Lakers 2014 Off-Season Thread

[lakersrule]

He needs to quit being timid, imo. He is so quick and athletically gifted, but he looked like he was playing scared a lot last season. He'd get to the hoop and when challenged, instead of trying to throw down on the guy, he'd try to lay it in, would miss the shot and not even get a foul.

If he learned nothing else from working out with Kobe, I hope he learned to be more aggressive.

That's the problem. I don't know if he's scared of getting injured or what, but yeah he should be throwing it down on the defenders at the rim. He should be shutting down the opponent's top wing player and throwing ferocious dunks down on the competition. The athleticism is world class. Release the Kraken, Wes!!!

 

[lakersrule]

Apparently, Byron Scott is looking for Swaggy P to be in the running for 6th man of the year:

Kobe called him a really, really big piece of the team. He's been working hard. He should be in the best shape of his life starting the season. He'll need to be a sixth man of the year candidate for the Lakers to be successful.

Speaking of Kobe, he's looking good in the practice videos I'm seeing. He's getting up a little higher on that jumpshot than I thought he would be able to. I'm not really concerned about the health. He looks good and can't tell the media enough that he feels fine.

This is from yesterday's practice:

Lakers 5-On-5 Scrimmage Footage: Kobe, Nash, Nick Young Trash Talk - YouTube

 

[Retroram52]

They look way more sharp than last year. Their D looks way better as well.

 

[lakersrule]

Swaggy P jammed his right thumb going for a steal against Kobe. He's getting a MRI. That's the hand he uses to get buckets!


Also, looks like Kobe was running sprints at the end of practice today. Another positive sign.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Hopefully the MRI will show just a mild sprain. With a bit of luck it might mean he just misses the preseason game on monday.

 

[lakersrule]

Hopefully the MRI will show just a mild sprain. With a bit of luck it might mean he just misses the preseason game on monday.

Yeah, it should only be a few days if it's a sprain. Could be weeks if there is a tear. Apparently it happened yesterday, not today. We should know the results of the MRI soon then.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

I like this too

 

[lakersrule]

Kobe commuting via his helicopter today. Beats crawling on the 405 on a Friday afternoon!

 

[Retroram52]

Yea the Lakers need this type of discipline because it'll breed the type of success they are all looking for along with the fans. Scott is teaching mental discipline and defense which is another positive. I know it will translate into wins because they will not be mentally lazy the way they have been for at least the last three years. Scott is taking them back to the time they had to earn their championships not just rely on the fantasy that teams will lay down just because they have the Lakers logo on their chests!

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Young out 6-8 weeks now

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

And the injuries have started.

 

[Malibu]

Young out 6-8 weeks now

This blows. Need a healthy Swaggy P. Just saying.

 

[Retroram52]

Freakin' injury bug. I don't when we are going extricate ourselves from this but we have to break through or we are doomed.

 

[lakersrule]

That sucks. Should miss a dozen or so regular games. They need a health Swaggy producing off the bench to make any noise this season.

Wes will have to play more minutes at the 3. Kobe will have to get some PT there as well. With Xavier still coming back from injuries, the Lakers will be a little thin at the 3 to start things off. Lin was getting some time there in yesterday's practice. Could be some small lineups early. Wes really needs to step up this season.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Could be a great opportunity for Clarkson to get some minutes though. I'm eager to see what this guy can do in a real NBA game.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Could be a great opportunity for Clarkson to get some minutes though. I'm eager to see what this guy can do in a real NBA game.

The kid got skills.

 

[Retroram52]

I was watching NBA Camp on the NBA channel on my cable package and they featured Rggie Miller and Rick Fox analyzing a live practice. To a man, they all have stated this has been the toughest training camp they have experienced including Kobe and Nash both who were interviewed. Scott is bringing a conditioning and mental toughness that Kobe and Nash both reiterated has been missing the past three or four years and everyone has no question who is in charge. This is a very good sign and Scott was stating that he is not settling for the 40 wins as many are predicting but he wants more. Everyone is buying in and this looks radically different than in past years. Perhaps this will translate into something nobody is expecting!

 

[Kold]

To be honest, as far as the nba is concerned, the main thing I want to see is 1.) can Kobe do it and 2.) Will this team be willing to just play hard. Its strange, I don't care about the Cavs big 3, the wide open east, Durant, the spurs or anything else. Even though we dont have a chance, I'm just interested in Laker things only. Oh and I don't know if u guys have seen the 2 vines of Kobe in practice, but the biggest thing I got out of em is that Kobe is definitely in shape this year. He looked like himself weight wise as opposed to looking WAY overweight last yr

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

To be honest, as far as the nba is concerned, the main thing I want to see is 1.) can Kobe do it and 2.) Will this team be willing to just play hard. Its strange, I don't care about the Cavs big 3, the wide open east, Durant, the spurs or anything else. Even though we dont have a chance, I'm just interested in Laker things only. Oh and I don't know if u guys have seen the 2 vines of Kobe in practice, but the biggest thing I got out of em is that Kobe is definitely in shape this year. He looked like himself weight wise as opposed to looking WAY overweight last yr

Why not?

I can see why we never stood a chance last year. Bad coach, No D, No Kobe.

That changed!

 

[Retroram52]

If we can stay healthy, our chances have increased since Scott took over. This is a different ballclub on a lot of levels that reminds me of when Riley took over way back when.