Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 26 – NBA Blog

Lakers sign Johnathan Williams to two-way contract, waive Travis Wear

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Johnathan Williams to a two-way contract. And in a related move, the team has waived forward Travis Wear.

Williams (6-9, 230) played in all six preseason games for the Lakers, averaging 6.8 points (.516 FG%) and 4.3 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have up to two players under two-way contracts on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. The Lakers roster remains at 16, including two two-way players.

Lakers exercise contract options on Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram

In what was likely an extremely easy decision for the team, the Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team options for the 2019-20 season on guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, and forwards Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram.

Ball earned Second Team All-Rookie honors in 2017-18, appearing in 52 games (50 starts) and averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.2 minutes.

In 63 games (23 starts) last season, Hart notched eight double-doubles and averaged 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.2 minutes, closing out the season with four-straight 20-point games.

Ingram played in 59 games (all starts), scoring a team-high-tying 16.1 points (.470 FG%) per game, adding 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 33.5 minutes.

A First Team All-Rookie selection last season, Kuzma appeared in 77 games (37 starts) and finished fifth all-time among Lakers rookies in scoring (1,242 points), tallying a team-high-tying 16.1 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.2 minutes.

Lakers waive Scott Machado and Johnathan Williams

The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on Scott Machado and Johnathan Williams.

The Lakers roster stands at 16, including two two-way players.

Legendary coach Tex Winter has died

Legendary coach Tex Winter has died. Several NBA teams who enjoyed long relationships with Winter have issued statements on the sad news:

LAKERS STATEMENT

On behalf of the entire Lakers organization, I’d like to express our sadness at the passing of Tex Winter,” said Lakers CEO and Controlling Owner Jeanie Buss. “Tex helped lead the team to four NBA Championships and was a mentor to many of our coaches and players. In addition to his numerous contributions to the game of basketball, Tex was a wonderful man and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Winter family.”

An innovator of the “triangle offense,” Winter joined the Lakers staff prior to the 1999-2000 campaign after spending 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, including eight under head coach Phil Jackson. Winter was a member of six championship teams in Chicago (1991-93, 1996-98) and four in Los Angeles (2000-02 and 2009).

BULLS STATEMENT

The following statement is from John Paxson, the Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, on behalf of the Bulls:

“Tex Winter was a basketball legend and perhaps the finest fundamental teacher in the history of our game. He was an innovator who had high standards for how basketball should be played and approached everyday. Those of us who were lucky enough to play for him will always respect his devotion to the game of basketball. His contributions to the Bulls organization will always be remembered.”

Lakers waive Jeffrey Carroll and Joel Berry II

The Los Angeles Lakers on Monday waived guards Joel Berry II and Jeffrey Carroll.

The move comes as no surprise, as players around the league signed to non-guaranteed contracts primarily for training camp and preseason purposes will steadily be cut as preseason wraps up later this week.

Berry II totaled 5 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound in three preseason games, while Carroll appeared in one preseason game for the Lakers.

LeBron James, Brandon Ingram look good in preseason win

Preseason is mostly a warmup period for many teams, but for the Lakers and other squads who made major offseason changes and have major chemistry development ahead of them, it’s more than that. The Lakers have a ton of lineup and rotation decisions to make. None will be fully settled in preseason, but coach Luke Walton has a lot of work ahead of him figuring this thing out.

And as for last night, here’s the Daily Breeze:

It was a tag-team act. LeBron James got the Lakers started. Brandon Ingram made sure they finished.

Breaking out of a sluggish start without their top two point guards, the Lakers finally managed their first preseason victory, 128-123 over the Sacramento Kings, behind 18 points from James in another one-half cameo followed by 31 points from Ingram, who guided the team down the stretch.

As Ingram made a key steal and two free throws in the final minute, James could be seen clapping and smiling from the bench.

It wasn’t a game the Lakers felt wholly good about – their third straight preseason effort with iffy defense and too many fouls. But between James’ second-quarter surge and Ingram’s strong offensive effort, they were finally able to get over a hump and see some potential from a budding young player.

The Lakers are must-see right now, and will stay that way for the near future.

