Lakers News: Latest on Kobe Bryant, Pursuit of Quincy Miller and More
Even when the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the worst teams in the NBA, they make headlines.
After all, there are 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center and one of the best players in the history of the league taking the floor there in every game. The Lakers make news every night, even if they will lose far more games than they win this season.
With that in mind, here is a look at the latest from Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant Laker for Life?
Kobe Bryant discussed any potential possibility of leaving Los Angeles recently, via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
"I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career. But that's not what I do. I'm extremely loyal to the Lakers.
I believe in fighting through the tough times as well as enjoying the good times. It's my responsibility to get us to be the best that we can be. It's important that we approach that on a day-to-day basis.
"
On the surface, the loyalty is certainly admirable, especially in today’s age of basketball when so many superstars jump to a contender at the earliest possible moment instead of sticking around to participate in a rebuilding project.
However, Spears pointed out that Bryant did ask for a trade in 2007 when the Lakers did not make any notable moves and then rescinded that request after the team acquired Pau Gasol. It’s not as if Bryant has always been 100 percent willing to stick out rebuilding projects in purple and gold.
The New York Knicks would be an intriguing option if Bryant was to leave or get traded in the near future. It would reunite Bryant with Phil Jackson and give him the opportunity to play alongside Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks don’t have a ton of young assets, but the two teams could probably work something out if the desire was there on both sides.
Alas, that is just speculation, and it looks like Bryant will be a Laker for life if his latest comments are any indication. That should put fans’ worries to rest during this trying season.
Pursuit of Quincy Miller
Shams Charania of RealGM noted that the Lakers could look to add Quincy Miller in the near future:
Miller will only be 22 years old for the majority of this season, so he is a potential young asset who could help the team out in the long term. Last year, he scored 4.9 points a game for the Denver Nuggets and played in 52 contests, which was a drastic improvement from the seven appearances he saw as a rookie.
Los Angeles is likely interested in Miller because of the rash of injuries it has suffered recently.
Steve Nash and Julius Randle are both out for the season, and Nick Young and Ryan Kelly are dealing with physical setbacks as well. The bottom line is that the Lakers need healthy bodies and more depth over the course of a grueling NBA season, and Miller would provide them with just that.
Isaiah Thomas Almost Chose the Lakers
Isaiah Thomas, in a Q&A session with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, noted that he was almost a member of the Los Angeles Lakers this season:
"First off, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers. Who wouldn’t want to play for them? Second off, I felt like they always needed a point guard — a small guard like myself. I always envisioned myself playing with the Lakers, but like you said, they were waiting on Carmelo and other moves. The Suns came out of nowhere and showed a lot of interest, and I fell in love with them.
"
Thomas’ presence would have drastically improved the Lakers’ 2014-15 outlook. Last year, he posted nightly averages of 20.3 points, 6.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals, and he is a career 36 percent shooter from three-point range.
Thomas could have been a second banana in the scoring department behind Bryant in that scenario, especially with Randle injured, and he would have benefited from plenty of open looks from distance when defenders collapsed on Bryant.
Steve Mason of ESPNLA 710 had an interesting take on it when Thomas was busy lighting the Lakers up for the Phoenix Suns in a recent game:
At this point, it is not worth worrying about what could have been for Lakers fans.
This 2014-15 season will likely be a lost cause, but that doesn’t mean the team will stop looking toward the future. Los Angeles could get a favorable draft pick in the top five after losing plenty of games and will look toward future free-agent classes.
At least that’s what fans have to keep telling themselves.
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