Lakers," according to Chad Ford of ESPN. Ford additionally reports that despite this, the Sixers will still "very likely" take him first overall.

Simmons not working out and still being selected first is not an unprecedented scenario. Last year's presumptive first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns also initially passed on working out for the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves before going being picked first in the draft.

While Simmons won't work out directly for teams, it's not as though he hasn't been working out. The versatile forward was seen earlier this summer working on improving his jump shot, and Ford recorded a bit more video of Simmons' upgraded stroke:

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:43 pm    Post subject:

Ben Simmons Pre-Draft Measurements Per Chad Ford
by Eric Yee - lakeshowlife.com

The NBA Draft is only a few weeks away which means pre-draft workouts will be occurring more frequently all the way up until draft night on June 23

Seeing as to the fact that LSU prospect, Ben Simmons skipped the NBA Draft Combine last month, the last time he was officially measured was in 2015 as released by his “official college team.” Coming in at 6’10 with shoes, 240 pounds with a seven foot wingspan and a nine foot standing reach, Simmons was already a physically imposing freshman.

However, Chad Ford recently posted his updated pre-draft measurements after attending a Simmons workout with Klutch Sports on Wednesday morning.

Anthropometric data for @BenSimmons25: 6' 10.25" in shoes, 240 lbs, 7' 0.5" wing, 8' 11" reach, 10.25" hand length & reach
9:17 AM - 1 Jun 2016


Looking at his measurements, it actually looks like either he’s gotten smaller, or more realistically that the measurements were recorded incorrectly one of the two times. That said, it wasn’t his anthropometric data that stood out but his athletic testing numbers that raised some eyebrows.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:44 pm    Post subject:

2016 Christmas Day Jerseys Leak Early
by Cody Williams - lakeshowlife.com

The 2016 Christmas Day jerseys that the Lakers will (assumedly) wear leaked on Wednesday along with those of the other 29 teams

The Los Angeles Lakers, despite their recent lack of success, are still one of the most marketable teams in the NBA. As such, they have still been featured in the slate of Christmas Day games in recent years and been able to showcase the ever-evolving Christmas Day jerseys from the league over the years.

With the prospects for the Lakers looking up with their young core, cap-space, and the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the next batch of Christmas Day jerseys has leaked with the uniforms for the Lakers and the other 29 teams being revealed.

Per Paul Lukas of Uni Watch and ESPN, here’s a look at what the Lakers will be working with on the most featured day of the NBA regular season, Christmas Day (you can view the jerseys of the other 29 teams via ESPN):

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:45 pm    Post subject:

Anthony Brown says he will play in Las Vegas Summer League, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle may not
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

The sophomore forward will play in Vegas for the second straight year.

Los Angeles- At NBA 2K's Road to the Finals event, Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Brown intently watched as two teams of five players each competed in the titular game with $250,000. Brown says he's enjoys playing NBA 2K on his Xbox One, but sitting on the couch playing video games isn't how he plans to spend his summer. For the second season in a row, the second round pick will spend his July in the sweltering heat of Las Vegas.

"Yeah I'm playing," Brown told Silver Screen and Roll when asked if he would be back in Vegas this year. He also revealed a few of his teammates may be making a return as well. "Right now D'Angelo [Russell], me, Larry [Nance, Jr.], and Julius [Randle] are all talking about it."

Nance, Jr. would seem like a near certainty to return to Las Vegas before his second NBA season, but more in doubt are the status' of Randle and Russell, both of whom have been invited to play for Team USA's select team in Las Vegas, where they will compete against the players who will represent the United States at the Olympics in Rio.

Team USA's training will overlap with Summer League, which may make it hard for the two to play with the Lakers for the whole tournament.

"They may play maybe one game," said Brown, "but probably nothing because they have to [play on the USA Select Team]."

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 7:54 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Jordan Clarkson Working On ‘Boosting’ Three-Point Percentage
by Ryan Ward - lakersnation.com

After following up an impressive rookie season with another solid year as one of the most consistent players for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan Clarkson is far from content with his game. Clarkson is already working on what he wants to improve for next season.

