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**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by licensed to ball,
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Must win tomorrow because of the Jazz and Pelicans win.
Also need Sixers over Blazers in Philly and
Nets over Wolves in Minnesota.
Also need Sixers over Blazers in Philly and
Nets over Wolves in Minnesota.
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Lakers now 1.5 games back of the 6 seed.
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Nets ain't beating the Wolves. They have been playing well lately.
I don't have a good feeling about tomorrow.
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Depends on which shooting team shows up. If Nets are shooting well from 3, Wolves have very little shot to win.
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darthska
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I get Chuck's overall point, but EYE wasn't saying 4 years ago that the Nets experiment would result in a championship.
MVP
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Wrong thread
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Beasley shooting 34.9% from 3 with the Lakers is mind blowing because I would have guessed he was shooting 25%
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Reminds me of the nfl. The league wants points so playing real defense is hard.
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Make or miss his rep as a shooter results in the defense playing him honest providing some much needed spacing whenever he’s on the court.
I’m not really tripping on his percentage or if he’s in a slump. Figure he’ll shoot humans himself out of it anyway
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Dlo being back will help Bright Lights Beasley hopefully
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Laker shooting curse continues
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Beasley is gonna variance because his degree of difficulty and volume is gonna be high, but hopefully D'Lo's return will open things up for Beasley.
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Pau Gasol on Kobe, emotional jersey retirement and Anthony Davis as a Lakers great
The ceremony is over. His jersey is hanging from the rafters. But Pau Gasol is still processing his emotions a day later.
As Gasol leans back in a director’s chair next to the outdoor court at the Nike Community Store in East Los Angeles, he’s donning a customized black Lakers letterman jacket with his name and number embroidered on it, navy Nike sweatpants and the unreleased Nike Kobe 6 Proto “BHM.” He still hasn’t come down from the high — the excitement, the anxiety, the nerves — of the Lakers’ jersey retirement ceremony for him at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
“My emotions were riding extremely high,” Gasol told The Athletic on Wednesday night. “It was very intense, very overwhelming, very beautiful to receive such a huge honor, but with so many other emotional factors and triggers. Obviously, the love of the fans, the appreciation, the energy in the building. The presence of friends, family and people who mean a lot to me and my life.
“And clearly, Kobe’s absence — but still strong presence. All that just made it extremely intense.”
Even though his week in Los Angeles is nearing its end, Gasol is at the Nike Community Store to help host a Nike & Gasol Foundation clinic — the first of four from Nike in Los Angeles — for over 30 boys and girls from the Los Angeles area. Gasol Foundation is part of Nike’s Made to Play initiative, which is its global commitment to getting kids moving. After the interview, he’ll take his jacket off and walk through dribbling, passing and finishing drills with the children, alongside a handful of coaches.
The backdrop of the court is only fitting: a Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant mural that was painted at the store in May 2022.
Tuesday’s game was not an important matchup between the teams Gasol spent the majority of his NBA career playing for: the Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gasol, 42, still has strong ties to both franchises and cities, and roots for both teams. But given the context of the evening — the Lakers were the organization honoring him, and they needed the win more than the Grizzlies did — he was quietly cheering for Los Angeles and was happy the Lakers won, 112-103, to move into the Play-In Tournament.
“It was a little challenging because I always want both teams to do well,” Gasol said. “At the same time, Memphis is No. 2 in the West, and the Lakers are battling their way up. They’re doing a lot better, and they’re putting themselves in a position to be in and have a chance.”
With Gasol recently named a 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalist, there has been speculation the Grizzlies might follow the Lakers’ gesture and retire his jersey in Memphis. But Gasol clarified he hasn’t discussed the honor with Memphis.
While the Lakers and Grizzlies came back on the floor to warm up for the second half, Lakers superstar Anthony Davis approached Gasol to congratulate him. Gasol was appreciative of the gesture, as Davis told Gasol he too wants to eventually rank among the Laker greats.
“I told him that he could and that he should and that he will if he keeps doing what he’s doing,” Gasol said. “He’s a great player. He’s a great kid. He’s at an age where he’s still a lot to give, a lot to prove, a lot to accomplish. … He has that type of mindset of ambitiousness, of high goals, of greatness — and what it takes.”
The Gasol-Davis conversation wasn’t the only interaction that drew attention on Tuesday. One of the most memorable moments of the evening was an embrace between Gasol and former teammate Jimmy Butler, who made the cross-country flight from Miami to Los Angeles on an off-day.
