Lakers in the News 12/14/15 - 12/20/15: Lakers' weak team remains a strong draw, thanks to Kobe's farewell
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ElginBaylor
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:00 am    Post subject:

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:04 am    Post subject:

Byron Scott Assesses D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle After Road Trip
by Serena Winters - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers came home from their eight-game road trip on Saturday night, with only one win to add to their now 3-21 record. After a day off on Sunday to recuperate, the team took to the practice floor on Monday.

Jordan Clarkson was able to practice in full according to head coach Byron Scott, and barring any setbacks tomorrow, is expected to play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, in which case D’Angelo Russell will be back with the second unit.

Scott says he plans to stick with the Clarkson, Lou Williams, Kobe Bryant, Larry Nance Jr., Roy Hibbert starting lineup for a minimum of 10 games. On the Lakers No. 2 draft pick, Scott says he was very pleased with the progress he made throughout the road trip.

“I thought he (D’Angelo Russell) played with a lot more confidence,” Scott said after Monday’s practice. “His command of the offense was much better. His turnovers were a little bit lower, it’s something he’s still got to continue to work on. But, I like what I saw on this road trip with him, so again, I think his development is coming slowly but surely, and that’s something that I thought was very positive.”

The Lakers have recently started to correct their problem of getting off to slow starts, but it’s also come at the expense of contributions from the reserves. Scott is still searching for that “happy medium” between both units.

“Crazy thing right now is our first unit is getting off to really good starts and our bench is playing terrible. Our bench is coming in right now not living up to what they have to do,” Scott surmised.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:07 am    Post subject:

Byron Scott blames lack of energy for Julius Randle's struggles off of the bench
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Do the numbers back up Scott's claims?

Four games ago, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott benched the team's last two lottery picks, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, citing the team's poor record and wanting to try something different. Randle and Russell were unhappy with the move, and in the first two contests Randle responded with two of the better game of his young career, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 21 minutes against the Toronto Raptors, then going for 20 and 12 in 33 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Then Russell was re-inserted into the starting lineup against the San Antonio Spurs after Jordan Clarkson sustained an ankle injury, and Randle has struggled without his fellow young running mate. Since Russell returned to the starting five, Randle has averaged 5.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on 25% shooting.

Byron Scott has a theory for why Randle has struggled over the last two games, and he shared it with Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:

"His energy hasn't been the same," Scott said. "I made the change with the first unit because the first unit was getting off to terrible starts. Now they're getting off to real good starts and the bench is coming in and not sustaining."

Average speed is not a perfect measure of energy, but Randle's average speed while on the court this season has been 4.07 miles per hour, which ranks 9th on the team out of players averaging more than 9 minutes per game. Over the last four games since being benched, that speed has dropped all the way to 4.06 mph, which ranks 7th on the team over that span among players averaging more than 10 minutes per game.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:08 am    Post subject:

Julius Randle admits struggles with recent bench role
by Mark Medina - dailynews.com

The highlight reels usually show Lakers second-year forward Julius Randle overpowering his opponents. But small cracks have emerged in his study frame ever since grudgingly accepting a bench role.

After his 20-point, 12-rebound outburst in the Lakers’ overtime loss last week in Minnesota, Randle has followed up the next two games averaging 5.5 points on 20 percent shooting and 8.5 rebounds.

“What did I do the previous two games?” Randle said. “I’ve made so many shots so many times that I’m not worried about it. They’re not going in right now. But I’ll keep attacking. They’ll go in.”

The Lakers (3-21) enter Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks (10-15) at Staples Center with Randle posting double-digit efforts in six of the past eight games. But Lakers coach Byron Scott has already noticed Ruggle’s recent struggles as a reserve.

“His energy hasn’t been the same,” Scott said. “I made the change with the first unit because the first unit was getting off to terrible starts. Now they’re getting off to real good starts and the bench is coming in and not sustaining.”

Randle blamed that on the difficulty in building a rhythm off the bench.

“When you sit nine or 10 minutes, you get in and try to feel out the flow of the game,” Randle said. “It’s a completely different feeling.”

Another troubling trend has emerged through Randle’s occasional off-nights. In the nine games he has scored in single digits, Randle has averaged 3.88 fouls.

“Some of it’s because he’s not ready to guard,” Scott said of Randle. “He waits until the guy catches the ball and then he wants to guard.”

Randle noted most of his fouls happen during garbage time. But he sounded receptive on fixing the issue.