It will be a big offseason for Clarkson with the Missouri product set to become a restricted free agent in July. Along with preparing for free agency, Clarkson is determined to improve his three-point shooting. The soon-to-be 24-year-old said the following about his offseason focus in an interview with Michael Pina of Bleacher Report:

“What I’ve been focused on recently is a lot of shots off the dribble, coming off screens. Mostly just boosting my three-point percentage,” he explained afterward. “There’s times where, in the game, I have to shoot those kind of shots, and I just want to be able to make them.”

In 79 games, Clarkson shot 34.7 percent from the three-point line which is slightly improved from his rookie year where he shot 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Continued....


That is good, but I am mainly concerned about him improving his defense.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 5:33 pm    Post subject:

Appreciate you lakersfreak.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:08 pm    Post subject:

Almost 100, ‘Forgotten Legend of Basketball’ Still Marvels at the Game

Quote:
MINNEAPOLIS — John Kundla sat in a wheelchair playing cribbage opposite his 68-year-old son, calling out numbers in a quiet, deep voice. The efficiency apartment here had a twin bed under a painting of Jesus tending sheep; a desk topped with a large magnifying glass and a Bible; and, resting on a shelf, a photograph taken on a basketball court in 1952 showing Kundla atop the shoulders of a jubilant George Mikan, the sport’s most dominant big man in the first half of the 20th century.

Kundla, 99, was the head coach of the Minneapolis Lakers’ championship teams of the 1940s and 1950s — professional basketball’s first modern dynasty. He is the oldest living Hall of Famer in any of the four major American team sports and one of three N.B.A. coaches, along with Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson, to have won three or more consecutive titles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/sports/basketball/john-kundla-almost-100-lakers-original-coach-still-marvels-at-the-game.html?_r=0
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:09 am    Post subject:

Lakers To Keep Pick Unless A ‘Blockbuster Develops’
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers are in an extremely fortunate position as things stand right now. The team will pick second in the upcoming NBA Draft and are in great position to land another outstanding young talent to add to their existing core. In all likelihood that player would be Duke’s Brandon Ingram as it is becoming increasingly likely that Ben Simmons will be the first choice by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Of course, with Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Larry Nance Jr. already in the fold, some have wondered whether the Lakers wouldn’t be better off adding more veteran talent and there are very few trade pieces more valuable than the second overall draft pick.

As it stands right now, however, all signs point to the Lakers holding on to their pick unless a major deal arises according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News:

No, none of the five are Philadelphia or the Lakers. The consensus around the league is that the teams with slots 1-2 will hold onto their picks. If a blockbuster develops for L.A., that could change, but nothing is imminent on that front.

This thought process is something of a no-brainer as the second overall pick is extremely valuable, especially in a draft like this. Unless the Lakers are getting someone on the level of a Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins they would be far better off to simply take whoever is left between Ingram and Simmons and go from there.

Continued....


Last edited by lakersfreak on Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:11 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:11 am    Post subject:

D'Angelo Russell says he's 'living in the weight room' this offseason
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' young point guard is doing everything he can to make his sophomore season a successful one.

D'Angelo Russell had to learn plenty of hard lessons during his rookie year, many of which concerned the differences in playing against grown, professional men instead of overmatched kids in the NCAA. The Los Angeles Lakers' young point guard realized this and is working on bulking up over the summer in addition to his extensive dribbling workouts and post-up drills.

"I'm just living in the weight room," Russell told Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com in a phone interview while on his trip to China. "Just trying to become stronger. Last season was a shock playing against grown men that have been in the league for multiple years. You compare your strength to theirs and see where you really are. That's something I want to focus on in this offseason."

Russell developing an NBA physique will make him more deadly in an area he showed some aptitude in already last season: the post. The 19-year old guard was able to use his superior size for his position to his advantage in post-ups against smaller lead guards, shooting 63.4 percent on his 41 shots NBA.com defined as "post-ups" last season.

If Russell can get stronger, what he could already do during his rookie season on post-ups like this one against the Chicago Bulls' Aaron Brooks offer reason to believe this allegedly dying aspect of the game could become a dangerous weapon for him.

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:12 am    Post subject:

Legacy wrote:
Appreciate you lakersfreak.


Thx a bunch, appreciated
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 8:57 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Legacy wrote:
Appreciate you lakersfreak.


Thx a bunch, appreciated


I second Legacy's though.

Thank you LF for doing what you do- much appreciated.
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:45 am    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
D'Angelo Russell says he's 'living in the weight room' this offseason
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' young point guard is doing everything he can to make his sophomore season a successful one.

