Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 42 – NBA Blog

Lamar Odom prognosis is not good

Here’s TMZ Sports with the latest on former NBA star Lamar Odom, who is fighting for his life in a hospital right now, and is reportedly in very bad condition:

Lamar Odom has not gotten any better, and sources familiar with his treatment say even if he survives he has virtually no chance of ever leading a normal life.

Our sources say doctors continue to put Lamar’s chances of survival at 50/50. We’re told he showed “absolutely no improvement” Thursday from the condition he was in when he was admitted to the hospital Tuesday. As one person put it, “He’s in dire straits.”

Lakers hire Tracy Murray as shooting coach

Former Lakers player Tracy Murray has been hired by the team as a shooting coach, it was announced yesterday by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

In his position, Murray will work with head coach Byron Scott and his staff, focusing on improving the players shooting form and technique.

“I’ve known Tracy a long time, and he was one of the purest shooters I’ve ever seen,” said Scott. “I think he’ll be a benefit to our players, especially our young guys, and I look forward to working with him as a member of our staff.”

Most recently, the Los Angeles native spent eight seasons as a radio color analyst for the UCLA Bruins men’s and women’s basketball teams. During this time, Murray also spent three seasons (2007-09) as a player mentor and assistant coach for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League and one season (2011) as an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock.

Originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 18th overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft, Murray played for six teams (Portland, Houston, Toronto, Washington, Denver and Los Angeles) over his 12-year NBA career posting averages of 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 659 games. In 1995, Murray earned an NBA championship as a member of the Houston Rockets and on February 10, 1998 he recorded a career- high 50 points while playing for the Washington Wizards. Following the NBA, Murray played overseas with stints in Greece (Panathinaikos, 2004-05 and P.A.O.K., 2005-06) and France (Elan Chalon, 2006-07).

An alumnus of UCLA, Murray played for the Bruins from 1989-92 and was named to the Pac-10 All-Conference First Team during his sophomore and junior seasons. The former McDonald’s All-American averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 98 career games and finished his career ranked fifth on UCLA’s All-Time Scoring list (1792).

Lakers exercise contract option on Julius Randle

The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team option for the 2016-17 season on forward Julius Randle, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

This was a widely-expected move, as the team hopes Randle will emerge as a serious building block for the future.

Randle, the seventh overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, only appeared in one game as a rookie, scoring two points in his professional debut on October 28th against Houston before suffering a fractured tibia in his right leg. The second-year player out of Kentucky has started in all five Lakers preseason contests in 2015, averaging 12.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.20 steals in 24.5 minutes.

Lakers player cuts coming soon

Like all NBA teams, the Lakers must soon say goodbye to players they won’t be keeping for their regular season roster. Here’s the OC Register reporting:

[Lakers head coach Byron] Scott said this week he’ll soon begin trimming the Lakers roster to eventually get down to the league’s 15-player maximum.

That means Tuesday’s game against the Kings could be the last night for some members of the 19-man roster.

The team’s decisions could offer some insight into whether the organization truly views this season as a development year, or if it believes it still has a slim chance at the postseason.

Players such as World Peace, Ryan Kelly, Tarik Black and Robert Sacre offer more immediate help on the court. But would the Lakers be better off investing in Robert Upshaw and Jabari Brown to see what they become?

“I’m looking for the 15 guys that best fit the team,” Scott said.

Lakers beat Maccabi Haifa 126-83

Here’s the OC Register reporting on a Lakers preseason win:

Kobe Bryant scored 21 points in 19 minutes and six of his teammates scored in double figures as the Lakers rolled to a 126-83 win over Israel’s Maccabi Haifa on Sunday at Staples Center.

Bryant shot an efficient 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.

Roy Hibbert tallied 16 rebounds to go with 8 points and 5 assists.

It was a breakout night for many, and especially appreciated after the Lakers lost their first three preseason games.