“That’s something I’ll have to watch on the film,” Randle said. “That’s hard to tell when you’re in the game.”

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:25 pm    Post subject:

"stay away" and "let other people play" ???

as in, iso ball? that's not what we want to be teaching them.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:38 pm    Post subject:

44TheLogo wrote:
"stay away" and "let other people play" ???

as in, iso ball? that's not what we want to be teaching them.


I believe what he means is that the person who has the ball has to decide whether to shoot, drive, or pass the ball. If everyone gravitates towards the ball, they're limiting the ball carriers options by screwing up the spacing. Its one of the rare sensible things he's ever said. Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit and he really does want more spacing just so guys can ISO more.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:32 pm    Post subject:

Shaq shares his thoughts on Kobe's upcoming retirement
by Broderick Turner - latimes.com

As Kobe Bryant plays out his 20th and final season with the Lakers, The Times has reached out to players, coaches and broadcasters for recollections about his career.

Shaquille O’Neal was the center on the Lakers’ title teams with Bryant in the early 2000s, the two hooking up to win three consecutive NBA championships from 2000-02, doing so many times while feuding. Here is Shaq’s story about Kobe taking over Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers after O’Neal had fouled out:

“My favorite Kobe story was when we were going back and forth against Indiana and I had fouled out. So I’m thinking damn, here we go again. I [messed] up. Remember I was killing Rik Smits and I fouled out and they made that run? Everybody was worried, including [then-Lakers coach) Phil [Jackson]. And Kobe came up to me and said, ‘Don’t worry. I got it.’

“That’s when he put on that show. That’s when I got behind the podium after the game and said, ‘Kobe is the best player in the world!’

“I was nervous and he was like, ‘Big Fella, I’ll be here. You ain’t got to worry about [anything].’ That’s when I knew he was ‘real- real.’ I always knew he was real.

“But you know how [Michael] Jordan is real-real in the clutch? Magic Johnson is real-real in the clutch. That’s when I put Kobe in that category. He saved my ass.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:39 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
“My favorite Kobe story was when we were going back and forth against Indiana and I had fouled out. So I’m thinking damn, here we go again. I [messed] up. Remember I was killing Rik Smits and I fouled out and they made that run? Everybody was worried, including [then-Lakers coach) Phil [Jackson]. And Kobe came up to me and said, ‘Don’t worry. I got it.’

“That’s when he put on that show. That’s when I got behind the podium after the game and said, ‘Kobe is the best player in the world!’

“I was nervous and he was like, ‘Big Fella, I’ll be here. You ain’t got to worry about [anything].’ That’s when I knew he was ‘real- real.’ I always knew he was real.

“But you know how [Michael] Jordan is real-real in the clutch? Magic Johnson is real-real in the clutch. That’s when I put Kobe in that category. He saved my ass.

Remember this like it was yesterday. Had so many emotions going, just like Shaq seemingly had. Kobe was an assassin that night. Totally agree with Shaq. That was the game Kobe came out and told the world "I'm the next Jordan, I'm the next GREAT guard". And to think he had just hurt his ankle the game before.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:14 pm    Post subject:

Lakers discovering that a rested Kobe is a more productive Kobe
by Bill Oram - ocregister.com

The Lakers have a lot of information at their disposal when it comes to keeping Kobe Bryant healthy and effective.

Cameras installed in the rafters of every arena track every player’s movement, producing data that can be used to determine how long a given player should play – and also how long he should sit – to be at his best.

Rather than sports science, however, Lakers coach Byron Scott has relied on less advanced methods, such as the eye test and gut feelings.

Chasing victories, Scott has often allowed Bryant’s minutes to soar well beyond any level that could be considered conservative.

Bryant’s minutes have come down in the last couple of weeks, however, and Scott said Monday that could explain the 37-year-old’s improved play.

“I think the more rest I give him, the more efficient he can be,” Scott said.

Bryant scored 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting Saturday in Houston, a 126-97 Lakers loss. On the season he has made just 32.4 percent of his shots, but in the past four games that number has spiked to 47.3.

Bryant has not played more than 32 minutes in the past five games, after playing at least that many in each of the previous five.

It has been an encouraging progression as Bryant strives to play in every game as he makes his way through his final season.

Throughout the season, Scott has held Bryant out of the most draining portions of practices, and only rarely has he attended morning shootarounds.

“Obviously, practice-wise he just comes out and gets some shots up,” Scott said. “Try to keep him out of practice as much as possible. And just really get him prepared for the games. There’s nothing in practice that he needs to learn.”

