“I don’t see why we don’t contend for a playoff spot,” he said. “But our young players have to grow beyond their years and we have to stay healthy.”
From: GM Mitch Kupchak sees playoff potential in Lakers after offseason pickups
Before I focused solely on writing about the NBA, I worked in public relations. One of – if not the – top priorities was to temper clients’ expectations, which is exactly why I was slightly taken aback when Mitch Kupchak made his comments on the Lakers’ playoff hopes. Why go there?
When the Lakers’ summer league team went to Las Vegas, the talent on the team and these undo expectations informed what many thought would be a nice showing. The end result, however, was a summer league that, in many ways, played out like a microcosm of what we’ll probably see this season.
I was there for those first few games. The atmosphere in each of them was incredible, though I’m not sure it was worth the effect losing in front of those record-breaking crowds had on the players, many of whom not even old enough to partake in Las Vegas’ more notorious activities.
Here’s D’Angelo Russell after last night’s game, via NBCLA’s Shahan Ahmed:
Russell: "Lakers are not used to losing. When we lose, it's not like we let ourselves or the team down. We let the whole Laker nation down."
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) July 16, 2015
A group of kids shouldn’t bear this kind of pressure for a group of exhibition games with only a handful of practices together under their belts, yet, throughout social media, there were the #SummerLeagueChamps slogans weighing on every turnover, every missed shot.
Let’s compare this week’s activities to how this season will probably go.
Thanks to an overhaul of the roster centered on youth, fans lined up to watch the Lakers’ future play together for the first time ever. Jordan Clarkson had reportedly gotten stronger and improved his jumper – making him nearly unguardable in theory. Teammates raved about Julius Randle’s strength and the aforementioned Russell’s passing ability. Combine those guys with role players like Tarik Black and Jabari Brown and expectations reached a fever pitch despite these guys having only shared a court for roughly a week.
Thousands flocked to UNLV’s Thomas & Mack arena to watch their team compete for the most worthless of titles. When they failed to do so, boos even rained down from the rafters. Yeah, that’s great for confidence.
Because the team struggled so mightily in terms of wins and losses, however, it became too easy to ignore the development they displayed from Friday to last night. The summer league title means a exponentially less than these kids’ development. This should go without saying, but alas, Lakers.
Now, let’s predict the narrative surrounding the start to the regular season.
Heading into training camp, we’ll hear plenty from practice and workouts how players have “added muscle” or “improved on their jumper” which will get the conversation around the team going. Then, as training camp rolls on, the reports of how veteran teammates are impressed by the young guys’ progress will really get fans going. Right before the season, we’ll probably hear talk of playoffs again, overlooking how nearly half the starting five partook and couldn’t scratch a .500 record in Vegas only months prior.
Sound familiar? I’ll go out on a limb and predict a slow start and some irritated fans to go with it. I repeat, however: wins and losses this season come a distant second in terms of priorities to overall development. In other words, I’d much rather watch the team struggle early and hit some kind of stride midway and later into the season compared to watching the team slug out a 35-40-win season where the team plays at relatively the same level all year. There’s a difference between the two.
Which brings me back to my point, and it’s something I’ve written before: we have to make a more concerted effort to temper our expectations consistently. Optimism if fun, and much of what drives conversations about sports nowadays comes from the unknown of player movement. This issue with the unknown is, fairly obviously, we have no idea about it. So, why let what we don’t know get in the way of enjoying what we’re watching?
The summer league in Vegas was a blast and it’s something I’ll never forget. We got to watch firsthand as the foundation upon which the Lakers hope to rebuild was introduced to everyone. Could they have played better? Sure. Should that cast a shadow on the flashes they showed? Not even close. So, now that we’ve experienced what hype can do to our perception of actual performance, use caution as we prepare for the season.
tim says
Kobe could not dribble the ball for 5 seconds the entire rookie year without dribbling off his own foot! Let’s gain some perspective and accept the reality that Kobe needed time to develop and all our rooks need time also. This is the normal process all NBA players with the exception of The Magic Man who dominated the league from day one!
sipy says
“Before I focused solely on writing about the NBA, I worked in public relations. One of – if not the – top priorities was to temper clients’ expectations, which is exactly why I was slightly taken aback when Mitch Kupchak made his comments on the Lakers’ playoff hopes. Why go there?”
