Tag: Dwayne Bacon

Lakers release two players, sign two new players

The Lakers have made a few minor roster moves.

Through three preseason games, the Los Angeles Lakers are 0-3, but there are things to be hopeful for.

When their regular rotation players have been in the game, mostly in the first half and for much of the third quarter, they have looked fairly good on both ends of the floor.

But head coach Darvin Ham has given almost all the rest of the available playing time to men who will either not make the final roster or get very little run during the regular season.

It’s part of his job. Every team needs to determine who will end up getting its final roster spots.

To that end, the Lakers released Dwayne Bacon and Javante McCoy, and signed L.J. Figueroa and Shaquille Harrison.

Figueroa is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard who spent last season in the G League. He seems to have the potential to be a good rebounder for a guard.

Harrison, meanwhile, has played with six teams across five NBA seasons. His best year came in the 2019-20 campaign when he averaged 4.9 points in 11.3 minutes per game while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range.

[mm-video type=video id=01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7/01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7-38c546a77fd4e142effefacfb34d107f.jpg]

[listicle id=86412]

Lakers sign Matt Ryan and Dwayne Bacon

The Lakers have made two more additions to their roster just in advance of the start of training camp.

Just before the start of training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers have added a couple of players to their roster.

NBA teams often sign players just before camp opens to complete their rosters and serve as camp fodder — the equivalent of practice squad players in the NFL. Once in a while, one of those players will impress so much that he enters the team’s main rotation.

Los Angeles signed Matt Ryan, an undrafted 6-foot-7 forward who has spent two years in pro basketball, mainly in the G League.

It has also brought in Dwayne Bacon, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound shooting guard who has four years of NBA experience.

Ryan was called up to the Boston Celtics midway through last season via a two-way deal, although he played a grand total of five minutes in one game in the big league.

Bacon has been with the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic since being a second-round pick in 2017. His best season was the 2018-19 campaign, when he shot 47.5% from the field and 43.7% from 3-point range.

In another move, the Lakers waived Fabian White Jr., who had joined their summer league squad as an undrafted free agent, on Sunday.

[mm-video type=video id=01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7/01gd1e4mnmhz3qz8n0t7-38c546a77fd4e142effefacfb34d107f.jpg]

[listicle id=85904]

Only 11 players played the full schedule, the lowest total since 1967

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Whether it was due to injuries some may attribute to a shortened offseason or various restrictions and complications related to COVID-19, it was incredibly rare to see a player on the floor every single night. Ultimately, when it was all said and done, there were only 11 players who were able to play in all 72 games.

If that number seems low, you are absolutely right, as it was nearly half of the total from the most recent full season (21) in 2018-19. In fact, since the league moved to an 82-game schedule in 1967-68, this is the lowest number we have seen.

There is nothing surprising about only 11 players completing the full 72-game slate when considering the chaotic schedule that teams faced this year. But for perspective, while fewer than a dozen players appeared in each game for their squad, that number was as high as 58 in 1999-00.

While it is always impressive for a player to be counted on night after night, this year, that accomplishment deserves even more praise than ever before. In this case, it may even factor into the MVP discussions as Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic was the only All-Star who played all games.

Another individual worth saluting includes No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards, who played the full season despite a coaching and ownership change for his Minnesota Timberwolves.

No one should be too surprised to see RJ Barrett, who finished with the second-most total minutes played in his first season under New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, widely known to expect intense minutes from his roster.

Others who met these qualifications for top playoff contenders include Mikal Bridges (Phoenix), Bojan Bogdanovic (Utah), Georges Niang (Utah) and Ivica Zubac (LA Clippers).

Hopefully, next season will be more normal and we can see more players get the full 82-game experience.

[lawrence-related id=1499249]

[listicle id=1499205]

Magic-Lakers recap: Defense helps L.A. capture second straight win

The Lakers defense helped them grind out a win on Sunday against a new, but undermanned Orlando Magic squad.

The Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a golden opportunity on Sunday evening as they took care of business in a tight game against the Orlando Magic, 96-93. The Magic had an opportunity to send the game into overtime on the final possession of the game but the tying shot went begging and the Lakers left the winners of back-to-back games without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers defense was solid all night long but even more importantly, it was good when they needed it under pressure in the 4th quarter. The Lakers also found enough opportunities in transition and in early offense, thanks to their defense, to create the separation needed to get another W.

Dennis Schröder led the Lakers with 24 points and six assists while Kyle Kuzma delivered a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Montrezl Harrell, their most consistent scorer since losing LeBron James, fought through an ankle injury to deliver 18 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

 

Miles Bridges releases hip hop mixtape with teammate Dwayne Bacon

Miles Bridges is not only hammering home dunks on the court, but is also laying down bars in the studio.

[jwplayer 1tjDKyFK-PROpJzTY]

Miles Bridges is not only a professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets, but he is also a music artist also.  He released his first album in a collaboration with one of his teammates.

He teamed up with Charlotte Hornets guard Dwayne Bacon to produce this album called Flint to Lakeland.  Bridges is from Flint and Bacon is from Lakeland.  It features 10 songs plus two appearances from Baby T.  The album is well designed featuring Bridges love for gorillas, the area code for Flint and Lakeland, and the expressway signs for Flint and Lakeland.

The album is 21 minutes in length and available on Apple Music.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Terance Mann, others send prayers to Jonathan Isaac following injury

Players sent prayers to Isaac on social media, including Terance Mann and Dwayne Bacon, who each played with Isaac at Florida State.

[jwplayer y1t9Q2tq]

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac suffered a torn left ACL on Sunday after making a routine drive through the lane between two defenders against the Sacramento Kings.

Isaac crashed to the floor and immediately grabbed at his knee. Teammates circled around Isaac in disbelief as he laid on the court in visible pain. Isaac was carted off the floor in a wheelchair and was immediately taken for an MRI following the game.

Isaac previously suffered a hyperextended left knee on Jan. 1 and missed 31 games for the Magic. The contest on Sunday was just his second back with the Magic after an extensive rehab period to join the team during the season restart.

Following the injury, several players sent prayers his way on social media, including Terance Mann and Dwayne Bacon, who each played the 2016-17 season with Isaac in college at Florida State.

On Monday, Isaac tweeted his appreciation for the prayers and concerns he has received since suffering the injury. He added that his comeback will be greater than his setback as he begins his recovery from a second injury in the same knee.

Isaac will be out indefinitely and his return to the court will be determined on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation, the Magic announced in a press release.

[lawrence-related id=20852,20834,76]

[vertical-gallery id=20899]