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:25 am    Post subject:

Five takeaways from the Lakers' 113-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks
by Eric Pincus - latimes.com

The Lakers (4-21) won their second home game of the season, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks (10-16) on Tuesday. Here are five takeaways from the Lakers' 113-85 win at Staples Center.

1. After so many losses this season, the vibe around the team after the win was noticeably different.

Coach Byron Scott was out quicker after his meeting with the team to talk to the media. The locker room was open earlier.

The players were cheerful and more talkative -- plenty of smiles from players and coaches alike.

Seven players finished in double figures, led by Kobe Bryant with 22 points.

2. The Lakers shared the ball well against Milwaukee, converting 41 baskets on a season-high 26 assists, with 14 turnovers.

Bryant looked to make plays, finishing with six assists. Jordan Clarkson returned from an ankle injury to score 12 with three assists.

Clarkson's return pushed D'Angelo Russell back to the bench, where he led all players with seven assists. Marcelo Huertas played just two late minutes, instead of playing alongside Russell in the second unit as he had in recent games before Clarkson's minor injury.

Russell hit seven of 13 shots, scoring 19 points in 29 1/2 minutes.

"He's playing with a lot of confidence," Scott said of Russell. "He has the personality to be a leader, but at 19 [years old], you can't figure it out. It just comes naturally. For him, communication on the floor is natural, but the leadership part, you have to earn that from your teammates."

Bryant is pleased with how his young teammate is developing.

"I think he's reading the flow of the game much better," Bryant said. "I think that just comes from time and experience. It seems like he's more comfortable with the tempo of the game, where now he can, instead of reacting to plays, he can really read in advance what is going to happen -- which then puts him more in control."

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:27 am    Post subject:

Greg Monroe said there wasn’t anything Lakers did wrong in free agency pitch
by Mark Medina - insidesocal.com

The Lakers started their free agency off on an awful note, a two-hour meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge leaving him frustrated that they focused more on marketing glitz than X’s and O’s substance. The Lakers also missed out on their next target in Greg Monroe, who agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

But even if he turned down the Lakers less than 24 hours after meeting them for two hours in Washington D.C. on July 1, Monroe had nothing to complain about the Lakers’ pitch.

“There wasn’t anything they did wrong. I just made the best decision for me,” Monroe said in an interview with Los Angeles News Group. “It wasn’t anything they didn’t do or did do.”

The Lakers’ meeting with Monroe did not feature officials with AEG and Time Warner Cable as they had in their previous meeting with Aldridge. But Monroe declined to discuss anything regarding his free agency, including his meeting with the Lakers. Nonetheless, Monroe maintained he’s “happy to be here” despite the Milwaukee Bucks (10-15) entering Tuesday’s game against the Lakers (3-21) at Staples Center with the Eastern Conference’s third-worst record. Monroe also declined the New York Knicks (11-14), which only has a one-game edge over Milwaukee in the standings.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:33 am    Post subject:

TDIKH: December 16, 2009
by nba.com

Everyone knew who the ball was going to, but Kobe Bryant made the shot anyway. With his team down by one point in overtime, Bryant backed down his defender from 15 feet out and swished a turnaround jumper for the win.

Bryant scored the game’s final seven points of the game to push the Lakers past Milwaukee, 107-106. His last-second heroics were almost unnecessary, as he missed his first chance at a game-winner in regulation.

“I had a really good look on the first one and wanted to go right back to the same spot and get the same look,” Bryant told reporters.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP had just 12 points at halftime, but finished with 39 by shooting 13-of-28 from the field and knocking down all 12 of his free throw attempts.

Per usual, Pau Gasol had Bryant’s back, exploding for 26 points and a then-career-high 22 rebounds. The Spaniard also shot 9-of-15 and swatted four shots.

While Michael Redd (25 points) and Ersan Ilyasova (24) kept Milwaukee close all game long, they blew a six-point lead in the final 80 seconds of overtime, as Bryant exploded from there.

