Lakers OFF-SEASON IS A WRAP

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Lotus flower

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

If Okafor would have just shot like Upshaw in that 30 sec clip during his workout I wonder how how different the reaction would be 

 

[drcali]

Damn I think I have to pick up the nbatv summer league on my phone. Haven't been this excited for summer league in forever lol

 

[lovehateself]

im really liking Upshaw, it could all be a show in the interview but i really hope we can sign him and he can get quality PT to show what hes got 

 

[kal-el-8]

 Randle's rookie season a bump in the road

Julius Randle  feared his leg was going to break.

A small bump had developed on his right leg a few months after the Los Angeles Lakers  selected him seventh overall in the 2014 NBA draft, one he said caused an "achy, sharp pain."

"'Man, this ain't right,'" Randle said he told himself at the time. "If I don't figure out what this is, I'm going to break my leg.'"

He was right. In his first NBA game, Randle drove to the basket midway through the fourth quarter and prepared to launch his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame off his right foot.

Then his foot buckled.

Randle collapsed, but he didn't writhe in pain or scream or cry. He just sat there -- his tibia fractured, his season over after 14 minutes of playing time, his face empty of emotion.

"I wasn't in any initial shock or anything," he said. "I knew exactly what happened."

The bump on Randle's leg appeared before training camp for the 2014-15 season -- around late August or early September, he recalled.

"I may have hit it against the bed or something," he said he told Lakers trainers.

"We'll keep an eye on it," he said they told him.

He felt the pain off and on for a couple of weeks, but nothing so bad that he said he couldn't play on it.

Randle said he didn't receive much treatment for it, and, about two weeks before the season began, he said it no longer hurt at all.

"And then when I broke it, I was like, dang, I wonder what happened -- maybe that played a role?" he said.

Randle had a screw placed into his right foot as a high school senior, and reports leading into the 2014 draft indicated that he may have needed another surgery to fix it. (He would indeed have it, but not until January 2015.) But nothing appeared odd during the play in which he broke his foot.

So Randle searched for answers and wondered about the bump, especially when an X-ray after his injury revealed what the team called a "stress reaction," a precursor to a stress fracture but without the actual break. (A stress reaction is often caused by repetitive impacts to the bone that lead its structure to begin breaking.)

Though it's hard to say exactly why Randle broke his leg, a Lakers spokesman said it was thought that the stress reaction is "likely what contributed to the break."

After a long and arduous rehab, Randle participated in an organized practice this week, his first since his injury, and is expected to play for the Lakers this Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves  at Las Vegas Summer League.

"I feel great, getting up and down," Randle said. "I feel more healthy than I did last year."

There is still a bump on his leg, though -- callus as hard as bone that formed as his injury healed. The area swells sometimes after he plays. He wears a pad to protect it.

But Randle said he doesn't have any nerves about whether his leg will hold up. He said he passed that mark a long time ago.

"The first time I got on the court, I was like, 'Man, it's weird,'" he said. "But after that, honestly and truly, I had my head down and just played. I haven't thought about it at all."

ARE YOU ****** KIDDING ME?

We're so stuck in our old ways in this franchise man.. 

Pray for our rooks 

 

[kal-el-8]

 
[h1]My Rookie Year[/h1]

For the majority of my rookie year, I had to lug around a fake baby doll in a pink stroller whenever I was entering and leaving Staples Center. On Christmas Day, in front of a national TV audience, I made the “Not Top 10” on SportsCenter  for missing a wide-open layup. Day in and day out at practice, I had to defend Kobe Bryant and received firsthand tutoring.

What I’m saying is, it was a pretty entertaining first year in the league.

Just over a year ago, I was drafted in the second round, 46th overall, by the Lakers. My reaction: Time to prove myself.

Right after that, the Kobe clinic started. It was before the preseason and all the guys were at the gym playing pick-up — just the players. Kobe comes in. Everyone’s choosing their matchups and no one picked up Kobe. Surprise, surprise, right? I was the only one left.

“JC, you got Kobe!” Someone yelled.

