Lakers 2014 Off-Season Thread

[trojanfan12]

And the injuries have started.

Probably D'Antoni's fault.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Probably D'Antoni's fault.

The rat bastard!!!

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

That being said re: the injuries, I like the fact Scott is so high on conditioning. A few of the injuries we had last year was because the players just weren't fit enough. They got fatigued halfway through games and their bodies broke down because of it.

Get the conditioning done and players will be going 40+ minutes without any serious issues.

 

[trojanfan12]

Loving what Scott is doing. Even being hurt, doesn't get you out of conditioning. Apparently, Swaggy P thought that he'd have the day off and just be getting treatment. From an article this morning:

But the first-year Lakers coach sent a very clear message. "Byron don't play that (way)," Kobe Bryant said.

Byron made him participate in the conditioning part of practice:

Young showed up Saturday morning and said that he expected to receive treatment from the team's medical staff. "I thought I had the day off today," he said, "but they called me in and made me do the whole conditioning part."

Byron on having Young participate in conditioning:

"As far as I know," Scott said, "when you hurt your hand, your feet are still OK and your legs are, too. So he could still do all the stuff we do conditioning-wise, that doesn't have anything to do with a basketball in his hands."

Kobe seems on board with it too. He said that maintaining his fitness while recovering from surgery would be the key to quickly returning to the form that made him the Lakers leading scorer last season.

 

[Retroram52]

That is what Kobe and Nash were stating Shaqdaddy. They basically related that under Brown and Don'tknowi, the players were lazy and flabby and would die in the second half of games as you stated. Scott has brought an intensity and clarity missing under those two former coaches.

Like I stated already, we have returned to true Lakers basketball that won us championships with discipline, conditioning, and defense. I am not stating we will win one this year, but the fundamental culture of the ballclub has changed for the better and Kobe especially has noticed it.

 

[Retroram52]

Loving what Scott is doing. Even being hurt, doesn't get you out of conditioning. Apparently, Swaggy P thought that he'd have the day off and just be getting treatment. From an article this morning:



Byron made him participate in the conditioning part of practice:



Byron on having Young participate in conditioning:



Kobe seems on board with it too. He said that maintaining his fitness while recovering from surgery would be the key to quickly returning to the form that made him the Lakers leading scorer last season.

I knew Scott would bring a different culture to this team. I like it and now we will see some of the old school Laker basketball in this year's version of the team. No more players BS that Howard brought. Kobe and Nash both stated that Scott is very clear in what he wants all the time and nobody has to guess unlike Brown and Don'tknowi. The fundamental culture of this team has changed and it is a good thing to watch.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

We've got a fairly good team here. I love the fact everyone seems to write us off from the get-go! Will be nice to surprise some of the doubters.

Like Kobe said, 'we've got all the ingredients'.

 

[trojanfan12]

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.

I know that, like me, you are old enough to remember those Riley led Lakers teams. What is going on in this camp sounds almost exactly like what Riley used to do with the Showtime Lakers. It sounds like that's the style Scott wants this team playing and that's how he's running camp.

Imo, this isn't just a change from the culture of the past couple of seasons under Brown and D'Antoni, either. This culture started in Phil's last couple of seasons when, imo, he pretty much had lost the team.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

I know that, like me, you are old enough to remember those Riley led Lakers teams. What is going on in this camp sounds almost exactly like what Riley used to do with the Showtime Lakers. It sounds like that's the style Scott wants this team playing and that's how he's running camp.

Imo, this isn't just a change from the culture of the past couple of seasons under Brown and D'Antoni, either. This culture started in Phil's last couple of seasons when, imo, he pretty much had lost the team.

They got complacent in Phils last year. Guys like Bynum and Odom thought they were indestructible. Then Pau started losing that 'edge' we had that made us win back to backs in 09 and 10.

Scott seems to be getting that 'will to win' mentality back and I love it!

 

[Inimical]

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!

I like this tidbit.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Probably D'Antoni's fault.

100% this falls on him.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't want to get my or anyone else's hopes up re: what we may see from Steve Nash this season, but here is what Byron Scott had to say about him from yesterday's practice:

Scott said the veteran point guard, who was beset by injuries last season looked "fantastic." "It was the best I've seen him look in a long time," Scott said. "He shot the ball extremely well. He looked like Steve Nash and made other guys look better. He just made the game look easy today."

 

[Wamu]

Probably D'Antoni's fault.

We all know who's fault it really is...Kobe Jellybean Bryant!

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

We all know who's fault it really is...Kobe Jellybean Bryant!

Jim Buss

 

[wildturkey]

Not worth making a topic for it since its 2 years away so I'll just dump it here. Due to the new TV deal, it's possible in the summer of 2016 the Lakers will have enough cap room for THREE max players. At the very least, I'll say there will be room for 2. Granted that there will be loads of other teams with cap room as well, but having that much room could be a big chip to lure Kevin Durant, who is a free agent that summer. You'd basically just have to say "Kevin, we can give you want and you can bring whoever else you want too". So go ahead and start dreaming, 3 max players and a hopefully young all star Julius Randle (still under a rookie deal) on opening night in 2016.

 

[trojanfan12]

Not worth making a topic for it since its 2 years away so I'll just dump it here. Due to the new TV deal, it's possible in the summer of 2016 the Lakers will have enough cap room for THREE max players. At the very least, I'll say there will be room for 2. Granted that there will be loads of other teams with cap room as well, but having that much room could be a big chip to lure Kevin Durant, who is a free agent that summer. You'd basically just have to say "Kevin, we can give you want and you can bring whoever else you want too". So go ahead and start dreaming, 3 max players and a hopefully young all star Julius Randle (still under a rookie deal) on opening night in 2016.

That wouldn't suck.

 

[trojanfan12]

Look like Byron Scott and Swaggy P are developing a pretty good relationship. This is from an article in today's paper:

Two days after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, Nick Young was back at Lakers practice. And despite a bulky cast on his right hand, the affable small forward was smiling.
Asked what, if not surgery and an estimated eight weeks on the sideline, would wipe the grin from Young's face, Scott said, "Might have to shoot him or something. ... And that might not even work. I think that's permanent. That's not going anywhere."
Scott enjoys tormenting Young, however. When "Swaggy P" showed up at the Lakers practice facility Wednesday, the coach tried to put him through conditioning drills.
But unlike the days immediately after tearing the ligament, Young was under doctors orders to rest for a couple of days.
"When I first saw him and didn't know that," Scott said. "I said get your stuff on. We're going to do some running." He really quickly told me, I can't."
Scott continued the thought, joking, "I think he's pretty happy about it. But in the long run, I'm going to get the last laugh. So it's going to be happy days for me."

 

[trojanfan12]

Lakersboy is slacking. There's a game tonight and no game thread yet.

 

[Retroram52]

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

There's a preseason game thread. We could all stick to that one.

Won't be able to catch the game live. It starts at 3:30am over here and I have an early morning start at work.