Lakers

[TripletDaddy]

Also, Lakers on 2 SI covers.....jinx?

[TripletDaddy]

Highlights from Mitch's drafter presser.

- Kupchak quipped that the Lakers might take Hasheem Thabeet and Blake Griffin if they’re available at No. 29.
- As he told us in podcast form yesterday, Kupchak reiterated that the team would like to keep its roster at 13. In other words, L.A. won’t use all three of its picks: “There is a better than even likelihood that we’ll move one of our picks.”
- Kupchak did concede that at the later stages of the draft, it’s usually a “best player available” situation.
- When asked about positions, Kupchak said that point guard is the one spot that isn’t set for the future considering Derek Fisher’s age.
- On drafting an international player: “We’d draft a (first-round) player, retain his rights and tender him an offer, but there’s normally an understanding … of a guaranteed component. Typically with a first round pick, you’d do your homework in advance and see if the player would agree to go to Europe and not sign the tender. That way he plays in Europe and you retain his rights.” Kupchak explained that it’s similar in the second round, without the hindrance of the guaranteed money.
- On what it would take for the Lakers to use their first-round pick to draft a player with expectation to play: “It’d have to be a player that we had ranked in the top 18 or so that we feel like could fit in with our team, he’d have to fall.”
- Kupchak said that it “Doesn’t appear to be a strong international draft,” though the Lakers employ a full-time European scout and a full-time Asian scout, as obviously the team spends more money on scouting than it had to in the past. However, Kupchak said one positive was that they no longer have to go to high schools to watch players due to all the professional leagues, camps and the like that recruit the best players.
- The GM also addressed Phil Jackson’s comments on ESPN radio yesterday that suggested the coach and Kupchak had discussed Jackson’s not traveling as much should he return: “Yes, Phil and I had a long discussion this morning, and the short of it is, what he said he didn’t mean it to sound the way it sounded. If he comes back to coach, he will come back and coach both home and away games. I guess there was a hypothetical approach to the question, and Phil answered the question, but today my discussion with him was that type of scenario doesn’t work, and that’s his opinion as well.”
- Kupchak added that he thinks Jackson “Wants to come back, he’s excited and very energized. It solely rests on his ability medically to come back and coach.”
- I asked Kupchak how crazy things get with the multiple forms of communication these days, and he listed these conversation enablers: Multiple cell phones (between him and his assistants); computer e-mail; five or six hard telephone lines; and texting. Kupchak said that he actually answered a text from another general manager for the first time today. But during the draft, it is complete chaos, where Kupchak said he can take/make at least 15 calls in a 10-minute window.
- He added: “If I yell out, get me Pat Riley, typically it’s still done mouth-to-mouth by phone” to describe what some of his staff is up to in crunch time. Back when he first started drafting with West in the 80’s, Kupchak said there were eight rounds, and only phones were used while a rep was at the draft in New York.

[TripletDaddy]

Lakers sell 29th pick to Knicks for $3M. That is a nice move for a worthless pick. Mitch was earlier hoping to get $1M-$2M. Did the Knicks overpay?

I can't wait until July 1.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4285133

[TripletDaddy]

Lakers Nation twitter page and Amare Stoudamire twitter page reporting that Amare is going to the lakers. No other details released so I am skeptical.

[Sizzle]

Lakers Nation twitter page and Amare Stoudamire twitter page reporting that Amare is going to the lakers. No other details released so I am skeptical.

What would you have to give up to land Amare? Bynum and what?

[TripletDaddy]

What would you have to give up to land Amare? Bynum and what?

A S/T with someone like Ariza....or send over Fisher, Walton, Sasha, etc....they all make roughly enough to make the deal work salary-wise.

I hate this trade. We need to solidify the PG position, but we have the pieces already to do that. Beyond that, the Lakers can stand relatively pat and be in a competitive spot for next June.

