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The Los Angeles Lakers have waived forward Anthony Brown.
Brown appeared in six games this preseason, averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. As a rookie with the Lakers last season, Brown averaged 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 29 games (11 starts).
The Lakers roster stands at 15.
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The Los Angeles Lakers announced today that they have waived forward/center Yi Jianlian, per the request of Yi and his agent.
“Yi was productive in practices and games with us, and was a consummate professional both on and off the court,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “However, he felt that the minutes and opportunities he’d be afforded here were not in line with his goals and ambitions, and that he’d be better off in a different situation. We appreciate his efforts and wish him great success as he goes forward with his career.”
Yi, the 6th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game over six contests with the Lakers this preseason.
The Lakers roster stands at 16.
Brandon Ingram is a rookie to watch this season. He appears to have all the potential in the world, but there’s no pressure on him to do big things right away. So we’re probably going to see occasional bursts of excellence. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News with the latest:
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The movement looked so natural as Brandon Ingram navigated his way around the court.
He sank shots with balance as he set his feet and squared up in triple threat position. He scanned the court and found open teammates both in half-court and transition. He slid his deceptively thin frame into the lane to pluck rebounds off the rim as if they were apples on a tree.
The Lakers fell in love with Ingram when he perfected all those qualities during his lone season at Duke. After seeing him experience some hiccups in summer league and training camp, the Lakers saw Ingram flash signs of promising growth in their 123-112 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Valley View Casino Center.
Ingram led the Lakers in points (21), in shooting efficiency (7 of 10) and rebounds (seven). He occasionally took care of ball handling duties both to tap into his versatility and take advantage of Golden State’s matchups that calls for positions to become interchangeable. And he put together a performance that made Lakers coach Luke Walton feel fuzzy about the team’s No. 2 draft pick.
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The Lakers waived guard Julian Jacobs and forwards Zach Auguste and Travis Wear today.
Auguste was signed on August 29 and did not appear in any of the four preseason games for the Lakers. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15:41 minutes per game in four games (one start) for the Lakers’ entry in the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Jacobs was signed September 1 and appeared in two preseason games for Los Angeles, scoring three points with two assists in 11 minutes.
Wear was also signed September 1, and saw action in two preseason games for the Lakers, scoring three points in addition to two rebounds in 11 minutes.
The Lakers training camp roster stands at 17.
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The Lakers have announced the hirings of Jennifer Swanson as Head Physical Therapist, Stacey Robinson as Massage Therapist, and Sean Light as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. The trio will report to Head Athletic Trainer Marco Nuñez, joining Assistant Athletic Trainer Nina Hsieh, Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim DiFrancesco, and Equipment Manager Carlos Maples on the training staff.
The team has also hired Lorena Martin as Director of Sports Performance Analytics and Jae Kim as Basketball Data Analyst, both of whom will report to Director of Basketball Analytics Yuju Lee.
The team also hired Joshua Wright as Assistant to the Head Coach, reporting to Head Coach Luke Walton.
Swanson brings over 12 years of experience working with professional and collegiate athletes from the NFL, NHL, MLS, and MLB, among others, to her position. Most recently, she served as Director of Sports Performance with the Chicago Bulls from 2013-16, integrating the medical, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, massage therapy, and nutrition programming into customized individual plans to decrease injury risk and maximize on-court performance. She obtained her doctorate in physical therapy from Duke University in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science with a minor in psychology from the University of California, Davis in 2001. In addition, the Gilroy, CA native completed a sports physical therapy residency at the University of Pittsburgh/Center for Rehab Services in 2006, where she also spent one year as a physical therapy intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers. She is a board certified specialist in sports and orthopedics, as well as a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Martin most recently completed three years of postdoctoral research at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Martin’s credentials include post-doctorates in epidemiology, biostatistics, and GIS spatial analysis, a doctorate in exercise physiology, and both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in psychology. She also spent time as a visiting scientist at the SALK Institute for Biological Studies in the Belmonte Gene Expression Laboratory. In addition, Dr. Martin has taught multiple courses at various universities including the University of Miami, Florida International University, and Northwestern University in the fields of research methods, statistics, sports performance, and data science, which later resulted in her developing a course in sports performance analytics for Northwestern University. Additionally, she published a sole-authored book, Sports Performance Measurement and Analytics, earlier this year based on sports performance research, her experiences as a former professional tennis player, and knowledge from her previous work with professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, and ATP Tour, as well as within hospital and clinical research settings.
