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Lakers OFF-SEASON IS A WRAP
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by licensed to ball,
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Friday.
MVP
Supporter
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Will try to catch the purp and gold clown show on Friday live and in color.
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Best play from SL. More of this please.
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Anyone happen to listen to the Living The Dream podcast with Beto Duran? He had the Goddess Jaime Maggio on there it's a pretty good listen...she's also single!
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http://grantland.com/the-triangle/r...he-center-and-the-lakers-can-help-each-other/Roy Hibbert’s Hollywood Remake: How the Center and the Lakers Can Help Each Other
Roy Hibbert and the Los Angeles Lakers need each other. One player, one team, both searching for a return to form. Five years ago, the Lakers won the franchise’s 16th NBA title. Since then, by way of their failed Dwight Howard–Steve Nash–Kobe Bryant superteam, they have slid into disrepair. Two years ago, Hibbert was the defensive anchor of an Indiana Pacers team that took the Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. Since then, he’s been reduced to a shell of his former self. Hibbert served as the poster child for the Great Indiana Implosion of 2014-15, and he was told, in no uncertain terms, that he would be coming off the bench in the upcoming season if he stayed with the Pacers. He opted in, and he was promptly traded.
And it could be the best possible outcome, for Hibbert and for L.A.
The Lakers need all the help they can get, especially on defense. They ranked 29th in defensive efficiency last season after ranking 28th in 2013-14. That might be about to change, especially near the basket. If he does nothing else, Hibbert should improve the purple and gold’s rim protection.
The addition of Hibbert won’t turn the Lakers’s defense into the Iron Curtain overnight. At their recent peak, the Pacers were an amazing defensive unit, and Hibbert may have been the biggest reason for that, but he was by no means the only reason. He was supported by the kinds of tough, long, and willing perimeter defenders that made every pick-and-roll action a fight. Great rim protection begins on the perimeter, and Paul George, David West, George Hill, and even Lance Stephenson were basically the NBA Secret Service.
Looking at the 2015-16 Lakers roster, it’s hard to identify anyone other than Hibbert who will be a plus defender. Nick Young is not Paul George; Lou Williams is not George Hill; 37-year-old Kobe Bryant is not 27-year-old Kobe Bryant. By any measure, the Lakers were a defensive tire fire last season, especially in the paint. Their opponents scored 18.9 field goals per game within 5 feet of the basket, third most in the league. The Pacers allowed only 14.8 field goals per game inside of 5 feet, second fewest in the league.
For years now, Hibbert has been one of the league’s most effective “volume rim protectors.” Out of 40 NBA players who defended at least seven shots per game at the rim last season, Hibbert ranked fourth in opponent field goal percentage (42.6 percent) in those situations. Only Rudy Gobert, Serge Ibaka, and Andrew Bogut were more obstructive.
That’s a crucial upgrade for the Lakers, who largely relied on Jordan Hill for rim protection last season. Hill ranked 38th in this group while allowing opponents to convert 55.4 percent of those shots.
Hibbert’s offensive contributions have been more … enigmatic.
A player of Hibbert’s size should at least be an above-average scorer near the rim; he’s not, and his post moves remain way too raw for a veteran center making max money. His ability to shoot midrange jumpers is better than most people expect, but his mediocrity close to the basket remains the reddest of flags on his shot chart. It’s like he’s defending himself out there.
In a way, he is. Over the past two seasons, Hibbert’s confidence visibly deteriorated. As his former teammate David West said on his way out the door to San Antonio, “Roy wants to play, he knows he’s unpopular right now, but we talked and he’s going to be a professional. He’s always been a professional. He’s had his ups and downs but he’s always been a pro and been diligent about his work.” For a moment, Hibbert was the best at what he did, and what he did had value. But basketball moves pretty fast — and right now, it’s being played pretty small. The changes in the league and his shaky confidence have led him to Los Angeles, hoping for a Hollywood ending to his up-and-down career.
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To put that into perspective, that can be a player averaging just over 7ppg for an entire season. [emoji]128561[/emoji][emoji]128526[/emoji]
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The rotations are going to be a mess. Or some people are going to be wasted on this team.
Starters:
PG - Russell
SG - Clarkson
SF - Kobe
PF - Randle
C - Hibbert
Bench:
6th Man: Lou Will
7th : Swaggy
8th : Black
9th : Bass
Nance, A. Brown, J. Brown, Sacre, Kelly & Upshaw
Safe to say Sacre gets no play, Kelly is buried on the bench. Leaves 4 guys who can suit up (Nance, The Browns, Upshaw). But running a 13 man rotation is never going to happen.
I guess we could have Nance & A. Brown in the DLeague all year to clear things up, but still think we need to drop some people out the bottom of this rotation. The alternative is just letting guys rust.
Starters:
PG - Russell
SG - Clarkson
SF - Kobe
PF - Randle
C - Hibbert
Bench:
6th Man: Lou Will
7th : Swaggy
8th : Black
9th : Bass
Nance, A. Brown, J. Brown, Sacre, Kelly & Upshaw
Safe to say Sacre gets no play, Kelly is buried on the bench. Leaves 4 guys who can suit up (Nance, The Browns, Upshaw). But running a 13 man rotation is never going to happen.
I guess we could have Nance & A. Brown in the DLeague all year to clear things up, but still think we need to drop some people out the bottom of this rotation. The alternative is just letting guys rust.
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It shouldn't go beyond nine or ten players anyways (Jabari being the tenth guy?).
http://www.si.com/nba/2015/07/16/la...us-randle-las-vegas-summer-league-kobe-bryant
http://www.si.com/nba/2015/07/16/la...us-randle-las-vegas-summer-league-kobe-bryant
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They needed to trade nick young but couldnt make it happen
Shouldnt have signed lou if you aint have a trade in place for nick young
Shouldnt have signed lou if you aint have a trade in place for nick young
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We definitely have too many chuckers on the squad, I've never seen anything like it. Lou, nick, jabari, kobe....one of clarkson/russell will need to be on the floor at all time
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This is true.
The Lou signing was good in a vacuum, but not with all these guards already on the roster. Someone like Steve Blake should have been brought (back) in.
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hmmm
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The whole interview makes it sound less of a bad thing...he even says he can handle it but other people can't
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i cant stand Beto Duran....dude is mad corny
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dude's quote is like a pnd hook
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comptonprince
Banned
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Mad Corny!!!!!
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I'd go 11 because we have a mostly young squad. Nobody is playing 30 or more minutes.
So I'd say Upshaw and I prefer Anthony Brown because he's a more complete player but it will be Jabari.
So Nance & A. Brown are in DLeague or up in case of injuries.
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Extremely Mad Corny
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Beto Duran is an extremely mad corny herb.
I hope dude is an NTer and I hope he reads this and cries.
I hope dude is an NTer and I hope he reads this and cries.
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I always said Hill=PND too
There was a certain mug shot TWC had of Hill, it legit was a photo of PND
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Who/what is pnd?
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