This team still needs a lot of work. This is the kind of games you have to win. Lonzo on the bench for the 3rd and 4th speaks volumes.
Deng signs a 5 year extension with the final 3 years not being guaranteed. He then is stretched which will spread most of the salary over 10 years which will count the team 3.5 million in salary cap space per year. Which lets them sign both Cousins and LeBron. You can cut Deng so he can sign with another team while collecting nice checks for a long time. PG: Lonzo, LeBron SG: Clarkson, LeBron SF: Ingram, LeBron PF: Kuzma, LeBron C : Cousins, LeBron That is a tight 6 man rotation You ride LeBron and Cousins for the next few years with the kids as a good supporting cast. Until LeBron starts to peter out and/or the kids grow into something that can take over the mantle. Plus you still have Nance, Zubac, Bryant, Ennis, Hart to round out the end of the roster. That gives you 4 solid rotation players that they need to ad. Probably one or two of the teams free agents (Lopez, Randle, KCP, Bogut and Brewer) take team friendly 1 year deals before being extended the following year when their bird rights will still be in effect and can be resigned for the long term. And 1 or 2 cheap veteran FA then you have yourself a solid team. Cousins is one of the few guys who could check Embiid. And LeBron on the kid Simmons will be like when Jordan and Kobe used to face off.
I blame the uber gay powder blue uniforms When the fuck did the Lakers change to powder blue!?!?!? They deserve to lose wearing that shit. What happened to our purple (blue) and gold?? Morons ruining the brand every way they can.. just to sell more shit
Lakers have like 8 or 9 different uniforms The Minneapolis throwbacks that they wore last night, Dr. Buss himself revived those back in 2001 or 2002, so they're really nothing new or unheard of Shaq and Kobe wore those and kicked ass, so I'm gonna blame the players for last night
Speaking of Kobe and Shaq, they seemed to be playing for the Sixers last night, gotdamn Simmons and Embiid are going to terrorize the east for a long time..or at least until Embiid breaks down physically. All this talk about Boston and their future..if Boston isn't careful they're going to end up being the early 2000's Sac Queens with Embiid and Simmons carrying Philly All that said, was happy that Ingram and Kuzma showed up big on that stage against Philly's young duo.
Damn, does LAL play Phoenix every week? Please beat these MFs again, so I can continue laughing at Booker " making the Lakers pay for trading BFF D'angelo "
Kobe Bryant and Kyle Kuzma met for dinner, discussed basketball and enjoyed steaks The dream is becoming a reality for Los Angeles Lakers fans. Kobe Bryant and Kyle Kuzmahave officially connected, privately meeting for dinner Tuesday night at a steakhouse in West Hollywood, as detailed in a fantastic story from Bill Oram of the OC Register. Kuzma, the Lakers’ surprising rising star rookie that’s made more positive headlines than Lonzo Ball at this point, has the kind of tantalizing potential that feels it could go anywhere. He’s decisive with the ball, can break his man down off the dribble, can space the floor, AND he’s a positive individual and team defender? Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made the dinner happen, calling his former client and close friend in Bryant to link him up to Kuzma. It was Kuzma who asked to meet with Kobe, though, reports Oram. The duo having an open line of communication and developing a relationship sure sounds like a dream come true. That Kuzma has gone from surprising No. 27 pick to eating steaks with Bryant is a testament to how far his star has already risen. From the intel report Oram gathered from Pelinka, it sounds like Kobe likes what he’s seen from Kuzma, leaving the rookie “in awe” during the meeting (via OC Register): “Kyle said he heard stories he could have never imagined,” Pelinka said. “And Kobe just said Kyle’s got an edge and a spirit about him, and he’s going to be one of those alpha dog players for this team, for sure.” The 27th pick in June’s draft, Kuzma has found early popularity and success in a city that bequeaths one and craves the other. Entering Wednesday he ranked third on the team with 14.9 points per game and tied for second with 6.8 rebounds. Kuzma wanted to learn from Bryant how to parlay early success into something more. “What was he doing as a young player to make those steps that he made to get from here to here,” Kuzma said. “From here to here. Just what he did as a young player or what he wanted to learn back then. Stuff like that.” With the cat out of the bag on his meet with Kobe, reporters were all over getting the juicy details from Kuzma after practice Thursday. For starters, Kobe ordered a porterhouse — the “big dog steak,” as Kuzma put it — and Kyle enjoyed a rib eye. While they may have different preferences at the dinner table, Kuzma hopes to mirror Kobe’s approach to the game of basketball. “He’s one of the greatest players of all time and a good resource to have because of his mentality and how he approached the game. I want to approach the game like that too,” Kuzma told reporters. “Stay at it, keep pushing,” Kuzma said of the overall message from Kobe. “Keep the main thing the main thing, just try to live in the gym. That's what he did his whole career. He values that, and I value being in the gym as well, so kinda that.”