Unlike Bryant, the Bucks couldn’t find success at the line, where they were outscored 29-12 on free throws.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:39 am    Post subject:

Lakers vs Bucks Post Game Videos
by Lakers Nation

Lakers 18-Point Win Over Bucks, Kobe Back To Being Kobe

Byron Scott On Kobe 'Deferring' & 'Stepping Aside' For Younger Guys

Kobe Bryant Pinpoints D'Angelo Russell's Progress: 'Reading The Flow'

Julius Randle After Another Double-Double Off The Bench
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:44 am    Post subject:

D’Angelo Russell Proving He Is Not A Bust For Lakers
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

When the Los Angeles Lakers moved up in the 2015 Draft Lottery and landed the No. 2 pick, fans celebrated. The expectation was that the team would select whichever of Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor the Minnesota Timberwolves passed on with their first pick, and would begin rebuilding their team around a dominant big man. There were even some calls for Los Angeles to take a leap and select international stringbean, Kristaps Porzingis, who since has proven to be more NBA-ready than anyone imagined.

Few expected the Lakers, a team historically built around great post players, to pass on a potential franchise big man. However, after playing things close to the vest and leaving everyone in the dark on draft day (including the pick-whisperer Woj), the Lakers shocked the world and selected Ohio State guard, D’Angelo Russell.

Most praised the move as a sign that the Lakers were finally ready to step into the modern NBA, which is more guard-based than ever before. It was easy to watch Russell play and draw comparisons to players like Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Manu Ginobili, and his highlight-reel passing had fans in Los Angeles salivating.

Unfortunately, Russell started slow, struggling through Summer League play (5.2 turnovers per game) as well as during the opening weeks of the NBA season. Meanwhile, Towns, Okafor, and Porzingis were setting the league on fire with gaudy stat lines, causing Russell to appear to be the weak link among the top four picks.

Lakers fans are keenly aware of how important Russell’s success is to the once-dominant franchise’s rebuilding efforts, and his difficulty transitioning from college combo guard to professional point guard made many nervous. He looked passive on the court, often deferring to retiring legend Kobe Bryant and appearing afraid to make mistakes, possibly a remnant from his turnover problems during the summer. With Russell focused on limiting miscues his magical passing ability, which had been hyped to the moon during the offseason, was nowhere to be found.

While many still preached patience for the 19 year old rookie, Lakers fans couldn’t help but feel uneasy. After all, draft picks are crucial in the modern NBA, and missing on even one can drastically set a team back. With the Lakers mired in the worst stretch in team history and future draft picks still owed to Philadelphia (via Phoenix) and Orlando thanks to the Steve Nash/Dwight Howard debacle, Russell turning into a bust would be catastrophic.

Complicating matters, to many it also appeared as though Lakers coach Byron Scott was mishandling Russell, often minimizing his fourth quarter minutes and stifling his pick and roll opportunities, where the skilled guard thrives. Even worse, Scott was limiting the playing time of (and eventually benching) the Lakers young players in order to feed even more to an aging Bryant, whose efficiency and injury history screamed for a minutes restriction.

It was a nightmare scenario for Lakers fans: Bryant was being driven into the ground (again) and the Lakers future was being stunted in the process. Fans were waiting anxiously to see some kind of sign that Russell can indeed become a star, or at least some flashes of brilliance that would indicate a fantastic future. In the midst of a mountain of losses, they needed something to restore hope that tomorrow will bring a better day.

24 games into the NBA season, the wait is over.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:45 am    Post subject:

Byron Scott says D'Angelo Russell 'has the personality of a great leader'
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Point guards are sometimes referred to as "coach's on the floor." As the player responsible for bringing the ball up the court and handling it the majority of the time, it often falls to the point guard to make sure the other four players on the team get enough touches to be happy. This set of expectations cannot be easy on D'Angelo Russell as a 19-year old playing with grown men for the first time, but the Los Angeles Lakers young point guard is focused on improving in this area.

"Just trying to be a young leader on this team," Russell told Time Warner Cable Sportsnet sideline reporter Mike Trudell after the Lakers victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. "We've got a lot of guys that lead by example, and don't really try to lead vocally, but if we lead by example, and we've got somebody that leads vocally, it just pans out good, we get a win."

Lakers head coach Byron Scott thinks Russell has the stuff to be a leader of a team one day.

"I think in order to be a leader you have to be able to lead by example, so in practice, in games, you have to be the hardest worker. That's why Kobe [Bryant] was such a great leader, and everybody leads differently," Scott told reporters. "Magic [Johnson] was an unbelievable leader. [Russell] has the personality to be a leader, but at 19 you really can't figure it out, it just has to kind of come natural. I think with him, his communication on the floor is natural, but the leadership part you've got to earn that from your teammates."