When the Lakers announced they were going to retire Gasol’s jersey in mid-August 2022, Butler reached out and told Gasol, “I’m going to be there.”
“Are you sure?” Gasol remembers asking him. “It’d be great if you could come.”
A few days before the ceremony, Butler texted Gasol, confirming he’d be there and would watch from a suite
“He made a huge effort to fly across the country to be there,” Gasol said. “Just shows his loyalty. How he feels, especially about me, in this case, and my family. Jimmy’s a special player, a special person, because how many people would do that?”
In the middle of the interview, Gasol pulls out his phone and opens up the NBA app to check out how Butler’s Heat are doing.
“I’m actually going to see if — I hope Miami won tonight,” Gasol said before a long pause. “Which they didn’t. But I’m sure he played well.”
Gasol opens up the box score and quickly scans Butler’s stat line. “Twenty-eight (points), five (rebounds) and five (assists) is pretty good,” Gasol said. “Yeah, I think he did his job.”
Gasol has certainly done his job as one of the trailblazers for international basketball’s expansion into the NBA. He was the second Spaniard to play in the league and the first to appear in the NBA Finals. His jersey is retired for one of the most recognizable franchises in sports. It’s easy to see his influence on the current generation. There are obvious parallels between Gasol and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic: the passing, the crafty post game, the footwork, the soft touch, and the team-first approach.
He smiles when asked about the next generation of international stars — Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Joel Embiid — and how they’ve taken over the league as its best and most dominant players.
“It makes me proud to see how the international game has grown and how international players are doing,” Gasol said. “I like to think that maybe I contributed a little bit to this reality where European players have nothing to fear, have nothing to envy, and actually dominate and are considered some of the best, if not the best players in the league. So it’s great how the game has grown. And I think that’s inspiring newer generations, also, to continue raising the bar.
“I think it’s great to see. It’s fun to watch. And it’s just proof of how global the game has become.”
That’s the only way to explain how a basketball legend from Spain could be hanging out in East Los Angeles in the middle of the workweek, helping shape the future generation of basketball players — as his brother and niece watch over him.
The ceremony is over. His jersey is hanging from the rafters. But Pau Gasol is still processing his emotions a day later.
As Gasol leans back in a director’s chair next to the outdoor court at the Nike Community Store in East Los Angeles, he’s donning a customized black Lakers letterman jacket with his name and number embroidered on it, navy Nike sweatpants and the unreleased Nike Kobe 6 Proto “BHM.” He still hasn’t come down from the high — the excitement, the anxiety, the nerves — of the Lakers’ jersey retirement ceremony for him at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
“My emotions were riding extremely high,” Gasol told The Athletic on Wednesday night. “It was very intense, very overwhelming, very beautiful to receive such a huge honor, but with so many other emotional factors and triggers. Obviously, the love of the fans, the appreciation, the energy in the building. The presence of friends, family and people who mean a lot to me and my life.
“And clearly, Kobe’s absence — but still strong presence. All that just made it extremely intense.”
Even though his week in Los Angeles is nearing its end, Gasol is at the Nike Community Store to help host a Nike & Gasol Foundation clinic — the first of four from Nike in Los Angeles — for over 30 boys and girls from the Los Angeles area. Gasol Foundation is part of Nike’s Made to Play initiative, which is its global commitment to getting kids moving. After the interview, he’ll take his jacket off and walk through dribbling, passing and finishing drills with the children, alongside a handful of coaches.
The backdrop of the court is only fitting: a Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant mural that was painted at the store in May 2022.
Tuesday’s game was not an important matchup between the teams Gasol spent the majority of his NBA career playing for: the Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gasol, 42, still has strong ties to both franchises and cities, and roots for both teams. But given the context of the evening — the Lakers were the organization honoring him, and they needed the win more than the Grizzlies did — he was quietly cheering for Los Angeles and was happy the Lakers won, 112-103, to move into the Play-In Tournament.
“It was a little challenging because I always want both teams to do well,” Gasol said. “At the same time, Memphis is No. 2 in the West, and the Lakers are battling their way up. They’re doing a lot better, and they’re putting themselves in a position to be in and have a chance.”
With Gasol recently named a 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalist, there has been speculation the Grizzlies might follow the Lakers’ gesture and retire his jersey in Memphis. But Gasol clarified he hasn’t discussed the honor with Memphis.
