Lakers

Lakers Blown Out Again, This Time By Lowly Suns, 137-101

... dunks, many on alley-oop passes, scoring 60 points in the paint and outscoring the Lakers 41-16 in fastbreak points. Phoenix had huge edges in rebounds (59-36) and assists (32-16) and shot 55.7% (49 of 88). “We came out flat from the very beginning,” reserve forward Larry Nance Jr., said. “We had no energy. It was a lack of effort from everybody. It wasn’t one single person, one single unit, it was an entire team letdown tonight.”. As the. NBA trade deadline approaches on February 23, the Lakers have their ears open. “We are active, yes,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “We’re active every year. … Quite frankly compared to the last three or four years, we have a lot of talent on this roster that I think a lot of people. As the NBA trade deadline approaches on February 23, the Lakers have their ears open. “We are ...

What's Happened, What Lies Ahead

... Williams seemingly draws a whistle every time he shoots. He’s averaging career-highs in points and shooting percentage (44.4), and the team raves about his leadership qualities. BIGGEST SURPRISE: Many in the organization believe rookie center Ivica Zubac has the most upside of any member of their young core. While the 19-year-old rookie out of Croatia still has raw skills, the Lakers are excited about his potential as a defender, post player and jump shooter. It’s too early to say if Zubac could become another Marc Gasol, a raw undeveloped European center who eventually morphed into an NBA All-Star. But the Lakers believe Zubac has the tools to become something special. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: There are plenty of things $136 million can buy, including a poor early return on the free-agent signings of Luol ...

Celtics Go Sf, Knicks Go Pg, Lakers Pick Lonzo Ball

... Robert Williams, PF, Texas A&M. 15. Denver Nuggets: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas. 16. Detroit Pistons: Justin Patton, C, Creighton. 17. Chicago Bulls: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona. 18. Indiana Pacers: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke. 19. Oklahoma City: John Collins, PF, Wake Forest. 20. Atlanta Hawks: TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA. 21. Toronto Raptors: Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse. 22. Portland Trail Blazers: Johnathan Motley, PF, Baylor. 23. Washington Wizards: Dwayne Bacon, SG, Florida State. 24. Utah Jazz: PJ Dozier, PG, South Carolina. 25. Orlando Magic: Tony Bradley, C, North Carolina. 26. Brooklyn Nets: Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina. 27. Houston Rockets: Miles Bridges, SF, Michigan State. 28. Portland Trail Blazers: Terrance Ferguson, SG, USA. 29. San Antonio Spurs: Rodions Kurucs, SF, Latvia. 30. Utah Jazz: Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State. 31. Atlanta Hawks: Jaron ...

Rick Fox Talks Magic Johnson's New Lakers Role, Wants Kobe Bryant To Join Team

... Jeanie Buss' part to convince him and be able to get him to make that shift. It's a blessing for the Lakers.". Johnson was named the Lakers' new president of basketball operations Tuesday. In corresponding moves, the Lakers parted ways with longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak and vice president of player operations Jim Buss. The son of late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Jim will maintain his ownership stake but will no longer have a say in player personnel. Johnson will have final say over player personnel and will hire a day-to-day general manager. "First call I make if I'm in charge? Kobe Bryant," Johnson said on ESPN's First Take  last week. "Because Kobe understands winning. He understands, also, these players. I would call: 'What role you want. If you've got a day, just give me that day.' I'll take that. Whatever time he has, I want him to come and be a part of it.". Fox said he would support Bryant and Johnson teaming together in some form within the Lakers front office. "He could even put on a jersey for me if he wanted to," Fox said. ...

Lakers Reportedly Deal Lou Williams To Rockets For Brewer, 1st-rounder

... season when his contract expires at the same time as Williams’ deal. Let’s grade the trade. HOUSTON ROCKETS. SURRENDER: Corey Brewer, unprotected first-round 2017 draft pick. GRADE: B. For the Rockets, it doesn’t address their biggest need, defense, but it does shore up a weakness. Brewer has been unable to keep up with his deep-bombing teammates under Mike D’Antoni, and opponents would routinely play off him, sending more help at James Harden. With Williams, not only will opponents be unable to do so as Williams is a solid shooter, but the Rockets can survive with Harden on the bench more. When Harden sits, the offensive rating for the Rockets drops to 105, a good mark for some teams but paltry for Houston. Williams brings the ability to create on his own, as he is in the 94 th percentile in pick and roll situations, and 92 nd when factoring passes. That number is likely to go up when not surrounded by the ...