I am thinking that this is bogus, but it is definitely on Amare's page. If he is joking, Suns management must not be very happy about one of their star players kidding around about going to LA. Then again, the Suns mgmt has decimated the team and there is nothing competitive left, so guys like Nash and Amare are probably more than happy to leave now. Amare has already been mentioned this week in trade rumors. Maybe he is just trying to speed up the process and get out of dodge.

[Sizzle]

A S/T with someone like Ariza....or send over Fisher, Walton, Sasha, etc....they all make roughly enough to make the deal work salary-wise.

Are you sure the Lakers would want to part with their 80% 3-point shooter?

I would actually be interested in seeing how Ariza would play on a team where he didn't have Kobe.

[TripletDaddy]

Are you sure the Lakers would want to part with their 80% 3-point shooter?

I would actually be interested in seeing how Ariza would play on a team where he didn't have Kobe.

Ariza would not do well as the second option...or probably even the third option. At least not at this stage of his career. As the guy that gets wide open looks off double-teams, he will always have a place in the league. Hopefully he is smart enough to realize that.

Ariza has massive value right now, so a S/T would not surprise me from that standpoint. Most teams in the league would love to have him. But so would the Lakers and this is where he wants to be, so I am hoping that Amare is just bored and upset at Steve Kerr.

I didn't know you were a stats apologist, too. CP's rookie PER was better than Magic's rookie PER. Stats are useful! In fact, who had the highest PER this season....because I know it wasn't anyone on either team playing in the NBA finals.

[TripletDaddy]

Heisler now saying that a Phoenix/Golden State deal for Amare is close to being done. Lotsa rumors flying around today.

[TripletDaddy]

OC Register lists NBA's top 20 Free Agents for next week's big bonanza.

Carlos Boozer is #1. Go Booz!

http://www.ocregister.com/photos/age...e-best-2476168

[Flystripper]

OC Register lists NBA's top 20 Free Agents for next week's big bonanza.

Carlos Boozer is #1. Go Booz!

http://www.ocregister.com/photos/age...e-best-2476168

get that garbage out of here this is a Lakers thread!

[TripletDaddy]

Noooo! It was bad enough that the league "asked" the Lakers to create a white jersey (a blatant attempt to cash in on the popularity of the team).

Now a black one, too? Horrible idea. All this tinkering around with the purple and gold is pissing me off.

I guess the Celtics are thinking about doing a black jersey, as well. Both teams would be making a mistake. They should both leave their jerseys as is. A black Lakers jersey? A black Celtics jersey? What a joke.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-in-the-future

[SeattleUte]

GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sizzle]

GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see that SU graces his wisdom in a pro-sports thread and THIS is all I'm treated with? Very disappointed... although probably better than an Apple Martini induced thread claiming that Kwame Brown (241,000) is a more important basketball players than George Mikan (86,800) based on Google Searches.

Comparatively speaking, maybe Austin Collie was onto something, because googling his ass draws up almost 330,000 results. Way to go AC!!!

[Surfah]

Coach K to replace Jackson when he retires?

Hmmmm....don't know how I feel about that. I like Shaw or Rambis first.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...Chatter-090701

Speaking of vibes ...

If you pardon the shift to coaching matters, word is that Phil Jackson is headed to his offseason home in Montana this week, which suggests that the Lakers will soon confirm that Jackson is indeed returning for the final year of his contract.

We're also hearing that new Wolves president David Kahn is assembling a l-o-n-g list of candidates to interview for his coaching opening, suggesting that his search to replace Kevin McHale could consume the bulk of this month. Some of the more prominent names Kahn wants to talk to in addition to presumed favorite Mark Jackson: Sam Mitchell, Bill Laimbeer, Kurt Rambis and Brian Shaw.

The latter duo from L.A., meanwhile, undoubtedly will be pleased to hear about Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski insisting Tuesday that he can't be considered a potential successor to Jackson because he's not leaving the Blue Devils "until I leave coaching." Rambis and Shaw are frequently described as strong candidates to eventually take over when Phil Jackson leaves the Lakers, but the belief persists that Kobe Bryant will push Coach K when Jackson does retire.