Because tempering expectations is just one facet of PR, but not the be-all, end-all. As the GM of the most successful franchise of the NBA, a franchise that believes not winning a championship is a wasted year, much less not making the playoffs altogether, “lowering expectations” by saying the Lakers will be lucky to make the playoffs (even if completely true) is akin to admitting mediocrity is now acceptable and to be expected in Lakerland.
Even if all signs point to another lottery bound year, it’s a testament to the Lakers brand that the owners and all senior executives expect nothing but the very best and won’t settle for less, even at the risk of sounding silly. Another way to put it, it’s actually a worse PR move for the Lakers GM to admit the team is gonna stink because it would further anger the fan base and ownership; basically, even if the Lakers are going to suck, they’re going to suck with guns blazing so to speak. Moreover, Mitch would actually be risking his own job setting the bar so low for himself and for the franchise.
Oldtimer says
As Laker fans, we have to be optimistic as the season begins, it is 0 wins and 0 losses. IMO, we have improved a little bit than our players last season and the season before that. I wished we could have retained Davis and Ellington who contributed something to rebuilding, then back to square one again. Previous to that season, I wished we retained some Dantoni’s players like Meeks and Bazemore who were important players based on positions but went on other direction and back to square one. I looked at rebuilding as block by block; player by player not complete overhaul on anything that doesn’t work. We are now in Season three, so far only Kobe is the remaining player of the past while Kelly, Sacre and Young are the residuals of the past that need to show some attention and maturity as Lakers than be a forever trade bait players. Our new Vets: Hibbert, Williams and Bass are a ray of hope, The second year draft picks: Randle, Clarkson, J. Brown (d’league) and Black (from trade) are semi finished products, some are ready to start, one still on rehab and the other is still developing. This year’s draft picks: Russell, Nance, A. Brown and Upshaw, these are our baby rooks than need love, care and tender attention. They are fun to watch but could not really help the team or the family. Putting it in a different analogy, put them first in a baby car seat with ample protection before giving them the free will. Gradually, it has to be supervised but they look very promising than other draft picks before. This is the season I want to be hopeful yet be realistic on what happens in every game. Call a spade, a spade and tell it like it is. I would not even bother to hope for Kobe’s rejuvenation, he is a retiring player, just be happy for what he has contributed to the Lakers. Let’s go Lakers, we will judge you accordingly based on performance not from the opinion of spin masters.
14:1 says
Nice piece. Spot on. I admit I can get overexcited but I know that it’s going to be a long journey back to contention and I’m ok with it. I just want to watch the team grow and enjoy the journey.
R says
Regarding Mitch’s comments about the Lakers contending for a playoff spot: I hadn’t heard they were moving down to the D league.
sipy says
Also, I’d like to add Mitch qualified his statements threefold: (1) “I don’t see why we don’t” is a much weaker statement than “I think/believe we will”; (2) “contend for” implies that the Lakers would be in the hunt for the 8th seed as the 9th-11th team in the West, as opposed to a stronger statement such as “I don’t see why we don’t make the playoffs”; and (3) “But our young players have to grow beyond their years and we have to stay healthy” adds huge conditions to the year, essentially qualifying the entire statement with a “if all things fall in our favor”.
In sum, Mitch basically said “In the very best case scenario, where all of our young players make improve significantly and all of our older veterans, including Kobe, stay completely healthy, then I don’t see why we wouldn’t possibly contend for the 8th seed.”
Looking back on it now, I don’t think Mitch set the bar very high at all, and he may very well have “tempered expectations”, contrary to the article’s assertions.
Mid-Wilshire says
I expect (as I said last year before all the injuries hit) that this could be the tale of two seasons, especially with the Lakers’ young players waiting in the wings. In fact, I expect that the Lakers could have two different starting line ups: one on day one and another very different starting line up at the midway point.
The first line up will consist, I think, entirely of veterans. I say this for two reasons: 1) several of the rookies may simply not be ready to start and 2) Byron Scott strikes me as a coach who may not like to start rookies (unless your name is Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan). This, then, is the initial starting line up that I would predict for the season opener (based upon those 2 elements):
PG — Jordan Clarkson (age: 23)
SG — Lou Williams (28)
SF — Kobe Bryant (37)
PF — Brendan Bass (30)
C — Roy Hibbert (29)
Average age: 29.4
If, however, several key young players develop and mature, the starting line up after the All Star Game could be the following:
PG — D’Angelo Russell (20 years old on February 23)
SG — Jordan Clarkson (23)
SF — Kobe Bryant (37)
PF — Julius Randle (21)
C — Roy Hibbert (29)
Average age: 26.0
This would accomplish several things. 1) It would give our rookies a chance to mature and develop. 2) It would keep our young players from accruing too many psychological scars by jumping into the deep waters of NBA competition prematurely. 3) It would enable us to capitalize on our veteran presence and leadership, thus (hopefully) minimizing the chances of a disastrous start to the season. 4) It would give our young players a chance to enter the fray of NBA playing time at a time that makes sense for them (as was the case last year with Jordan Clarkson).