It wasn’t even preseason yet, but Kobe was going full speed. Somehow he made it look as if he was just gliding around. I don’t think he had played all summer due to his injury, but he still killed everyone. The first possession, he caught the rock along the baseline and hit a turn-around jumper in my face … a shot I’ve seen him hit literally a thousand times on TV.
“Hey, don’t hurt yourself, young fella,” Kobe uttered to me.
It was one of my “Welcome to the NBA” moments. I experienced a few of those moments during my rookie year. I had the unenviable task of guarding Kobe throughout training camp. There aren’t too many guys who get an opportunity to sit down, talk to Kobe and actually pick his brain, but I was afforded this privilege. It was an incredible learning experience for me, to say the least. For all the stories you hear about Kobe talking trash and demanding a lot from his teammates, on many occasions he’s picked us up, too. He leads by example; however, you don’t hear about that much in the media.

“Hey, don’t hurt yourself, young fella,” Kobe uttered to me.

Another one of my “Welcome to the NBA” moments came on Christmas Day against the Chicago Bulls. It was definitely the most embarrassing moment of my NBA career  thus far. Maybe you remember it because SportsCenter  played the clip on loop for a couple of days. Time was winding down in the second quarter and I got a steal but completely missed a wide-open layup.

What’s crazy is people don’t remember when they watch that clip that I went from a highlight reel to a failure so quickly. On the previous play, I had a timely block against Aaron Brooks that went out of bounds. On the very next play, after the timeout, was when my steal and missed layup occurred. Twitter instantly went from “Jordan Clarkson with the great block!” to “Man, he sucks!”

A weird Christmas gift, right?!

I’m not going to lie, that play hurt. We were already having a rough season, and the Christmas Day game was going to be one of our most-viewed games of the year. To have so many people watch me miss such an easy bucket was hard to swallow. Right after the play, I was on the bench and Kobe preached, “It’s basketball. It’s gonna happen. Forget about it.”

That moment stuck with me throughout the year. By spring, you could see how much I had  grown and how comfortable I was compared to my Christmas Day miscue.

When the Lakers sent me down to the D-League, I didn’t view it as a demotion. I accepted it as a challenge.

It took a lot of work to go from the “Not Top 10” to being selected for the NBA All-Rookie First Team. I used my stints in the D-League last season as an opportunity to improve. When the Lakers sent me down to the D-League, I didn’t view it as a demotion. I accepted it as a challenge. Plus, it meant playing more minutes, which meant growth.

One thing you have to learn as a rookie, unless you’re LeBron James, is you aren’t going to get a lot of minutes right away. It can be hard to get a rhythm going. I didn’t get much playing time at the beginning of the year — from the opener to mid-January, I played in 19 games and averaged something like 11 minutes. After the All-Star break, they just threw me in the starting lineup, and I had to make that transition fast to prove I could play. By the end of the year, I had played in 59 games, started 38 and averaged about 25 minutes. By the later part of the season, I was tasked with starting the game, controlling the tempo and making plays for my teammates and myself.

Not all rookie lessons are learned on the hardwood. There are factors like rookie duties and building team camaraderie. The vets on our team gave me responsibilities for the season. I mentioned that I had to carry the fake baby in a pink stroller whenever I was entering or leaving Staples Center. No reason to go into too much detail about that. But there were other chores, like dropping off uniforms each morning, too. Honestly, we got it kind of easy. The NBA is a fraternity, so it was cool to go through that introduction process. It never felt like punishment or anything. A lot of people on the outside think hazing goes on, but it doesn’t happen. Maybe it was worse in years before.


Aside from the rookie duties, another huge aspect was developing friendships with team veterans. Despite having such an off year for Laker Nation, our unit was still pretty close. Nick Young and Carlos Boozer took me under their wings on the road. There were no internal conflicts that you hear about on some teams when they go through tough times.
The bond wasn’t always about basketball. It was more about us being a family off the court. Sometimes you’ll hear about rookies feeling isolated — you go into your hotel room, order room service and you’re solo. My experience was the complete opposite. Carlos would be like, “Yo, JC, we’re going out to eat. Be downstairs at 7:30.” It wasn’t an invitation, but more like an order. Nick is a big shopper, so he would always let me know when they’d go to the mall. They always kept me in the loop, and that made me feel included as the newest player.

The fans also played a huge role in making me feel accepted. Laker Nation is different from any other fanbase. Sometimes we’d be in Atlanta or somewhere and it felt like there were more Laker jerseys than home jerseys in the crowd. Despite having a losing record, our fans showed love both at home and on the road. Once you’re a Laker, all eyes truly are on you.

