2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers

[shopson67]

Russell may never get the trust of his Laker teammates back. He's a kid & did something that was very childish. He really needs a new start, I suggest the Lakers trade Russell to the Celtics for as little as possible.

Russell isn't going to get most of his Lakers' teammates back, including their trust. The only ones that matter are Clarkson, Randle, and Nance.

 

[Wamu]

Russell isn't going to get most of his Lakers' teammates back, including their trust. The only ones that matter are Clarkson, Randle, and Nance.

He sure did a really stupid thing.

 

[Retroram52]

If the Lakers get rid of Young, that will help, but there is some truth that trust issues may take longer to heal. What will change things is if Russell starts playing like say Steph Curry and the team becomes a force again in the league. Winning cures a lot in pro sports!

 

[shopson67]

He sure did a really stupid thing.

He's a kid, it's expected (especially if you hang around Nick Young)

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

What a bunch of over-hyped bullshit this whole Russell saga is. Are we seriously going to chastise a 19 year old kid for having a bit of stupid fun on a smartphone?

It was a stupid thing to do but the media is making it sound like D'Angelo fucked Izzy while Swaggy was tied to a chair and was forced to watch.

By the summer nobody will remember this.

 

[Retroram52]

Of course Shaqdaddy. The media has to hype this to no end. Tim Legler had to get involved and stated that NOBODY now wants to play with Russell. Really? Where does he get that shit? Are NBA players that fragile? According to Legler, they are. What a dweeb.

 

[trojanfan12]

First of all, there is only one place that Russell's teammates need to trust him and that is on the basketball court. Whether they ever trust him off the court again, doesn't mean a thing.

I mean, does anyone think Kobe and Shaq trusted each other off the court? Yet somehow, they managed to win 3 championships together.

Second, is Russell getting his teammates trust back going to happen right away? Of course not and it shouldn't. They need to make sure the lesson is well learned. Russell seems to understand this. He said that he knows he has to earn the trust of not only his current teammates, but any future one's as well.

So far, he's saying all of the right things. That's the first step.

 

[wildturkey]

FWIW, you don't need the kind of trust people are talking about here to play basketball. The only kind of trust they need is the kind that says "this guy is going to be in this spot at this specific time just like we practiced". Off the court, you don't have to like or hang out with guys to be on a team with them. Most NBA teams don't hang out with each other all the time anyway. They'll be little groups of friends within the 12 to 15 man roster, sure, but its just as common to have guys that don't interact at all except when they show up to work. That's why the media says its rare when they report that the Warriors do everything together because it is.

 

[trojanfan12]

FWIW, you don't need the kind of trust people are talking about here to play basketball. The only kind of trust they need is the kind that says "this guy is going to be in this spot at this specific time just like we practiced". Off the court, you don't have to like or hang out with guys to be on a team with them. Most NBA teams don't hang out with each other all the time anyway. They'll be little groups of friends within the 12 to 15 man roster, sure, but its just as common to have guys that don't interact at all except when they show up to work. That's why the media says its rare when they report that the Warriors do everything together because it is.

In many cases, guys are better friends with guys on other teams than they are with guys on their own team. Heck, look at Kobe. 3 of his closest friends in the league are said to be 'Melo, D-Wade and Pau. Of those 3, Pau is the only one who has ever been a Laker. About the only current Lakers teammate that I could see Kobe hanging with off the court is maaaaybe MWP and that would just be because they're both old guys and they won a ring together.

 

[lasportzphan]

The Jim Buss Era:

Russell, though, said he wouldn't back down if teammates physically confronted him.

"I would get physical back," he said. "It's a point where you try to solve it the right way with words, but if we're at the point where there's a sign of disrespect or violence is involved, sometimes you have to let people feel you and let people know, if you disrespect this guy, you know you have to bring it.

Wow. I mean, wow. He 's not going to turn the other cheek? Not going to note that violence is not the resolution? Wow. Was this kid properly vetted? This organization is like the twilight zone.