Even so, I think that this next year (speaking of governing our expectations) could be a longish one. If we win, say, 32 games, that would be an improvement of 11 games over last year and, frankly, not to be sneered at. Anything more than that, I personally would be ecstatic with.
There will be major questions to be answered, of course. 1) With all these new players, what kind of chemistry will they develop? 2) How will Jordan Clarkson perform on a team full of veteran players? 3) How will Julius Randle develop this year? 4) How will D’Angelo Russell develop? 5) Will there be anyone who will surprise us (pleasantly)? Jabari Brown? Tarik Black? Larry Nance, Jr.? 6) How will Hibbert perform in a contract year and will his rim-protection raise the Lakers anemic defense to another level?
It may take at least half-a-year to answer these questions. Once we do have those answers, we’ll have a better idea as to the Lakers long-term future and their potential for getting back to relevance in our life times.
Right now, though, it’s simply too early to tell exactly how this season will pan out. But my expectations, as stated above, would be about 32 wins for next year. I would not be displeased with that (although I would hope for much more). We shall see what happens.
Craig W. says
As fans, how about we agree to make our comments about the players and coaches, leaving the front office out of our comments. All of us know, or think we know, where each other stands on our front office. That won’t change. Therefore, how about we make this a Laker team basketball blog for much of the time.
I am not looking to give any protection, just some relief and emphasis on the team as it stands and its progress or lack of it.
TheNumberOfFlopsIsTooDamnHigh says
Hey Anthony,
beautifully argued. I would agree wholeheartedly, if there was not this problem:
Ignoring the win/loss column this season may be favoring the development of our young talent. However, another 25 win season is going to deter any meaningful free agents from signing with us next summer. And the plan was to free enough cap space to lure 2 max agents. And wasn’t the next free agent class supposed to be our main focus, the big price to get?
And to think your proposal through: say our rookies get starter minutes right out of the gate and are able to find their stride towards the end of the season, after mightily stinking up (and loosing a majority of) the first 50 games?
Where will that put us in the 2016 season without any free agents who will want to join a bottom dweller in the ever so competitive western conference?
I don’t think this strategy is the best way to go.
Jerke says
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/238782/Jordan-Clarkson-DAngelo-Russell-To-Work-Out-With-Steve-Nash
Brian P. says
Craig W.,
I said something similar a few posts back and completely agree. More basketball talk and less FO talk.
Anthony Irwin,
Glad you joined the ForumBlue&Gold team, enjoy reading your stuff.
Keep up the good work!
rr says
Kupchak: I was a little surprised by Mitch’s comments, in that I would have expected a non-answer, like “We just want to focus on blending all the new players and developing our young talent, and we’ll see what happens” or whatever. So, I would guess there was a reason for his choice to say what he did.
Russell/Mudiay/Okafor: I made my preferences known pre-draft, (and I would not have taken Nance at 27, either) as many here did, but this isn’t something like the Young contract or bringing in Jason Kapono. There is a lot of guesswork in drafting, and the FO met these guys, worked them out, has access to a lot of video, etc. So we will just have to wait and see and hope things work out. There are certainly many things to like about D’Angelo Russell.
Expectations: Like I said a few days ago, the Lakers are starting the rebuild; they are not in the middle of it, and the pressure on Russell and Randle will be enormous. I want to see 25-30 games before I start making judgments.
I do think that unless Russell and Randle come on really strong in camp, that they will both open play coming off the bench. BB and Hibbert are guys who would seem to fit with what Byron likes. So I think there is a good chance the Opening Night lineup is Clarkson/Kobe/Young/BB/Hibbert.
Michael says
rr
When you had mentioned Hibbert as being a guy who would fit into Byron´s system, a light bulb went off in my head. Since the Princeton system requires the center position to pass to cutting players, how does Hibbert´s passing fare? Is he turn-over prone?
Xavier says
Mitch also said a trade midway through a season can change a below-average team to a contender (Gasol-style) in the same interview…
rr says
As fans, how about we agree to make our comments about the players and coaches, leaving the front office out of our comments. All of us know, or think we know, where each other stands on our front office.