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:46 am    Post subject:

Jason Kidd Compliments D’Angelo Russell’s Play
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers finished their road trip, one bright spot that emerged was the play of rookie D’Angelo Russell. His performance has not been lost on Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.

Kidd is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA and has a good idea of how difficult it is to succeed in the NBA as a rookie.

Before the Bucks squared off with the Lakers at Staples Center, Kidd complimented Russell’s play so far this season via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:

Jason Kidd on D'Angelo Russell: "For a young player he is playing at a very high level."

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:47 am    Post subject:

Byron Scott On D’Angelo Russell: ‘I Love The Way He’s Progressing Right Now’
by Ramneet Singh - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers returned home after a long road trip to host the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday night. Thanks to stellar play across the board and a well balanced attack, the Lakers notched their fourth victory of the season after a 113-95 win.

D’Angelo Russell was demoted back to this bench role following the return of Jordan Clarkson, but the rookie did not let that affect his game.

He finished the night with 19 points, seven assists and three steals. Following the win, coach Scott spoke about Russell and the improvements he has made thus far in his first season, via Ryan Ward of Examiner:

Byron on D'Angelo: "I love the way he's progressing right now." - "He's pretty receptive. He's pretty coachable."

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:49 am    Post subject:

Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell learn some valuable lessons from the bench
by Janis Carr - ocregister.com

At first Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell were mad that they had been benched, upset their starting jobs had been taken from them.

The Lakers’ young players initially tried to show Coach Byron Scott had made a mistake by sitting them at the start of games and that didn’t work altogether well. Russell scored just nine points in his first attempt off the bench in a loss to Toroto, while Randle had a respectable 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“We were out there just playing (trying to earn starting job again), but (we figured out that) it’s bigger than that,” Russell said. “We communicate now and we can have a relationship with each other.”

Russell and Randle talked about their situation and decided to use it as a teaching moment. They figured out they could learn by watching players such as Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert and Kobe Bryant from the bench.

“Ever since that happened, I got to see the game from a different perspective,” Randle said. “I just didn’t let it bother me and just saw how I can get better from it.

“(From the bench) you see different bits. You see when guys are fortunate and when guys aren’t so when you get in there, you can make the team better.”

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 9:33 pm    Post subject:

Kobe looks like an NBA player again, can it last?
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Breaking down Kobe's recent resurgence, and if it's sustainable.

Kobe Bryant took a tidal wave of flack to begin the 2015-16 NBA season. Most of it was deserved, with the longtime Los Angeles Lakers' guard coming out of the gates guns blazing, but shooting like a drunk stormtrooper in his first day of blaster training.

Bryant began the season with an 8-24 shooting line against the Minnesota Timberwolves and things did not get better from there. During one particularly dispiriting four game stretch from November 28th to December 2nd, Bryant was at his worst, taking no fewer than 20 shots in a game while shooting 30.9% from the field. Bryant was playing so bad that opposing players were reportedly "shocked at how far he had fallen."

Making matters worse, Lakers head coach Byron Scott made it clear Bryant had license to shoot, telling reporters that Bryant had "earned" the right to shoot as much as he wanted. All of this while Scott continued to play Bryant 30+ minutes a night to chase wins the now 4-21 Lakers clearly weren't getting.

In a vacuum this would hardly be an issue, the Lakers are not a good team when running on all cylinders, much less with Bryant shooting everywhere but the basket, and their first round pick conveys to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside of the top 3 in the 2016 NBA Draft. But Bryant's over-usage was not only hurting his efficiency on the way to better lottery odds, it was taking away from valuable development time for the Lakers' young core of D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle.

Bryant's usage rate of 29.3 through December 6th stood in stark contrast to how Bryant spoke about the season during training camp, when he proudly told reporters of how he planned to take a passenger seat and let the young guys take the wheel:

"I do not like setting up the offense. I hate it. Phil made me do it years ago... You guys know I like scoring the ball, why the hell would I like setting the offense up?" Additionally aiding in Bryant's comfort to sliding off of the ball is the addition of Russell, because as Bryant told the media, "[I] haven't played with point guards that are playmakers at heart. D'Angelo is a ridiculous playmaker man. I'd much rather catch & shoot."

Over the Lakers last 5 games, Bryant has actually lived these words, and in doing so has transformed from a possession devouring sarlacc into a useful NBA player, averaging 17.3 points on 47.4% shooting with 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists to boot. Even more encouraging, Bryant (26.9) has fell to third on the team in usage rate over that span, behind Russell (27.6) and Randle (27.2).