LeBron James makes Lakers preseason debut

LeBron James really is a Laker. It wasn’t all a dream.

In his first-ever preseason game in a Lakers jersey, James started alongside a backcourt of Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and frontcourt of Brandon Ingram and JaVale McGee. The Lakers lost, 124-107 to the Nuggets, but the far bigger story is simply that the Lakers’ LeBron era has begun.

As with all teams who underwent big offseason changes, the Lakers’ preseason will likely be filled with lineup and rotational experiments, and very limited playing time for James, who in this game played just 15 minutes, shooting 2-of-6 for nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

Standing out among Lakers starters was McGee, who shot 8-of-10 for 17 points and seven rebounds in just 20 minutes. The regular season starting center job could go to him, or to James or another forward. Right now, anything seems possible at that spot.

In the win for Denver, forward Juan Hernangomez came off the bench and put up 19 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Starting guard Jamal Murray scored 18. And Mason Plumlee contributed an impressive 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists in just 19 minutes.

Lakers hire Kurt Rambis as Senior Basketball Advisor

Legendary former Lakers role player Kurt Rambis is back with the squad. Not as a role player again, which would be fun considering his playing days are long over, but as Senior Basketball Advisor.

Rambis will report to President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, and support the basketball operations and coaching staffs in their day-to-day functions.

“As a member of the Showtime Lakers, Kurt is a champion and knows how to win,” said Johnson. “He has been an integral part of the Lakers organization winning four NBA Championships as a player and an additional four as a part of the staff. His insights and wide range of experiences will be a huge benefit to our operations.”

Rambis has spent the past 16 years (1994-2009, 2013-14) in various coaching and front office roles within the Lakers organization. During that time, the team made six NBA Finals appearances (2000-02, 2004, 2008-09) and won four NBA Championships (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2009).

Rambis also served as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-11 and for four years from 2014-18 was associate head coach of the New York Knicks, including a brief stint as interim head coach.

“I’m happy to welcome Kurt back to the organization,” said Lakers head coach Luke Walton. “Kurt’s vast NBA experience and knowledge of the game will be a great asset to the team and I look forward to working with him again.”

LeBron James meets media as a Laker

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on Lakers forward LeBron James. That’s right. LeBron’s on the Lakers. The signing really happened this summer. It wasn’t all a dream. LeBron is a Laker. Accept this. Anyway:

Speaking with an all-business tone in his first press conference with his new team, LeBron James said the Los Angeles Lakers have “a long way to go” before getting on the same level as the Golden State Warriors.

James says he is excited to play alongside multiple ballhandlers but understands the Lakers may have to take their “bumps and bruises” early with so many new pieces.

“We got a long way to go to get to Golden State,” James said when asked if the Lakers can challenge the two-time defending champs. “They can pick up right where they left off, starting with training camp. … We are picking up from scratch so we got a long way to go. We can’t worry about what Golden State is doing. … They’ve been together for a few years now.”

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Luke Walton will be given time as Lakers transform

When you add LeBron James to a team, it doesn’t automatically mean the squad will instantly start winning and have no growing pains. Chances are, the Lakers will win more than they lose early on, but as new key players learn to play with each other, there will be winning streaks but also some losing. One step back, two steps forward, on and on. Here’s ESPN.com reporting that Magic Johnson understand this, and won’t hold it against head coach Luke Walton if there are some early-season bumps:

Saying he understands that the revamped Los Angeles Lakers will need time to mesh, Magic Johnson said he told head coach Luke Walton not to worry if the team gets off to a bumpy start this season.

“As I was talking to Luke [with GM Rob Pelinka], we said don’t worry about if we get out to a bad start,” Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, said Thursday as the team’s brass met with the media. “We have seen that with LeBron [James] going to Miami, and we have seen that when he came back to Cleveland. He is going to struggle because there are so many new moving parts. But eventually we are going to get it, and we are going to be really a good team.”

The Lakers added veterans such as James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley in free agency to go with a young developing core of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. In addition to adding multiple players who have been at their best with the ball in their hands, the Lakers injected their locker room with some strong and unique personalities.

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