—
Sure, but following this logic, I can think of many posters who should immediately stop talking about Byron and more than a few who should stop talking about Kobe.
reed says
I think Randle needs to have a much better attitude when things are not going good. There are two many times when he is in his feelings and his defense and rebounding suffer. Great players play with a steady nest. The only way you could tell their having a bad game is by looking in the box score. Randle all you have to do is look at him. This will stop him from reaching his potential.
R says
Or people can always skip over the posts/posters they don’t like.
Vasheed says
@Irwin,
“I don’t see why we don’t contend for a playoff spot,” he said. “But our young players have to grow beyond their years and we have to stay healthy.”
I would say he qualified his statement of play-off contention with the 2nd part of that statement. With that qualifier I consider it a reasonable expectation. So far that qualifier has not been met but we are still in preseason.
J C says
I simply view Mitch’s ‘I don’t see why we can’t contend for a playoff spot’ as putting a positive PR spin on, ‘I don’t know – anything’ possible!’
Had he said, ‘Playoffs? I doubt it!’ That would have sounded much worse.
If Russell’s upside eventually surfaces and he surpasses Okafor in value, it’s gonna take awhile.
Everyone knew Okafor’s game was more NBA-ready but the wait may be painful. Hope we didn’t whiff on this pick.
My take on Randle: he tends to seek contact first and then launch his shot. My advice would be to take the easier shot, like the 14-footer he’s passing up, instead of the more difficult/guarded off-balance 8-footer. He’s a big question mark to me. I still see Zack Randolph comparisons as being more realistic than Odom.
In the meantime, here’s hoping Kobe, Clarkson, Hibbert, Bass and Lou Williams can win a few games.
reed says
playoffs!, playoffs! no way in hell. y’all drink to much kool-aide in california. I am a huge laker fan but they don’t have the talent to win in the west. We will be much better this year but no way we make the playoffs!
Craig W. says
rr,
Sure, but you – meaning I – can’t have everything.
Patrick Lanigan says
I, too, question the idea that the Lakers will compete for a playoff spot this year. However, let’s be honest about what Mitch said. Not only were his comments more nuanced than what is suggested here, he was not saying that the summer league roster would compete for a playoff spot–he was talking about a team that will include Kobe, Williams, Hibbert, Bass, and Young.
It’s not as if any team’s summer league roster gives a good sense of that team’s playoff chances, and if the young guys can’t handle the pressure of elevated expectations, we’ve got a lot bigger problems than the PR savvy of the GM.
Oldtimer says
rr,
True, stop talking about Kobe.
Stop talking about Byron
Stop talking about FO
Very soon, stop talking about rookies mistakes
Skip the posters that you don’t like
Don’t disagree with the blog article
What can we discuss in this forum? What is wrong of being honest to one’s opinion? Are we not free to express ourselves?
Just asking, not questioning the rules of this site.
Todd says
@sipy: Even if all signs point to another lottery bound year, it’s a testament to the Lakers brand that the owners and all senior executives expect nothing but the very best and won’t settle for less, even at the risk of sounding silly.
__
Or, a testament to the fact that our owners and executives are struggling with reality. We have, after all, lost 116 games these past two years. The NBA is very much a crawl, walk then run league. The Warriors are a case in point — they were in year six of the Curry era before hoisting the trophy.
I’m not overly bent out of shape over Mitch’s comments. He was asked a question and answered it. The better response would have been along the lines of what rr said. A vague answer about, ‘our goal is always to win a championship and we believe we are building towards that objective.’ But Mitch’s comments weren’t as bad as if he just said that we were a playoff team in the middle of an interview without the prompting of a question.
In my mind, we have reached bottom. How long we stay here depends upon the development of the youngsters and the general health of the team. We are primed to have a better year than last as we actually have a young core to work with. But our veterans are just average and the NBA provides little margin for error so the odds of us making great strides is small. Crawl, walk then run.
Who knows what the future holds – at this point it looks like we are more likely to have to develop an elite player from the Randle, Russell and Clarkson group then attract one through free agency. I’m OK with that but we all have to accept the fact that this is going to be a long process.
We do have some headwinds as two of the next three first round picks are owed to other teams. Plus the NBA has suddenly shifted to a biological clock league with stars, suddenly aware of their career mortality, looking for readymade championship opportunities. So this past summer may be par for the course for the next few seasons – we simply don’t have the gravitational talent to pull in an elite free agent.