Five Takeaways From The Lakers' 137-101 Loss To Phoenix

... want to go moving forward, what’s best for the guys developmental-wise. When time allows, I’m sure I’ll sit down with Mitch and Jim and Magic , see what they think is going on and take it from there.”. 3. After missing six of his first nine shots, Russell warmed up and scored 21 points on seven-of-20 shooting and two of six three-pointers. With his two long-range shots, Russell tied Le Bron James for the second-most three-pointers made (212) by a player before his 21 st birthday in NBA history. Russell won’t get a chance to pass James because he turns 22 on Feb. 23, the day before the Lakers play their next game. Did tying James, who is recognized as one of the top players in NBA history, mean anything to Russell. “Yes and no, to a certain extent,” he said. “I didn’t have a clue about that, but to be mentioned with him is cool.”. 4. The Suns dominated the Lakers in virtually every statistical category, including field-goal percentage (55.7% to 37.6%), rebounds ...

Lakers' Lou Williams Reportedly Generating Interest

... Wizards are looking at him. That makes sense, since Washington’s bench has, for the most part, been a trash can, on fire, rolling down a gently-sloped hill. Williams’ defense is an issue, but the Wizards really just need a player to make sure the bench doesn’t relinquish a lead. ESPN reports that the Jazz are also interested. They’ve been struggling in the backcourt with Dante Exum having regressed in a big way. Williams would give their offense, 12 th in the league in efficiency but subject to occasional stalling, a boost. Their defensive scheme could cover his deficiencies. As for what the Lakers would want, their starting asking price likely would be a first-round pick, but Williams probably won’t generate that, at least not in the lottery. But the Lakers probably could find a discount young player to fill in the gap, and teams like the Kings and Suns have such players available. Williams is averaging 18.6 points and shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. The Lakers are 11.2 points worse in net points per 100 possessions with Williams on the bench. Then again, they need to tank to the bottom of the ocean to avoid giving the Sixers their ...

Five Takeaways From The Lakers' 97-96 Loss To Sacramento

... the shot, nearly stumbling while the defender fell down, but Williams regained his balance, elevated and made the clutch shot. “I just hoop, and I let the powers that be deal with that,” Williams, who is averaging a team-high 18.4 points, said of the trade rumors. “I’m a little old-school in my approach. I play for the team that I have the jersey on for. I don’t really deal with hypotheticals, so if something happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, and I’m gonna compete for the Lakers.”. 4. Just because you start the game for the Lakers, that doesn’t mean you’ll finish it. Neither Randle, a forward, nor point guard D’Angelo Russell played in the fourth quarter, while Williams, Jordan Clarkson, Nick Young, Nance and Luol Deng spurred a Lakers comeback. “They earned that chance,” Walton said of the closing group. “With the team that we have, we’re gonna try to get experience minutes for these young guys, but we were down by 16, and that group fought back and gave us a chance to win the game. At that moment, I was rewarding the players that started playing ...

Could The Utah Jazz Really Bring Back Deron Williams

... File #_E 1 M 6020 `. Jazz notes » Lou Williams traded to Rockets; Deron Williams’ return floated as possibility. Share This Article. ARTICLE PHOTO GALLERY (9). The Utah Jazz will be aggressive looking to add depth before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, The Tribune has been told, although one target has already gotten away — and an intriguing potential reunion could be a possibility. The Jazz reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers with an interest in acquiring shooting guard Lou Williams, but the guard was traded on Tuesday afternoon to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo's The Vertical first reported the trade, which was later confirmed by league sources to The Tribune. Williams, 30, is one of the better bench scorers in the league. His $7 million contract over the next two years made him attractive on the market, especially given his talent and scoring ability. TOP JOBS. The Lakers were shaken up on Tuesday with the firing of longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak and team vice president Jim Buss, ...

With Magic Johnson Now Running The Lakers, His Love Of Okafor Resurfaces

... his love of Okafor resurfaces. The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Monday that Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson will be the team's new President of Basketball operations. Mitch Kupchak has also been relieved of his duties as General Manager. It's a huge shakeup for one of sports most legendary franchises. This was of particular interest to a certain segment of Philadelphia 76 ers fans who remember how fondly Magic spoke of Jahlil Okafor back when many believed the Lakers would select him with the second pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The tweets date back to May and June of 2015. Getting the #2 pick was important. Now we can sign Okafor/Towns & FA's will want to sign w/ the Lakers because they … __link__/1 D 91 xh Go WJ. — Earvin Magic Johnson (@Magic Johnson) May 20, 2015. I love Okafor because he's won a state championship in HS, NCAA Title at Duke and he can bring that championship pedigree to the Lakers. — Earvin Magic Johnson (@Magic Johnson) June 10, 2015. Signing Okafor or Towns to ...