Robinson comes to the Lakers after working with Joubert Physical Therapy in Beverly Hills for the last 10 years, helping with the athletic rehabilitation of a variety of clients, including professional athletes. Last year, she performed sports massage, tissue work, and stretching on individual New York Yankees players. Her professional sports experience as a massage therapist extends to working with the Dallas Cowboys for three seasons during training camp, and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League. She holds a business degree with an associate of science minor from Fullerton Junior College while simultaneously attending the Institute of Professional Practical Therapy, where she earned her sports massage therapy certification.
Light joins the team after serving as a strength and conditioning coach for the past four seasons with minor league affiliates in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system. He assisted at spring training with the parent club each of the last four years, and was previously a strength and conditioning intern with the New York Yankees in 2012. He graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2010, where he played three years of Division I basketball. Light is a registered strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist.
Kim was most recently analytics manager for the University of California, Berkeley men’s basketball team for the 2015-16 season. In his role, he composed regular analytical scouting reports for the coaching staff and assisted in the recruitment process, promoting the Golden Bears program to prospective athletes. Kim received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Haas School of Business while at Cal. A native of South Korea, he studied statistics and worked as a legislative assistant for the National Assembly of South Korea.
Wright holds a degree in kinesiology from Georgetown College, where he was a member of the football team. Last season, the Elizabethtown, KY native volunteered with the Wake Forest men’s basketball program.
The Los Angeles D-Fenders on Monday have named Coby Karl as head coach. He replaces Casey Owens, who takes over as an assistant coach and advance scout on the Los Angeles Lakers staff.
“We are excited to welcome Coby back to the D-Fenders family as our new head coach,” Buss said. “His extensive experience as both a player and coach in this league is something we’re very happy to bring to the organization as we look to build on a season of success.”
“It is an honor to be back with the Lakers organization, the team that gave me my first job and allowed me to realize my dream of playing in the NBA,” Karl said. “My goal going forward will be to foster an environment and culture that permits our players and staff to fulfill their dreams. Our pursuit will focus on excellence, both as individuals and as members of the Los Angeles D-Fenders organization.”
Karl returns to the D-Fenders organization after appearing in 17 games for the team during the 2007-08 season while on assignment from the Lakers. On February 19, 2008, Karl became the second player in NBA Development League history to play in an NBADL and NBA game in the same day, following former Lakers guard Jordan Farmar. As a player, Karl saw action with the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors of the NBA, as well as with the D-Fenders, Reno Bighorns, and Idaho Stampede of the NBADL. He most recently served as an assistant coach on the Westchester Knicks staff during the 2015-16 season at the conclusion of his playing career.
Karl, the son of NBA veteran coach George Karl, began his coaching career by spending last season as an assistant coach with the Westchester Knicks. While in the Empire State, he helped the Knicks earn their first playoff berth in franchise history as Westchester improved from 10-40 in 2014-15 to 28-22 during the 2015-16 campaign.
Undrafted in 2007, Karl was invited to participate in training camp with the Lakers, making the Opening Day 15-man roster as a free agent. Karl would go on to play professionally for eight seasons before retiring in 2015.
Along with his domestic experience, Karl also knows the international game, having played professionally in Spain, Italy, and Germany.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the basketball legends being inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday. But here’s what he had to say about the current Lakers squad, as reported by the Orange County Register:
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“They’re definitely going to be exciting,” O’Neal said during a Hall of Fame news conference Thursday, “but I don’t see them being a contender for a while. I mean, they’ve still got to go up against Golden State in the West, they’ve got to go up against OKC, still got to go up against Cleveland, the Rockets. So they have a long way to go to be a contender.
“Every now and then they’ll make some noise and get the people in the Staples Center excited.” …
O’Neal acknowledged no being “really familiar with the talent” on the Lakers roster, but did say that he has high expectations for rookie Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 pick in June’s draft.