Crawl, walk then run.
Lawrence says
“Before I focused solely on writing about the NBA, I worked in public relations. One of – if not the – top priorities was to temper clients’ expectations, which is exactly why I was slightly taken aback when Mitch Kupchak made his comments on the Lakers’ playoff hopes. Why go there?”
PR vs. Sales and Marketing aren’t the same thing, are they? Bottom line, the Lakers need to sell tickets to remain in business. Do you think they are going to sell tickets with these tempered expectation that you describe?
reed says
I think Mitch does a great job. It is going to take time and hopefully we get lucky on some of the young guys. If they don’t pan out, we will be the clippers. I just don’t see all of these young guys a bust. Only time will tell but I am a laker fan for life and will alway be one. Go Lakers!!!
R says
I am greatful that Darius has such a deft hand at allowing people to express themselves while at the same time curbing over the top silliness. I think the only times I’ve found it painful to be here was when a certain. poster went on an on about how terrible D Fisher was. I started skipping over his posts for a while and that helped me quite a bit!
R says
I’m not familiar with Hibberts game — isn’t he rather foul prone?
Anonymous says
Thank goodness Summer League doesn’t matter. From ESPN’s Kevin Pelton:
Most Disappointing Rookie: D’Angelo Russell | L.A. Lakers
It’s easy to overreact to Russell’s rough week in Las Vegas, especially with Mudiay playing better than expected. Resist that temptation. Russell is too good a shooter to continue making 7.7 percent of his 3-point attempts, having shot 41 percent from the NCAA line last season. And many of Russell’s 5.8 turnovers per game are the result of his ability to see a play being ahead of his ability to execute it. Still, more was reasonably expected of the No. 2 pick than we’ve seen thus far.
Most Disappointing Veteran: Julius Randle | L.A. Lakers
Given he missed the balance of his rookie season with a fractured tibia suffered on opening night, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that Randle has looked more like a first-year player acclimating to the league than a confident veteran. Still, his difficulty finishing in the half-court offense (he’s shooting 39.3 percent) and middling rebounding (11 in 61 minutes, 6.5 per 36) have been disappointing for a Lakers team counting on Randle to step up this season.
Mid-Wilshire says
Here’s a link to an interesting article on the possibility that tall point guards could be the way of the future. The Lakers, of course, now have 2 of them:
http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2015/7/17/8985157/deaaron-fox-troy-brown-recruiting-duke-kansas-kentucky
Joel says
@Todd: The NBA is very much a crawl, walk then run league. The Warriors are a case in point — they were in year six of the Curry era before hoisting the trophy.
___
So we’ll schedule the next Lakers’ Championship parade for June of 2021.
Baylor Fan says
Hibbert is not foul prone. He does a good job of patrolling the lane and cleaning up other player’s mistakes on defense. He knows how to go straight up on blocks so he does not foul. For whatever reason, he has not been motivated to play at a high level the last two seasons. Hopefully, the change of scenery will help with that.
Ed says
Also not that familiar with Hibbert. I do know that by hiring a well known trainer and working with KAJ he`s making an effort in his contract year. I still have more optimism about the younger players(good potential,not great) than about the coaching staff and front office,except for Mitch. Beyond W&L,we all want to see a team that plays hard and smart,something we haven`t seen on a consistent basis the last few years.
Oldtimer says
Don’t forget to watch the game today at 3:30 pm against Utah Jazz
http://www.nba.com/lakers/?tmd=1
Hale says
Too bad Pelton is disappointed. No one really wants to disappoint Kevin, if they know what’s good for them.
The long haul is where the team is. Their level of recognition as to how to go about that journey will always be in question until they get there and even then there will be complaints.
Byron’s Nets and Hornets time has faded from recall. I’m curious to how pure the Princeton offense was with Kidd and Paul. Anyone recall?
Darius Soriano says
“So we’ll schedule the next Lakers’ Championship parade for June of 2021.”
It’s hard to infer tone on the internet sometimes and with this just being a single sentence, I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or not.
I’ll say, though, that considering the Lakers won back to back titles in 2009 & 2010, getting back and winning again in 2021 would be a hell of an accomplishment and I’d be thrilled if that happened. When the Lakers won back to back titles in 1987 & 1988, they next won a title in June of 2000 — or 12 years later.
Winning a title is damn hard. Fans who take this for granted…well, I’ll keep it to myself what I think of them. But it’s not positive.
