The Los Angeles Lakers training camp started on Monday and the news and rumors are picking up.
Check out the latest buzz below.
Lakers Might Make Trade
The Lakers might make a trade sometime this season.
“I think our approach is going to be similar this season and this offseason as it was this past season. There’s only three ways to improve your team: You can make a trade; you can use your room to sign a free agent; or you can draft a player if you have a draft pick,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said at a press conference on Friday.
“We did acquire a draft pick in the offseason. In fact, we acquired two. A second round pick, but we (also) got the first-round pick from Houston. So we have a pick this offseason, which is a valuable asset. We have flexibility with our (salary) cap. So we could look to improve the team during the offseason or during the season. So we feel that we have the flexibility and the assets necessary to approach this season as we did last season.”
In fact, Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders believes that the Lakers might try dealing Steve Nash.
“As for Nash, if he’s healthy, then I can absolutely see a team looking for an experienced, veteran leader wanting to bring him in, like OKC did with Derek Fisher the last few years,” he said.
“And even with the glut of point guards in Phoenix, I can see them bringing him back home as an elder statesman and face of the franchise, especially if he has any plans of a career transition that keeps him with the club.”
There’s also been talk about the current Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio seeing how much cap space the Lakers and New York Knicks have, but no word on whether the Lakers are interested. Rubio reportedly wants a max contract.
Championship Run Possible?
Kupchak believes that the Lakers could make a championship run.
“Our expectations are to win a championship,” Kupchak said.
He noted, though, that “The expectations outside of this room might not be the same.”
Kupchak noted that one of the biggest factors will be keeping Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Carlos Boozer healthy.
“I think a big degree of our success will be if those three guys can stay healthy,” Kupchak said. “For me, a lot of our success this year is going to rely on Steve and Kobe and Carlos. We have three proven veterans.”
“We have other veterans. Jeremy [Lin] is a veteran. Jordan Hill is a veteran. Those are our three most accomplished veterans. They will have to stay healthy and play their best for us to be the best team we can be.”
Bryant Will Make Impressive Return
Kupchak also believes that Kobe will make a big return this season from injuries, while realizing he Lakers’ chances of returning to the playoffs probably depend on it.
“I think he'll be very effective,” Kupchak said Friday. “I’m not going to predict what his statistics will be, but ... if we needed 30 or 35 (points) from him, I think he could get it.”
Kupchak radiated preseason optimism while discussing the Lakers’ prospects for a rebound from last spring’s disappointments. Los Angeles finished 27-55 and missed the playoffs for just the third time in 38 years, but the GM believes he has a playoff-contending roster in place around Bryant this fall.
Still, much depends on the health of Bryant, who will make $48.5 million over the next two seasons. Just six games after he finally returned from surgery on a torn Achilles tendon last winter, Bryant broke a bone near his knee and was lost for the year.
Kupchak has been watching Bryant’s recovery for several months, observing his workouts at the Lakers’ training complex and near his home in Orange County. Bryant has lost at least 10 pounds during the process, getting back down to his playing weight prior to the injuries.
“I think he’s going to have an excellent year,” Kupchak said. “He’s going to play differently than he played 10 years ago. Maybe not so different than what he played two or three years ago, because if you’ve tracked his progress over the years ... he’s gradually turned into a seasoned veteran, knowing when to turn it on.
“He goes to certain spots on the court. He doesn’t take wild shots. He doesn’t gamble as much on defense. I think you‘ll see a player similar to what you saw two years ago. He’ll do as much as he has to do to put us into the best chance to win.”
Nash, Bryant Could be Rested
Kupchak says that there might be rest days built in for both Steve Nash and Bryant.
Bryant turned 36 last month and Nash is 40--both are heading into their 19th NBA seasons.
Kupchak said that he doesn’t know if coach Byron Scott has a plan to limit their minutes or participation in back-to-back games, but would support it.
“If there is some kind of a mandate to restrict minutes or games, hopefully the players understand it and they work with Byron on it,” Kupchak said, mindful of Bryant’s competitive nature.
“(Bryant) looks really good, says he feels great,” Kupchak added. “No ill effects on either injury. Steve Nash says he feels the best he’s felt in a long time. He’s been working out, playing every day. ... I think we’re a little bit more apprehensive with Steve, naturally, because of what he went through last year and his age.”
Lin Spurned Millions of Dollars
Jeremy Lin says that he left millions of dollars on the table by not accepting the endorsement opportunities he was offered during the height of the “Linsanity” era in New York two years ago.
The 26-year-old only played in 35 games with the Knicks in the 2011-12 season but made his imprint as he began scoring lots of points while also dishing out assists.
“If I had accepted everything, I don’t know the exact number, but I would have been making way more off the court than on the court,” said Lin, who has a $14.9 million salary in the final season of his three-year, $25 million deal after being traded by the Houston Rockets, reported Bloomberg. “Even the next contract after.”
Lin does have several deals going on, including joining the Whistle Sports Network as a content partner with his YouTube channel, and an endorsement deal with Adidas. But he’s avoided most of the sponsorship he’s been offered.
“We’ve turned away almost everything, just because I do think my purpose is to play basketball, play well, and play for the glory of God,” Lin said. “The stuff off the court is great and it’s fun, but it’s definitely secondary to my primary job.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MORE:
Miami Heat News and Rumors: Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Luol Deng