D'Angelo Russell had to learn plenty of hard lessons during his rookie year, many of which concerned the differences in playing against grown, professional men instead of overmatched kids in the NCAA. The Los Angeles Lakers' young point guard realized this and is working on bulking up over the summer in addition to his extensive dribbling workouts and post-up drills.

"I'm just living in the weight room," Russell told Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com in a phone interview while on his trip to China. "Just trying to become stronger. Last season was a shock playing against grown men that have been in the league for multiple years. You compare your strength to theirs and see where you really are. That's something I want to focus on in this offseason."

Russell developing an NBA physique will make him more deadly in an area he showed some aptitude in already last season: the post. The 19-year old guard was able to use his superior size for his position to his advantage in post-ups against smaller lead guards, shooting 63.4 percent on his 41 shots NBA.com defined as "post-ups" last season.

If Russell can get stronger, what he could already do during his rookie season on post-ups like this one against the Chicago Bulls' Aaron Brooks offer reason to believe this allegedly dying aspect of the game could become a dangerous weapon for him.

Continued....


Reading this is getting me hyped up, Russell is gonna be real good next year and he will have a coach who will trust him and not put him in a position to fail like Byron did.
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 12:46 pm    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Legacy wrote:
Appreciate you lakersfreak.


Thx a bunch, appreciated


I think we all appreciate what you do man.
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:05 pm    Post subject:

zePokar wrote:
lakersfreak wrote:
Legacy wrote:
Appreciate you lakersfreak.


Thx a bunch, appreciated :cheers:


I think we all appreciate what you do man.

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:30 pm    Post subject:

This is a great thread
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 3:57 pm    Post subject:

Inspector Gadget wrote:
lakersfreak wrote:
D'Angelo Russell says he's 'living in the weight room' this offseason
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' young point guard is doing everything he can to make his sophomore season a successful one.

D'Angelo Russell had to learn plenty of hard lessons during his rookie year, many of which concerned the differences in playing against grown, professional men instead of overmatched kids in the NCAA. The Los Angeles Lakers' young point guard realized this and is working on bulking up over the summer in addition to his extensive dribbling workouts and post-up drills.

"I'm just living in the weight room," Russell told Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com in a phone interview while on his trip to China. "Just trying to become stronger. Last season was a shock playing against grown men that have been in the league for multiple years. You compare your strength to theirs and see where you really are. That's something I want to focus on in this offseason."

Russell developing an NBA physique will make him more deadly in an area he showed some aptitude in already last season: the post. The 19-year old guard was able to use his superior size for his position to his advantage in post-ups against smaller lead guards, shooting 63.4 percent on his 41 shots NBA.com defined as "post-ups" last season.

If Russell can get stronger, what he could already do during his rookie season on post-ups like this one against the Chicago Bulls' Aaron Brooks offer reason to believe this allegedly dying aspect of the game could become a dangerous weapon for him.

Continued....


Reading this is getting me hyped up, Russell is gonna be real good next year and he will have a coach who will trust him and not put him in a position to fail like Byron did.


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Joined: 08 Jun 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 8:57 pm    Post subject:

lakersfreak wrote:
Lakers To Keep Pick Unless A ‘Blockbuster Develops’
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers are in an extremely fortunate position as things stand right now. The team will pick second in the upcoming NBA Draft and are in great position to land another outstanding young talent to add to their existing core. In all likelihood that player would be Duke’s Brandon Ingram as it is becoming increasingly likely that Ben Simmons will be the first choice by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Of course, with Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Larry Nance Jr. already in the fold, some have wondered whether the Lakers wouldn’t be better off adding more veteran talent and there are very few trade pieces more valuable than the second overall draft pick.

As it stands right now, however, all signs point to the Lakers holding on to their pick unless a major deal arises according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News:

No, none of the five are Philadelphia or the Lakers. The consensus around the league is that the teams with slots 1-2 will hold onto their picks. If a blockbuster develops for L.A., that could change, but nothing is imminent on that front.

This thought process is something of a no-brainer as the second overall pick is extremely valuable, especially in a draft like this. Unless the Lakers are getting someone on the level of a Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins they would be far better off to simply take whoever is left between Ingram and Simmons and go from there.

Continued....


Smart move. Say no to anyone with a nickname of "Boogie".
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