Lakers OFF-SEASON IS A WRAP

grandtheftbike · Jul 27, 2015

and they say byron doesn't develop his players :rolleyes

Kobe about to be the ultimate stretch 4 :hat

32 ft 3s

fun guy · Jul 27, 2015

junglejim said:
I honestly don't think this would be terrible. Kobe would just hack the hell out of them on the defensive end and since he is Kobe they wont call it. He already has a better post game than most of the post players in the NBA. At least he wouldn't be getting scorched by guards and wings.

CP1708 · Jul 27, 2015

DarthSka said:
James Worthy: "Magic, West, Kobe, Baylor, KAJ"

What say you, NT?

Honestly, I would just use Pau at PF.

Magic/Kobe/Baylor/Pau/Kareem might be the most skilled we'd get.

Passing, "enough" shooting, twin towers defensively, ball handling, pure scoring, inside/outside.

Having Magic/West/ and Kobe all on the floor, with one ball, would have two of the best ever, playin without the ball. Using prime Pau and slotting West back to the bench would even things out a bit more.

IMO

CP1708 · Jul 27, 2015

Eric Pincus ‏@EricPincus 9m9 minutes ago
Teams have rights to former players that don't sign elsewhere - they need to be renounced for cap room, but what if team doesn't go under?

Eric Pincus ‏@EricPincus 10m10 minutes ago
The Lakers didn't go under the cap from 1996 (Shaq year) to last summer - so they had to renounce guys like John Salley - seems odd but real

"Why don't any free agents want to come play with Kobe all these years?"

Eric Pincus ‏@EricPincus 10m10 minutes ago
The Lakers didn't go under the cap from 1996 (Shaq year) to last summer

1996 to 2014 = no open cap space.

pmatic · Jul 27, 2015

According to Byron, Kobe can play PF so there's another option on the All Time Lakers team.

The one thing that we wanted to do and accomplish through this draft and through free agency was to try and be a little more versatile, have some versatility. So I think (Clarkson, Russell, Williams) can definitely do that. Kobe can play one, two and three. There’s no doubt in my mind. And there’s some games. against some teams, where he’ll probably play four. With his tenaciousness, the way he guards people and when his mind is set, if I say ‘Kobe, you’ve got him,’ he takes that as a challenge. You know how he is. He’ll compete.

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/features/david_aldridge/07/20/the-morning-tip/

What an idiot. :rollin

grandtheftbike · Jul 27, 2015

So when Byron said he'll limit Kobe's minutes, he means only at the 2

philosoraptor_full_body_transparent_image_by_thelezh-d4tui8o.png

pmatic · Jul 27, 2015

"And here lies the remains of the late great Laker Kobe Bryant after a 48 minute bout with Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies."

sea manup · Jul 27, 2015

Kobe vs pau matchup will be must see TV

denni5themenace · Jul 27, 2015

LoveHateSelf said:
sea manup said:

DarthSka said:

Backwards hats = not serious?!

Click to expand...

backwards hats are when things get super serious

world to over the top and ash ketchum

Click to expand...

wish there were a backwards hat emoji

freeze · Jul 27, 2015

bruh this kobe opportunity to kill lamarcus aldridge.

then in 2017 he'll come back and play the 5 so he can kill dwight.

#Agent24

pmatic · Jul 27, 2015

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/ronny-turiaf-nba-open-heart-surgery-10-year-anniversary/

:hat

Some thoughtful and funny tidbits involving Dr. Buss, Kwame and LO.

Johnny_Cakes · Jul 27, 2015

Wait, Byron said Kobe is going to play some PF?

licensed to ball · Jul 27, 2015

Byron Scott is making

denni5themenace , me, and the rest of Team Give Mike Brown a Chance look like geniuses.

MVP · Jul 27, 2015

LiCeNseD To BaLL said:
Byron Scott is making denni5themenace , me, and the rest of Team Give Mike Brown a Chance look like geniuses.

Reads slowly...

*Team Give Mike Brown a chance*

*Geniuses*

View media item 1647599

licensed to ball · Jul 27, 2015

That's how awful Byron sounds...

essential1 · Jul 27, 2015

I think there are certain circumstances Kobe can play the 4.

