From Corey Hansford, Lakers Nation: Buzzer beaters are some of the most amazing, heart-wrenching shots in the NBA. When those clutch shots take place in the NBA Finals, when all the pressure is on and the bright lights are everywhere, it shows who the brightest stars in the world truly are. When that shot comes from 60-feet away to send the game into overtime, the shot goes down in history as one of the most amazing moments in the history of the NBA. In Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals, the Lakers were tied with the New York Knicks. With three seconds left, Dave DuBusschere hit a clutch jumper to give the Knicks a two point lead, setting the stage for ‘Mr. Clutch.’
From Dave McMenamin, ESPN LA: Michael Beasley was waived by the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, putting the talented, yet troubled, 6-10, 235-pound former No. 2 pick on the market. With the Los Angeles Lakers lacking a proven small forward on their roster after using the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace, it’s only natural to wonder if Beasley might be a good fit in purple and gold. Here are four questions to consider before that can happen: Beasley was owed $6 million by Phoenix in 2013-14 and $6.25 million in 2014-15, but only $3 million of his ’14-15 deal was guaranteed. Beasley agreed to a $7 million buyout with the Suns, according to Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix. If any team out there chooses to claim the remaining $7 million on his contract, they’ll retain Beasley’s rights. That’s unlikely to happen.
From Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk: Driving in Los Angeles today I heard the broadcasters on the Lakers flagship station talking themselves into Michael Beasley. They gave it a lot of caveats — if he would take the league minimum (he’s going to have to) and if he plays within the system (he hasn’t anywhere else, don’t think this will be different Lakers’ fans) — however they said if all that came together he could be a good pickup. Personally, I would say it wouldn’t come together and the Lakers could do better. However, the Lakers do have reported interest in a young forward who played his college ball in the state of Kansas… just not Beasley.
From Eric Pincus, LA Times: Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Erving listed his picks as the top five NBA players of all time on Fox Sports Live on Tuesday, and he included three former Lakers. “I decided on my five when I was about 15 years old — that was Wilt [Chamberlain], Bill [Russell], [Elgin] Baylor, [Jerry] West and Oscar Robertson,” Erving said. “That’s my five.” Oddly, Erving didn’t include Lakers’ center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but in the same breath called him the “best who ever played in the NBA.” Erving was joined in the interview by Gary Payton, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the weekend, and Charissa Thompson.
Slap Dog Hoops (SDH) says
Such a damn shame that somebody as skilled and talented as Michael Beasley cannot get it together. He has had so many chances and I doubt that he will get another one. Good thing Chicago picked Rose at number one instead of him because that would have been a disaster.
Jay A says
The kid is 24 years old.
gene says
The Clippers got rid of Odom cause he was one strike away from being suspended by the league and also cause he was a head case….The best years for Odom was under the Lakers so Beasley might be good under the Lakers ……..24 is young and still time for him to around his rep.
AusPhil says
Xavier Henry. Thoughts?
gene says
Thoughts??? Desperate???
Shaun says
I mean come on …. if we are taking fliers on guys like henry and williams we should take a flier on beasley
MannyP says
Shaun – Why is Beasly so important? It’s not like he’s the missing piece we need to get a ring. I don’t get it. Are you related to the guy>
sufian says
The difference between Pat Riley/Jerry West and Mitch is that Mr. Kupchak is not willing to take chances on higher talent with headcase problems.
Keno says
Sufian
Yet he signed Metta and Dwight?
Huh?
sufian says
Dwight is not a headcase and yes, he did sign Metta which i remember everyone on this site was against that move. I dont like beasley, and I dont blame mitch but a camp invite shouldnt be out of the question.
MannyP says
Rodman, Metta and Dwight were all head cases. Difference between them and Beasley is that all of them were former (or current) all stars with hall of fame projections. Rodman was a rebounding machine and, at the time he signed with the Lakers, a potential hall of famer. Metta was a defensive specialist and also, maybe, a future hall of famer. Dwight is an all star with hall of fame potential.
And how does Beasley’s “potential” even compare to this?
We have enough issues to deal with this year with Kobe being injured, Gasol, Nash and Hill coming back from injury, lots of new players and a coach that will be under pressure to produce from the start. Why, why, why, why on earth, would we add more drama to this mix?
mud says
Dwight is a quite talented headcase.
PurpleBlood says
mud,
LOL!
AusPhil says
I don’t know if a camp invite IS out of the question for Beasley (although I would imagine there would be other teams willing to offer him something more than just an invite). I personally don’t mind the Henry signing. For this team, as it’s currently structured, an extra 6’6″ guy who can shoot and play some D is not a bad thing. Yes, we’d all like a really good stretch 4, and a bunch of other things, but so would every other team in the league, and we have a 2014 offseason goal of not having much on the books.
Within that framework, I can’t see a downside to Xavier Henry.
JeffT says
My solution for D’Antoni’s need for a stretch 4. Take your pick, Brian Cook or Vladimir Radmanovic. Neither could play defense, nor really do much other than sit on on the perimeter and shoot the three. Is this what the team is really looking for?
Keno says
Manny agree. Who needs brownies at half time.
Mid-Wilshire says
Really, folks. We should call a moratorium on the Beasley speculation. It’s not going to happen.
Warren Wee Lim says
The Lakers have a track record of reaching up to 18 players during training camp. Last couple of years we did it and cut the Greg Somogyis of the world after camp.
Xavier Henry is someone with size and can defend well enough. I think this move further confirms the moving of Steve Blake for a TPE soon.