Joel says
@ Darius: It’s hard to infer tone on the internet sometimes and with this just being a single sentence, I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or not.
__
When I first wrote the line I was being a little sarcastic. Then after it posted I realized that it sounded about right.
Losing two of the next three first round picks will delay our acquisition of young cost controlled talent. Combining this with the fact that our young core is nowhere near the critical mass needed to make the Lakers attractive to an elite FA. The sum of those two facts leads you to see that the Lakers might not really turn the ‘competitive’ corner for 3 or so years.
Then once you assemble a team capable of challenging you figure you need a few years to learn how to win in the playoffs. Before you know it we could very well be looking at a six year journey.
Darius Soriano says
Joel,
I think my bigger point is a “6 year journey” would be amazing if it actually led to a championship, but your comment sort of nonchalantly states it as a ho-hum sort of thing. Fans — and this doesn’t mean you, Joel — too often seem to think that winning is the Lakers’ birthright just because they’ve won before. That because they’ve had this success in the past, that they expect to have it in the future. This always baffles me.
rr says
Michael,
I should have made my point more clearly. I didn’t mean that Hibbert is an especially good fit with the Princeton. I meant that he, as well as BB, fit Byron’s “Old-School” approach to things. Hibbert is a traditional 5 and Bass, although he does have a mid-range game, is a traditional 4. Lou Williams, in a way, fits this also, since the instant-offense off-the-bench combo guard goes back a long way in the NBA.
Keno says
Good example of your birthright comment is Dodgers. 27 years of no WS after years of winning and the highest payroll $270 mil and nothing. Yet I am still watching. Gues that means lots more years of wishing and hoping as Lakers fans is possible.
Oldtimer says
Lakers would like to aim for Championship every season, why not?
When the Lakers transitioned from Rambis to Phil Jackson in 2000 season, did the Lakers expect to win the Championship at the start of 1999-00? When Kobe ranted in 2007 and infused new players: Fisher, Gasol and Ariza, did they envision to compete for Finals for three consecutive seasons?
How do Dallas Cowboys perceived themselves being the America’s team in NFL, fans always look for their team as Championship contender, same with NY Yankees. If they are not playing in October, it is failure.
Lakers owners and FO charged hefty prices on tickets, on any Lakers paraphernalia, always brag themselves as owner of 17 O’Brien trophies. Therefore, fans just repeat what they hear from them. How come fans don’t have the right to expect something in return? Are we in a fleecing business that fans get the smallest piece of the pie in anything that is Lakers? Indeed, expectation is an undue pressure to obtain parity – “we pay more, you get more therefore we expect more also from results”.
Keno says
Good point Old. Bet if ticket prices were connected to ticket and parking prices FO change would happen faster?
R says
Darius is right of course. Winning a championship is like catching lightening in a bottle. It’s one reason I doubt the Warriors repeat next year.
We Lakers fans are spoiled – me too!
RichardH says
You guys have made some great points but you still did not talk 2015 -16 season which has to be played. We have the core of the team and we know the core of the oppositions, we still have to prepare strategies to beat them 2 to 3 times for the season. Should we just throw a line up out each game since from what you all say we are not ready for the big time. I say with the talent we have, few injuries, we will challenge for the championship this year.
Look at the team it is designed to play the warriors……russell, Clarkson vs Thompson, curry the have no-one to match hibbert, no-one to match kobe we have the 6th man of the year in the whole nba. We just need consistency from from the rest of the players bass, nance, swaggy, shaw………THE LAKERS HAS A VERY GOOD TEAM on paper people……you will be surprised at the results this year we are going for the top.
RichardH says
options #1 kobe #2 randle #3 hibbert #4 the guards…
Michael says
I scoured the net for information on Hibbert, what the Indy fans think of him as well as how he plays. The fans mentioned he is a bit slow, performances are inconsistent, especially offensively speaking, energy issues. What I had watched in his video clips was this: he´s more so a finesse player with hooks on both sides – favors the lefty hook, has a nice mid-range jumper, and patrols the paint expediently.
Anthony Gouche' says
I certainly think that the Lakers Summer League team had a chance to impress and to win more games, but the reality is that they were not coached well, thus, not put into the position to showcase all the things they do well. What kind of offense were they running? Everyone was standing on the perimeter, one person would get the ball and try to penetrate and kick the ball out if guarded. Some high pick and roll, but other than that, very little motion. When there was motion, Russell found them. Young players need to be developed…I sure hope Byron Scott does that.