But the only one I can think of was the Ultra Small Warriors lineup in the Finals where Iguodala was the 4, Dray was the 5.

Other than that, it's really really dumb. Just keep Kobe at the 3.

kookcle · Jul 27, 2015

Yup looks like he's ready to play the 4. :lol

View media item 1647681 View media item 1647682

Brilliant.

denni5themenace · Jul 27, 2015

LiCeNseD To BaLL said:
Byron Scott is making denni5themenace , me, and the rest of Team Give Mike Brown a Chance look like geniuses.

darthska · Jul 27, 2015

[quote name="CP1708"][quote name="DarthSka"]James Worthy: "Magic, West, Kobe, Baylor, KAJ"

What say you, NT?[/quote]Honestly, I would just use Pau at PF.

Magic/Kobe/Baylor/Pau/Kareem might be the most skilled we'd get.

Passing, "enough" shooting, twin towers defensively, ball handling, pure scoring, inside/outside.

Having Magic/West/ and Kobe all on the floor, with one ball, would have two of the best ever, playin without the ball. Using prime Pau and slotting West back to the bench would even things out a bit more.

IMO[/quote]Damn.

Would be tough to admit... and I had trouble with it initially... but Pau at PF is absolutely the most skilled option. I mean, obviously I didn't see Baylor, but I saw Pau, and his skillset makes your suggestion an excellent call on the all time list.

Tough to swallow because it was only a few years and wasn't his whole career, but... damn. Good call.

CP1708 · Jul 27, 2015

I thought about it when I saw Shaq at PF. :lol

Magic/Van Exel
Kobe/West
Baylor/Worthy
Pau/LO
Kareem/Shaq

Fisher/Eddie/Fox/Horry/Wilt my 3rd string? Ok. :lol

senorroboto2k5 · Jul 28, 2015

I thought Steve Smith said on Open Court that the day Bernie Bickerstaff started playing him at power forward, he knew it was over.

sea manup · Jul 28, 2015

SenorRoboto2k5 said:
I thought Steve Smith said on Open Court that the day Bernie Bickerstaff started playing him at power forward, he knew it was over.

byron learning from the GOAT lakers coach?

pmatic · Jul 28, 2015

Something to keep in mind:

Harrison Barnes, Jordan Clarkson could be in for big paydays in 2016

The NBA's 2016 free agency will present a math problem. Currently, the league has about $1.7 billion in committed salary, including the first-year salaries for 2016 draft picks. For all teams to merely spend up to the projected $89 million salary cap -- an average they generally exceed -- they'll have to get to nearly $2.7 billion in payroll. That's a $1 billion windfall to be divided among free agents who collectively are making slightly less than $800 million this season.

The exact numbers will change slightly over the next 11 months, but the bottom-line conclusion won't: A bunch of players are about to get sizeable raises over their current contracts. Let's take a look at 10 candidates among the group of players who didn't make fellow Insider Amin Elhassan's list of the top 10 free agents in 2016 from last week.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Charlotte Hornets | SF

Even after making strides as a jump shooter by reworking his notoriously poor form last season, Kidd-Gilchrist remains a subpar offensive player who provides little spacing from the perimeter -- he didn't attempt a single 3-pointer last season. Yet Kidd-Gilchrist still rates as one of the league's best small forwards by ESPN's real plus-minus because of his defensive dominance; the Hornets allowed 7.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor in 2014-15, according to NBA.com/Stats. Kidd-Gilchrist won't turn 22 until September, and if he develops into merely an average offensive player, he'll be a valuable starter for many years to come.

Harrison Barnes | Golden State Warriors | SF

Barnes figures to be one of the trickiest free agents to value next summer. He plays an important role for the defending champs, who relied on Barnes' ability to battle bigger opponents in the post when they went small. Outside a system with teammates to create for him, however, Barnes might struggle offensively as he did his first two NBA seasons. It's not a coincidence that his shooting percentages improved in 2014-15 along with his rate of assisted field goals. The Warriors would have a hard time justifying paying Barnes more than the more accomplished Draymond Green ($15.3 million in 2016-17) and Klay Thompson ($16.6 million), but a big offer sheet from another team could force them to do so -- and that possibility might keep Barnes from signing an extension this fall.