“I like Ingram,” O’Neal said. “Think he needs to get a little bit stronger, but I think Luke is going to come to some type of system where’s he’s going to be out on the perimeter, doesn’t need to post up that much.”
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The Lakers have re-signed center Tarik Black, the team announced today.
New addition Timofey Mozgov will likely start at center for the Lakers. Black will be a reserve.
“Tarik is a player whose strengths are well-suited for the style of play we envision for our team going forward,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “He plays the game with a mix of athleticism, energy, and physicality that make him a valuable frontcourt contributor in today’s NBA.”
In two seasons with the Lakers, Black has averaged 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.9 per game while shooting 57.5% from the field over 77 games (27 starts). Awarded to the Lakers on a waiver claim on December 28, 2014, he also appeared in 25 games (12 starts) for the Houston Rockets to begin the 2014-15 season before being waived.
The 24-year-old Black averaged 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 60.5% shooting after being reinserted into the starting lineup at center in 2014-15, and finished his rookie season ranked second amongst all first year players in offensive rebounds per game and third in total rebounds per game. On April 12, 2015, he grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, becoming the first Lakers rookie since Leroy Ellis in 1963 to record that many rebounds in a game.
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The Lakers have finally signed rookie forward Brandon Ingram.
The team is hoping for big things from Ingram, who appears to have as much talent and upside as any rookie in his class.
How quickly he’ll be able to mature both physically and as a player to become effective will be worth watching, on a national level, not just in Los Angeles.
Drafted with the second overall selection of the 2016 NBA Draft in June, Ingram averaged 12.2 points (second on the team), 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over his five games (all starts) at the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Following his Summer League play, Ingram was selected by USA Basketball to participate as a member of the 2016 USA Men’s Select Team.
According to the Orange County Register, “Ingram remained unsigned while the Lakers tried to maximize flexibility in free agency to sign players. His rookie contract is expected to be worth about $23.8 million over four seasons, with Ingram set to make about $5.3 million this season.”
The 18-year-old was the consensus ACC Freshman of the year in his lone collegiate season at Duke, while also earning a consensus Second Team All-ACC selection. He finished the season ranked sixth in the ACC in scoring (17.3), seventh in three-point percentage (.410) and minutes played (34.6), ninth in three-pointers made per game (2.2), 10th in blocks (1.4), and 13th in rebounds (6.8).
The Kinston, NC native was Duke’s leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 23.0 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists over the three games, scoring at least 20 points in each contest and playing in 119 of a possible 120 minutes of action.
The 6’9’’ Ingram was a member of USA Basketball’s 2015 United States Junior National Select Team and was a Parade All-American as a senior at Kinston High School. He won four straight 2A state championships, becoming one of two players in history to win four consecutive North Carolina State Championships, and was MVP of the state championship game as a senior.
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Forward Yi Jianlian is back in the NBA. The Lakers officially signed him today.
“We’re excited to have a player of his worldwide accomplishments,” said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “We look forward to bringing him to training camp and hopefully having him make an impact on our team.”
The Lakers frontcourt revolves around Luol Deng, Julius Randle, and if he’s ready, rookie Brandon Ingram, plus Timofey Mozgov at center. Jianlian adds some forward depth.
Yi, who hails from the Guangdong Province in China, recently concluded competing for his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, averaging 20.4 points (3rd overall in group play competition), 6.6 rebounds (6th), 1.4 steals (t-6th), and 1.0 blocks (t-6th) per game over his five contests while shooting 46.7% from three-point range.
Drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Yi last appeared in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2011-12 season. Over his five-year NBA career, the 6’11’’ Yi averaged 7.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 22.2 minutes per game over 272 contests (163 starts) with the Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and Mavericks.
Prior to joining the NBA, the 28-year-old played professionally for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association beginning in 2002, and played the last four seasons with the organization as well. He is a four-time CBA champion, eight-time CBA MVP, and two-time CBA Finals MVP, in addition to a decorated international career that includes winning three gold medals at the FIBA Asia Championships (2015, 2011, and 2005) and gold at the 2006 Asian Games.