The Jim Buss Era: We CAN get lower.

 

[trojanfan12]

The Jim Buss Era:

Russell, though, said he wouldn't back down if teammates physically confronted him.

"I would get physical back," he said. "It's a point where you try to solve it the right way with words, but if we're at the point where there's a sign of disrespect or violence is involved, sometimes you have to let people feel you and let people know, if you disrespect this guy, you know you have to bring it.

Wow. I mean, wow. He 's not going to turn the other cheek? Not going to note that violence is not the resolution? Wow. Was this kid properly vetted? This organization is like the twilight zone.

The Jim Buss Era: We CAN get lower.

So, because he'll protect himself, he wasn't properly vetted?

 

[lasportzphan]

So, because he'll protect himself, he wasn't properly vetted?

You can spin all you want, but it was an ignorant statement, even for a 20 year old. Why not say:

Hey, I respect my teammates and with that respect I believe they are above physically assaulting me.

Or

Physical provocation on anyone's behalf is not going to resolve the matter.

To even entertain the subject matter of physical retribution is ignorant considering the subject matter.

So yes. I would think they could have drafted a kid with better sense. So far he comes off like an asshole.

 

[trojanfan12]

You can spin all you want, but it was an ignorant statement, even for a 20 year old. Why not say:

Hey, I respect my teammates and with that respect I believe they are above physically assaulting me.

Or

Physical provocation on anyone's behalf is not going to resolve the matter.

To even entertain the subject matter of physical retribution is ignorant considering the subject matter.

So yes. I would think they could have drafted a kid with better sense. So far he comes off like an asshole.

He was asked what if it got violent? He said that they're trying to work everything out the right way by using words, but if he had to, he'd defend himself. Nothing wrong with that. He hasn't come like an asshole at all and pretty much everyone who has seen him talk about it, has said that he seems genuinely upset with himself for what happened and that they believe there was no malicious intent on his part.

According to reports, he and Nick Young are at least trying to find a way to move past this and at least co-exist. Everyone else should probably do the same.

 

[tomodach10]

Thon Maker anyone???

 

[trojanfan12]

The wife went through my part of the closet recently and I saw that I still have a Luuuuke t-shirt (she had put it in the pile of my clothes that were to be thrown out). I rescued the shirt and am now considering wearing it every single day until the Lakers fire Byron and hire Luke.

 

[Retroram52]

The media is definitely hammering B. Scott. The latest article I read berated B. Scott for not understanding the real situation with Kobe and then making some really silly statements. I am not sure what the point of the article was but B. Scott's tenure has definitely run its course I believe.

 

[trojanfan12]

The media is definitely hammering B. Scott. The latest article I read berated B. Scott for not understanding the real situation with Kobe and then making some really silly statements. I am not sure what the point of the article was but B. Scott's tenure has definitely run its course I believe.

Yeah, saw that. As I've said before, whether one thinks Byron actually deserves to be fired or not, the fact is that there is so much negativity about him from fans and the media, that I just don't see how they can keep him.

He hasn't exactly been given a fair shot, but he also hasn't really helped himself much either. Last year, he had a lineup that was barely above a D-League team and this year he had to try and balance developing the young guys with Kobe's farewell tour.

If we had at least seen the defensive improvement that he promised, there is probably a lot less negativity around him. It's not like anyone expected the Lakers to be contenders. But the main thing that he said the Lakers would do...play defense, just hasn't happened.

 

[Retroram52]

I agree TJF12. Just too much failure-to-promises ratio that is garnering all this negativity now reaching fever pitch. I suspect, the Lakers are quietly exploring their HC options and I'd like to believe Luke and Thibs are in their conversation.

 

[lakersrule]

At least Byron finally admitted that his communication with the youth was lacking.

 

[lakersrule]

Four more games left. Staples was rocking last night. Fun seeing him smile on the bench as the crowd was roaring for him. Wednesday night is going to be loud.