Julius Randle showing off handles in preseason

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on a key member of the Lakers youth movement:

This summer, Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott came to Julius Randle with an order.

“I told him every time he gets a defensive rebound, I want him to push it,” Scott said Sunday following his team’s 126-83 preseason win over Maccabi Haifa at Staples Center here.

It’s not typical for a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward to have the green light to initiate fast breaks all by himself.

“True,” Scott said with a smile.

But that’s precisely what Randle has done on numerous possessions throughout this preseason, and his agility, athleticism and ball-handling skills have been one of the biggest highlights — and biggest surprises — for the Lakers, continually impressing his teammates, coaches and fans alike.

Trevor Booker ejected from preseason game after smacking Roy Hibbert

Here’s the Deseret News reporting on Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker, who was ejected after smacking Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert in the face. The Jazz won the game 117-114 in overtime.

Booker, who started for [Derrick] Favors, was ejected early in the third quarter after picking up two technical fouls.

The first technical came after Booker bumped Lakers forward Julius Randle after a hard foul.

The second technical happened after Roy Hibbert approached Booker following that previous incident. Hibbert, who got under the Jazz forward’s skin in Sunday’s game, bumped into Booker’s chest and Utah’s feisty big man smacked the Laker center in the head with an open left hand.

Booker was then tossed and Hibbert was assessed a technical foul.

Many Lakers banged up in training camp

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News reporting from the virtual hospital waiting room that is Lakers training camp:

The ice bag stayed firmly wrapped on Anthony Brown’s right shoulder. Lakers trainer Gary Vitti stood nearby finalizing plans for Brown to receive an MRI at a nearby hospital after the Lakers’ rookie small forward bumped his shoulder through a hard screen.

“It’s not horrible,” Anthony said in an interview with Los Angeles News Group. “I want to take precaution. So I sat out. But it’s not horrible.” …

Lakers guard Jabari Brown will receive x-rays on Monday after feeling pain in his right hand. Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas missed the team’s preseason loss to Utah on Sunday because of a strained right hamstring, as did Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. with back spasms. The Lakers also nursed ailments considered to be minor, including point guard D’Angelo Russell (bone bruise in right foot), forward Metta World Peace (strained left calf) and forward Nick Young (back spasms).

Jordan Clarkson and D`Angelo Russell developing chemistry

Jordan Clarkson and D`Angelo Russell developing chemistry

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles with an early look at chemistry development between key members of the Lakers’ future:

Part of the reason the two players seem to mesh well is that they believe their skill sets complement each other more than they overlap.

“His mentality is more [to] score,” Russell said. “I’m looking to pass, and he’s in a position to score most of the time.”

Said Clarkson: “We’re two totally different players. He’s an excellent passer and I’m real aggressive and it just kind of comes together.”

The players also come together outside of basketball.

“We hang [out] a lot off the court,” Clarkson said, “so it kind of makes it easy on the court.”

“We just relate to each other,” Russell said. “He’s not one of those real serious vets that you can’t crack a smile around. He’s a young dude, second year, still learning, still growing. Me, the same way. I’m a goofy guy, he’s a goofy guy. So we kind of complement each other.”

D`Angelo Russell nursing minor bruise in foot

D’Angelo Russell nursing minor bruise in foot

There are always lots of very minor semi-injuries in NBA training camp and preseason. Most won’t mean anything. And here’s one setback that hopefully is gone and forgotten very quickly, reported by the Los Angeles Daily News blog:

The Lakers absorbed their first injury of the 2015-16 season, with rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell missing the end of Thursday’s two hour morning session at Stan Sheriff Center because of a bone bruise in his right foot. Russell does not know how the injury happened, but he downplayed the severity of the injury. Russell also expressed optimism he will play in the evening scheduled later for Thursday.

“I feel fine, I’m doing the proper icing and taking care of it,” Russell said. “It’s just a little bruise.

Still, Russell conducted his post-practice interview sitting on a chair.