Mid-Wilshire says
Warren,
You’re right. The Lakers are trying to see if they can find a gem in the rough.
All their recent signings have several interesting qualities in common. With the exception of Chris Kamen, they’re all 20-somethings (Xavier Henry is 22), they were all 1st-Round draft picks, they all had decent, and in some cases excellent, college careers (Henry scored 27 points as a Freshman in his first college game with Kansas and later went for 30+), some of them at least can defend, and they all seem to have something to prove. Not one (Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Wes Johnson, Shawne Williams, Xavier Henry) has reached his purported potential.
I also agree that Steve Blake appears to be on the bubble. The Lakers will probably keep him around until they see what kind of shape Kobe is in and then they’ll move him in February.
The bottom line is this. The Lakers are now suddenly younger, more athletic, and quicker. Whether this translates into wins or not is another matter. But regardless, this is going to be a very different Lakers team than the one we saw last year–especially the bench.
rr says
Henry is only 22, so of course he cannot be totally written off. But there is nothing in his performance record that indicates that he belongs in the NBA. He has been worse than Wesley Johnson; that is why he is on the market.
Warren Wee Lim says
The assessment of picking up leftover 20-somethings is correct. If you look at the trend, the Lakers are looking at guys who want to redeem themselves from previous blunders, failed expectations and unrealized potential. Since most of these guys were picked up on the minimum’s salary, then these are what we call the 0-risk-high-reward signings. If you’re someone who questions these signings, I really question how much you know.
Jordan Hill was the 8th overall pick in 2009. After disappointing in NY’s dark years, he fell to a coach that didn’t like his skillset as a PF and thought he didn’t have the quips to be a C. He was traded to Houston who was merely collecting assets and didn’t plan to use/play him. 2011 trade deadline came and we had just acquired Ramon Sessions, we needed to cut Derek Fisher’s 2012 salary off our books. So we traded Fisher plus a draft pick we got from Dallas (Lamar Odom trade) for Hill. Salary Dump + free trial on Hill. We ended up giving him a 2-yr deal that was part of his declined 4th rookie season rookie-scale salary. We got his 5th year or qualifying season this year.
Wesley Johnson was given up with much sooner. He was touted as the year’s 4th best rookie coming in. Stints in Minnesota and Phoenix, both perennial losers didn’t help his cause much. He was constantly in an uncertainty, they wanted him to be a star but he got injured. Bottom line, Wes Johnson has something to prove and this ragtag 2013 Lakers team might be his springboard to a rotation.
Xavier Henry had an interesting rookie year. He was selected in the lottery (12th) by Memphis in 2010 but refused to play for them. The reasons were not stated in public but all we know was that he was the last 1st round pick to sign that year. He hardly got the chance to show his skill, and was traded to New Orleans the year after. Interestingly enough, possibly due to the high number of players that NOH wants to develop, along with the semistars they have on their team now, Xavier’s 4th year option was declined. With sufficient ball-handling skills and decent size, he could be a gem that we could use as a finisher for a bolstered bench.
Redemption. Thats what the Lakers are about. Everyone wants to redeem something. But on top of that, we are also a team that are filled with motivated players that want to be here. No Dwight Howards. No there’s-a “bank-in-every-city” guys on board. We just have guys who want to prove something (Jordan Farmar, Jordan Hill, Wes Johnson) and ones that are willing to carry Kobe’s bags. That would be Swaggy P for you.
rr says
Henry has 1911 career minutes. Here are his career shooting numbers: FG% .403 FT% .624.
He is not a 3P threat, having taken only 45 in his career, making 13. He has 79 TOs and 66 AST. 10 is considered a replacement-level PER; Henry has never hit that mark, and was at 7.6 last year in 625 MP.
I am not saying that bringing guys like this in for training camp is a bad idea. But talking about his being a gem needs to be tempered by the reality of what he has actually done on the floor.
rr says
If you’re someone who questions these signings, I really question how much you know.
—
I have a reply to this stuck in mod, but it is the same thing from a couple of weeks ago: you are posting like you are a Lakers PR guy. There is nothing wrong with taking a flyer on Xavier Henry, but it is nothing to get excited about, either.
Craig W. says
Now I am going to turn the tables on you rr…
Nobody, least of all Warren, is saying we should be overly excited by all these guys. What Warren is saying is that these are low risk signings that have had previous potential and bad situations. Some of them probably won’t pan out, but if only a couple do, then – with what we start with on our team – we will have a pretty good club that will scrap for every win.
For most of us loyal Laker fans, that is what next year is all about – development and grit. Those that are bummed that there is very little likelyhood of an extended playoff run are welcome to their grumbling, but we are taking some chances and trying to see who we want to keep beyond 2013/14.
I for one am looking forward to a season of chemistry and finding out just what we have here.
Darius Soriano says
A new post is up.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2013/09/06/lakers-continue-to-chase-potential-sign-xavier-henry/
Anonymous says
Nobody, least of all Warren, is saying we should be overly excited by all these guys.
_______
My answer to this is very simple–Warren’s own words:
With sufficient ball-handling skills and decent size, he could be a gem that we could use as a finisher for a bolstered bench.
___
There is no evidence-none-that Henry can do anything in the NBA but be bad. Is it OK to hope? Sure. Darius just put up a whole post doing exactly that. But the analysis of these kinds of signings, along with the various narratives about chemistry, grit, potential, and redemption, should also also include some numbers, track records, and advanced metrics, which, if you recall, you said you were highly in favor of.