While the Lakers and Grizzlies came back on the floor to warm up for the second half, Lakers superstar Anthony Davis approached Gasol to congratulate him. Gasol was appreciative of the gesture, as Davis told Gasol he too wants to eventually rank among the Laker greats.
“I told him that he could and that he should and that he will if he keeps doing what he’s doing,” Gasol said. “He’s a great player. He’s a great kid. He’s at an age where he’s still a lot to give, a lot to prove, a lot to accomplish. … He has that type of mindset of ambitiousness, of high goals, of greatness — and what it takes.”
The Gasol-Davis conversation wasn’t the only interaction that drew attention on Tuesday. One of the most memorable moments of the evening was an embrace between Gasol and former teammate Jimmy Butler, who made the cross-country flight from Miami to Los Angeles on an off-day.
When the Lakers announced they were going to retire Gasol’s jersey in mid-August 2022, Butler reached out and told Gasol, “I’m going to be there.”
“Are you sure?” Gasol remembers asking him. “It’d be great if you could come.”
A few days before the ceremony, Butler texted Gasol, confirming he’d be there and would watch from a suite
“He made a huge effort to fly across the country to be there,” Gasol said. “Just shows his loyalty. How he feels, especially about me, in this case, and my family. Jimmy’s a special player, a special person, because how many people would do that?”
In the middle of the interview, Gasol pulls out his phone and opens up the NBA app to check out how Butler’s Heat are doing.
“I’m actually going to see if — I hope Miami won tonight,” Gasol said before a long pause. “Which they didn’t. But I’m sure he played well.”
Gasol opens up the box score and quickly scans Butler’s stat line. “Twenty-eight (points), five (rebounds) and five (assists) is pretty good,” Gasol said. “Yeah, I think he did his job.”
Gasol has certainly done his job as one of the trailblazers for international basketball’s expansion into the NBA. He was the second Spaniard to play in the league and the first to appear in the NBA Finals. His jersey is retired for one of the most recognizable franchises in sports. It’s easy to see his influence on the current generation. There are obvious parallels between Gasol and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic: the passing, the crafty post game, the footwork, the soft touch, and the team-first approach.
He smiles when asked about the next generation of international stars — Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Joel Embiid — and how they’ve taken over the league as its best and most dominant players.
“It makes me proud to see how the international game has grown and how international players are doing,” Gasol said. “I like to think that maybe I contributed a little bit to this reality where European players have nothing to fear, have nothing to envy, and actually dominate and are considered some of the best, if not the best players in the league. So it’s great how the game has grown. And I think that’s inspiring newer generations, also, to continue raising the bar.
“I think it’s great to see. It’s fun to watch. And it’s just proof of how global the game has become.”
That’s the only way to explain how a basketball legend from Spain could be hanging out in East Los Angeles in the middle of the workweek, helping shape the future generation of basketball players — as his brother and niece watch over him.
darthska
Staff member
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Pretty sure Pau is a top 3 favorite Laker for me. I didn't say best; I said favorite.
He might be top 2, actually, and not 2.
He might be top 2, actually, and not 2.
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Hijo Del Promo
formerly xxhu5sl1npnoyxx
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Beasley is fine, he demands a double team cause teams thinks he can make them. Gives the team good spacing.
Now that D-Lo is back, you cant double Beasley, because it will leave D-Lo open, who is as good shooter in his own right.
Now that D-Lo is back, you cant double Beasley, because it will leave D-Lo open, who is as good shooter in his own right.
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its because if you look at his stats from game to game he has a really bad game shooting then the next game he'll shoot .500 from three then a really bad game then .500 again and so on
his games as a laker:
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They are playing Beasley tight, but this opens up the paint for AD and others to attack. I rather watch this than everyone pack the paint because we have no shooters.
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Would be nice with Beasley in the second unit next year instead honestly. IMO.
Was thinking about Vando in the second unit too because of his lack of scoring. But the returns on his defense with AD is too massive to not have him playing 25-30 minutes per game.
Was thinking about Vando in the second unit too because of his lack of scoring. But the returns on his defense with AD is too massive to not have him playing 25-30 minutes per game.
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Clear as day that having a swiss army knife on defense next to a guy like AD was going to lead to a elite defense. A frontcourt of those two & allowing bron to play safety & roam is going to be such a ridiculous option
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On top of that are lead ball handler is Dennis who isn't exactly the greatest set up guy. Once we get D'Lo/Bron back he'll be getting some of the easiest looks of his career