"He's kind of stepping to the side a little bit and having them have a little bit more say in what they do," Scott told Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News of Bryant's decision to cede more of the Lakers' offense to the younger players. Earlier this season, "stepping to the side" would have been an accurate description of the lead up to the majority of Bryant's shots, but by allowing his teammates to shine Bryant has been forced into less desperate end of clock heaves like this (that he still somehow made):

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:27 am    Post subject:

Byron Scott Wants D’Angelo Russell To 'Be Even More Hungry' (Video)
by lakersnation.com

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott says he knows how much better D'Angelo Russell can be and wants him to be "even more hungry."

VIDEO
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:28 am    Post subject:

Did Kobe Bryant Challenge Larry Nance To Dunk Over Dwight Howard? (Video)

What was it that Kobe Bryant said to Larry Nance Jr. after his dunk over John Henson? (*Hint hint, cc: Dwight Howard)

VIDEO
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:30 am    Post subject:

TDIKH: December 17, 1997
by nba.com

On a night when his team was throttled by 21 points, Kobe Bryant nonetheless put on one of the most important performances.

Facing his childhood idol, Michael Jordan, for the very first time, the teenage Bryant came off the bench and erupted for 33 points in 29 minutes by shooting 12-of-20 from the field and sinking a trio of 3-pointers, while defended by Jordan for most of the night.

However, the reigning NBA Finals MVP also had something in store for the rookie, as Jordan countered with 36 points of his own, going 12-of-22 and hitting 11-of-12 free throws.

Bryant received little help in the 104-83 loss, as no other Laker scored more than 15 points, and the team shot 34.5 percent as a whole.

Meanwhile, Chicago’s offense was rolling with 31 assists, while Luc Longley complemented Jordan with 23 points (10-of-13) and 10 rebounds.

Continued....
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:13 am    Post subject:

Five takeaways from the Lakers' 107-87 loss to the Houston Rockets
by Eric Pincus - latimes.com

The Lakers (4-22) fell to 2-7 at home this season, losing to the Houston Rockets (13-14) on Thursday. Here are five takeaways from their 107-87 loss at Staples Center.

1. The big story was Kobe Bryant's dunk over Rockets forward/center Clint Capela, bringing the Staples Center crowd to their feet.

"That's his first dunk?" asked Dwight Howard after the game. "Dang, Throwback Thursday. I already know what the headlines are going to say. They're going to have a picture of me, and a picture of Clint side by side, and they're going to say, 'Kobe turns back the hands of time.'

"I didn't think he had enough legs to do it, but you know, it's pretty cool. Good to see the old guys' still got it a little bit."

2. Julius Randle tallied his 12th double-double this season, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds.

"I just have to stay aggressive," Randle said. "I never really get discouraged. Just have to keep progressing and getting better."

He also made his first NBA three-pointer, the only shot available to him in the moment, taking a pass from Bryant late in the shot clock.

That was Randle's eighth attempt of the season. He's working to develop his jump shot, but a three-pointer is typically a bit out of his range.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:15 am    Post subject:

Lakers vs Rockets Post Game Videos
by lakersnation.com

Kobe Bryant: 'It's Always A Give & Take With Father Time'

Kobe Bryant Posterizes Clint Capela, Scott Sticks Up for D’Angelo Russell

Julius Randle On Kobe's Dunk: 'Vintage Mamba, That Was Nuts!”
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:17 am    Post subject:

TDIKH: December 18, 2012
by nba.com

Kobe Bryant notched his seventh consecutive 30-point game, and the Lakers needed every one of them, including a pair of late buckets to squeak by Charlotte, 101-100.

The Lakers faced an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter when Bryant and co. engineered a 17-0 run that put them back in control.

But the Bobcats wouldn’t go away, tying the game at 97 with 1:30 left.

From there, Bryant took over by scoring on back-to-back possessions to hand the Lakers the lead for good. But it wasn’t without some drama, as Charlotte took three game-tying shots in the final seconds thanks to a platter of offensive rebounds.

Fortunately for L.A., none found their way through the hoop, and the purple and gold captured their third consecutive win.

Bryant finished with exactly 30 points — one-third of which came in the fourth quarter alone — by shooting 11-of-24, while also cobbling together seven assists and six rebounds.

The Bobcats led by as many as 18 points, but Bryant and Dwight Howard (16 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks) were able to bring them back down to earth.

Continued....
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