Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired forward/center Ater Majok, it was announced today by General Manger Nick Mazzella.

Drafted out of UCONN in the second round (58th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Majok appeared in three Summer League games with the Lakers before signing with BK SPU Nitra of Slovakia. The 6’10” forward/center averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 41 games for Nitra in 2011-12. In 113 games internationally between 2011 and 2014, Majok tallied 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on the Lakers, who are 6-16 this season:

It is no surprise to see Kobe Bryant with the ball in his hands at the end of games.

But late in Tuesday’s 98-95 win over the Sacramento Kings, it was by design.

Coach Byron Scott opted to eschew a traditional backcourt, playing Bryant at point guard for all but the final 34 seconds of the fourth quarter.

It worked, as the Lakers star scored or assisted on each of the Lakers’ final five field goals.

Shifting Bryant to point guard at critical junctures is something Scott said he had been thinking about, and he said he has gone so far as to contemplate starting the 36-year-old at the position.

“I even talked to him about it,” Scott said. “I said, ‘I’m thinking about it, but I’m not there yet.’ So yeah I have thought about it.”

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin, who like most of his teammates is still adjusting to what should be a tough run all season long:

What label to use for Lin from night to night has pinballed: efficient, inefficient, spotty, reliable, aggressive, facilitator. In Wednesday’s loss to Washington, he was just bad, missing all 10 of his shots, including six 3-pointers, which Coach Byron Scott chalked up to an off night. It was the second time he has been held scoreless this season.

But there are issues, bigger issues. Namely, Lin still isn’t particularly comfortable in the Lakers’ offense.

However, it was not entirely unexpected that this marriage between the offensively minded Lin and the Lakers, whose new offense features a two-guard front, would take some work.

“Houston was the ideal system for me,” Lin said earlier this week, “personally as a player in terms of spreading the floor, running and making plays and having guys with a lot of space, stretch fours. That’s the ideal system, but that’s not what we have here.”

The Los Angeles Lakers have re-assigned Jordan Clarkson and Xavier Henry to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, it was announced today.

Clarkson and Henry will make their second appearance of the season with the D-Fenders, after having previously played with the team on November 15th against the Texas Legends. Clarkson shot 8-of-20 from the field and tallied 28 points, five rebounds and five assists against the Legends. Henry scored a game-high 33 points, connecting on 12-of-20 field goal attempts, while also grabbing four rebounds for the D-Fenders.

Jordan Clarkson and Xavier Henry have been assigned to the Los Angeles
D-Fenders from the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced today.

Clarkson, a second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has appeared in eight games for the Lakers this season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.4 minutes. Clarkson played two seasons at the University of Tulsa, before transferring to Missouri where he appeared in 35 games and averaged 17.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes.

Henry has appeared in seven games this season for the Lakers, scoring 1.3 points per contest. A product of Kansas University, Henry appeared in 43 games for the Lakers in 2013-14, averaging 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.

Wayne Ellington’s father shot, killed in Philadelphia

The following statement was released today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak regarding the death of guard Wayne Ellington’s father, who was shot and killed Sunday night in Philadelphia:

“Our players are upset for their friend and teammate. Additionally, ownership and all Lakers employees are also saddened by this tragedy. Those of us who work with and have gotten to know Wayne have come to know what a wonderful and caring person he is. Our hearts go out to Wayne and his family, as do our thoughts and prayers.”

Ellington has been granted an indefinite leave of absence and it is unknown at this time when he will rejoin the team.

STATEMENT FROM WAYNE ELLINGTON

“My family and I are devastated by the news of my father’s murder on Sunday night in Philadelphia,” said Ellington. “We appreciate everyone’s support and ask that you respect the privacy of our family during this very difficult time.”

Lakers get first win of season

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting on the Lakers, who won their first game of the 2014-15 NBA season yesterday and are now 1-5:

The streamers dropped from the Staples Center rafters. Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” blared over the loudspeakers. Fans giddily cheered over both receiving free tacos and witnessing a rare Lakers’ win.

But inside the Lakers’ locker room, the reaction over a 107-92 victory Sunday over the Charlotte Bobcats at Staples Center hardly showed a team excited over ending their five-game losing streak.

Kobe Bryant offered clipped answers with a stoic demeanor. Jeremy Lin seemed more relieved when his press conference ended, which always attracts a crush of overseas reporters. Carlos Boozer didn’t even bother emerging at his locker room to bask in the win. Lakers coach Byron Scott sounded as businesslike in his first victory as the team’s head coach as he did when the team had its worst start in franchise history in 57 years.

“Nobody was overjoyed in there,” Scott said. “From a standpoint of being [ticked] off and wanting to get a win because of what our record is, it was nice. But other than that, it’s no more than any other win.”