Terrence Jones | Houston Rockets | PF
Donatas Motiejunas | Rockets | F/C

Houston's power forward pairing both enter the final season of their rookie contracts eligible for extensions or to become restricted free agents next summer. Motiejunas' versatility will be coveted by other teams after he demonstrated in Dwight Howard's absence that he can handle starting minutes at center. Still, Motiejunas has yet to post a league-average PER, and it's Jones who has more upside. He's averaged around 16 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes the last two seasons, and if he can stay healthy -- he played just 33 games last season due to a pair of scary injuries, a nerve issue and a collapsed long -- and make progress defensively, Jones could be in line for eight figures a year.

Jordan Clarkson | Los Angeles Lakers | G

Get ready to hear the name "Gilbert Arenas" in conjunction with Clarkson repeatedly over the next 11 months. Like the former NBA point guard, Clarkson has performed beyond his second-round draft status, setting him up for a big payday as a restricted free agent next summer.

Because Clarkson will be a free agent with two years of experience, he'll be subject to the so-called "Arenas provision" limiting other teams from offering more than the mid-level exception as a starting point on an offer sheet. In year three, however, teams can offer Clarkson what would be his maximum salary -- somewhere in the ballpark of $23 million, depending where the cap falls -- setting up the possibility of a three-year, $34 million offer similar to the one the Houston Rockets used to acquire Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin as restricted free agents in 2012. Or teams could go an additional year and offer four years and up to around $58 million.

To justify such a big offer, Clarkson will need to build on his solid rookie season while sharing the ball with No. 2 overall pick D'Angelo Russell. If so, his free agency will be fascinating to watch.

Langston Galloway | New York Knicks | G

Galloway too is subject to the Arenas provision after starting 41 games as a rookie and earning All-Rookie second team honors. A backloaded offer seems less likely for Galloway, who took advantage of a depleted Knicks roster to earn playing time and wasn't particularly efficient, posting a dismal .489 true shooting percentage. But if Galloway can play to his strengths as a spot-up shooter more with New York's offseason upgrades, he could demonstrate he's more than just a rotation player in the NBA.

Allen Crabbe | Portland Trail Blazers | F/G
Meyers Leonard | Trail Blazers | F/C

Having lost four starters over the offseason, the Blazers have more minutes and larger roles to offer their young players. Crabbe and Leonard, along with fellow impending free agent Maurice Harkless, could be beneficiaries. Crabbe averaged 15.5 points during an impressive run in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, and he figures to earn extended playing time as Portland's best shooter on the wing. Leonard, the only NBA player to post a 50/40/90 season in 2014-15, will also provide much-needed floor spacing for the Blazers' traditional pick-and-roll big men, Ed Davis and Mason Plumlee. He has a good shot at doubling last year's 847 minutes played after emerging as Portland's best partner for departed LaMarcus Aldridge during the playoffs.

Boban Marjanovic | San Antonio Spurs | C

Eager to test himself in the NBA after emerging as one of the top players in Europe, the 7-foot-3 Marjanovic agreed to a one-year deal for $1.2 million to join the Spurs this season. Odds are he'll play sparingly as he makes the adjustment to the athleticism and speed of the NBA, but Marjanovic might get regular playing time by virtue of being the only true center behind starter Tim Duncan on the San Antonio roster. If Marjanovic adapts to the NBA more quickly than expected, he could find himself in line for a mid-level contract along the lines of the one former Spurs backup center Aron Baynes signed with the Detroit Pistons this summer (three years, $19.5 million).

Jonas Valanciunas | Toronto Raptors | C

Quietly, last season Valanciunas took the step forward long expected from the former No. 5 overall pick. Valanciunas averaged 16.5 points and 11.9 rebounds on 57.2 percent shooting, posting a 20.6 PER -- slightly better than Enes Kanter of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who just got the maximum $70 million over four years as a restricted free agent. Valanciunas hasn't made as much progress defensively, a big reason why his minutes dropped from 28.2 per game in 2013-14 to 26.2 last season. But any development at that end could set him up for a mammoth payday, especially since Toronto may not be interested in tying up its potential cap space with an extension this fall.