If I could speak to the rookies who were just drafted — that was me a year ago — I’d tell them to have an open mind. Don’t let other people’s perceptions affect you too much. You’re a work in progress, not a finished product.  There will be inevitable lows. Don’t let those become what you’re known for. It will be your reactions and ability to adjust that will define how successful your rookie campaign is.

The Lakers are going to surprise people next year. And yes, I’m pretty sure we’re playing again on Christmas Day. I’d like to get a “redo.”

JORDAN CLARKSON

CONTRIBUTOR

 

[pmatic]

Boozer, a pro's pro.

 

[kal-el-8]

Boozer, a pro's pro.

 

[licensed to ball]

Not sure if KalEl or CP or P with all the text posted.

 

[kal-el-8]

Not sure if KalEl or CP or P with all the text posted.

Cliff notes:

Julius randle had a bump on his leg in late august. Julius said he thought he'd break it.

Our HORRID medical staff said "We'll keep an eye on it"

Julius breaks leg.

JC is a good sport about hazing.

NY and CB are good guys but suck at basketball.

He still thinks about the missed lay up on Christmass.

 

[pmatic]

Chat with Mark Medina: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20150708/lakers-live-chat-qa-with-mark-medina

 

[delete1234]

Clarkson is that dude

 

[lovehateself]

good guy booz, good vet to  mentor Randle ( being that he is 6'9 as well and plays below the rim) but im sure he'll sign with a contender and look to win a ring. 

"keep an eye on it" 

clarkson 

, man i hope we'll be able to retain him at a decent number

 

[pmatic]

It bothers me Clarkson wears #6 but his Twitter handle is @Clark5on. Stupid Boozer.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Keep an eye on it and then give him no treatment . I been saying them fools need to be replaced

 

[kal-el-8]

Keep an eye on it and then give him no treatment

. I been saying them fools need to be replaced

same.. ever since the beginning of the Dwight year I been saying it.

Stupid Vitti

 

[tupac003]

Is this mess with DJ going to affect anything we have going?

 

[kingjaffejo]

Is this mess with DJ going to affect anything we have going?

Yup it very well could have a nasty chain reaction with a few things we have our hands in, mainly Hibbert. If DJ goes back to the Clippers than the Mavericks need a C again. Monta is going to the Pacers, one of the original deals was a S&T with Hibbert and Monta that prob will be looked at again. So basically we could get screwed over again by the Clippers.

Also it may affect the Brandon Bass signing because we are still trying to free up cap space, so that might affect the S&T for Jeremy Lin. So dumb. We basically might not get Hibbert now because DJ is being an Asterisk.

 

[kal-el-8]

Sacre 

 

[laker4lifeman]

Is this mess with DJ going to affect anything we have going?

Yup it very well could have a nasty chain reaction with a few things we have our hands in, mainly Hibbert. If DJ goes back to the Clippers than the Mavericks need a C again. Monta is going to the Pacers, one of the original deals was a S&T with Hibbert and Monta that prob will be looked at again. So basically we could get screwed over again by the Clippers.

Also it may affect the Brandon Bass signing because we are still trying to free up cap space, so that might affect the S&T for Jeremy Lin. So dumb. We basically might not get Hibbert now because DJ is being an Asterisk.

I never really thought about it like that but a lot teams will not deal with them if it goes down like that.

 

[eracism]

Gary "Put an ice pack on it" Vitti

 

[pmatic]

Reminds me of my parents always telling me to take a Tylenol no matter what I had.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Is this mess with DJ going to affect anything we have going?

Yup it very well could have a nasty chain reaction with a few things we have our hands in, mainly Hibbert. If DJ goes back to the Clippers than the Mavericks need a C again. Monta is going to the Pacers, one of the original deals was a S&T with Hibbert and Monta that prob will be looked at again. So basically we could get screwed over again by the Clippers.

Also it may affect the Brandon Bass signing because we are still trying to free up cap space, so that might affect the S&T for Jeremy Lin. So dumb. We basically might not get Hibbert now because DJ is being an Asterisk.

despicable chain of events if it plays out that way

 

[mj 23]

Reminds me of my parents always telling me to take a Tylenol no matter what I had.

/thread

 

[tay1]

Reminds me of my parents always telling me to take Tylenol Robitussin no matter what I had.

And if you run out, pour some water in the bottle, shake it up and you got Mo Tussin. Mo Tussin.