Tag: Lakers

LeBron James: Lakers forward is out with a cold against the Thunder

Honestly? Just a cold?

All season long in the NBA, the term “load management” has been trashed left and right by players, coaches and pundits complaining that today’s NBA players aren’t playing quite enough.

One of the people at the forefront of the opposition against load management has been LeBron James. Earlier this season, James went on a semi-rant saying that he doesn’t believe in load management, and that if he’s healthy, he’s going to play regardless of scheduling concerns with back-to-back games.

“Why wouldn’t I play if I’m healthy? It doesn’t make any sense to me. My obligation is to play for my teammates.”

That strategy for James, right or wrong, has held up this season. He’s yet to be a healthy scratch. He’s missed a few games here and there because of a strained groin, so what he said checks out.

On Saturday, however, James will sit out the second half of a road back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder with… a cold?

Seriously? A cold? How bad is this cold? Naaaah. Come on, LeBron. There’s got to be more to it with that. We have to get an Instagram story with the sniffles and some tissue. Something.

But, man, it’s just hard to believe a player who allegedly played through the NBA Finals with a broken hand and prides himself on being available for every game he possibly can to sit out with a simple cold.

Twitter was torn. Some people don’t believe a player as great as LeBron can be out with just a cold.

Others believe that he’s sick. And there’s ample evidence that proves he’s had a cold for a while.

Some people are just here for the jokes.

I fall squarely in that last column. These jokes are good. Imagine how upset the Dallas Mavericks are that James dropped them off for 35 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists last night…and then didn’t play the very next day.

That’s sick — literally?

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LeBron James joins Elgin Baylor in history after stellar game against Mavs

LeBron James is putting together a stellar 17th season as he leads the Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James is one of few players in NBA history who can impact a game in a variety of different ways.

And on Friday night, James joined one of the game’s most versatile players in achieving the latest accomplishment of his 17th season.

James scored 35 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and tallied seven assists in the Lakers win over the Dallas Mavericks. According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, James is the second-oldest player in league history behind Lakers legend Elgin Baylor to score at least 35 points, grab 15 rebounds and dish five assists.

The epitome of a point forward, James, 35, is ranked in the top 10 for all-time leaders in points and assists. This season, James has taken his playmaking to another level, as he’s averaging a career-high 10.7 assists a game; he’s also leading the league in assists.

Baylor was a pioneer when it came to showing versatility at the small forward position. He has career averages of 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. A Hall of Famer, Baylor is one of five Lakers players to rank in the franchise’s top 10 for points, rebounds and assists. The other four players are Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

James and the Lakers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC on Saturday at 8 p.m. EST.

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How Anthony Davis can earn much more money through free agency

Davis rejected it not because he wants to leave the Lakers but because he could earn more money by signing a contract as a free agent.

This week the Lakers offered forward Anthony Davis a maximum contract extension. It would’ve locked him up for the next four years and pay him $145.6 million. His salary next year would’ve started him at $32.5 million, a 20 percent raise, then $35.1 million, $37.7 million, and $40.3 million the following three seasons. However, Davis can make much more money by rejecting the offer, which he reportedly did earlier this week.

The Lakers offered it merely as a formality and sign of respect. Davis rejected it not because he wants to leave the Lakers but because he could earn more money by signing a contract as a free agent.

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The salary cap for 2020-21 is currently projected at $116 million. This would make Davis eligible to sign a deal with the Lakers worth $203.58 million over five years. Even if Davis only signs for four years, those four years of a maximum contract would have him earn $11.6 million more than the four years of a maximum extension.

Davis can earn even more money if he signs a short-term deal this summer. Davis currently has 8 years of service, making his projected $203.58 million maximum contract for this summer worth 30 percent of the salary cap. Once he completes his 10th NBA season he is eligible to sign a five-year maximum contract worth 35 percent of the salary cap.

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According to Bill Oram, people inside the Lakers organization believe Davis is in favor of signing a two-year deal with a player option for 2022-23, also known as a “2 + 1.” He could also sign a one-year deal with a player option for 2021-22 (“1+ 1”), opt-out, then sign another “1 + 1”. Both allow him to maximize his earnings in the short-term while allowing him to re-enter free agency in 2022 once he’s eligible for the 35 percent maximum contract.

According to RealGM, the 2022-23 salary cap is currently projected at $131.25 million, though that figure is very fluid since the 2022 offseason is a while away. If that projection holds and Davis is still on the Lakers by then, he would be eligible to sign a five-year deal with the Lakers worth $266.4 million. Another team could sign him to a four-year deal worth $197.5 million.

Through two years of short term deals with the Lakers and the first two years of a 35 percent maximum contract with them, he would earn a projected $167.85 million through 2020-21 and 2023-24. That is approximately $10.6 million more Davis would earn in four years versus signing a maximum contract this summer, and he would still be owed $171 million over the following three seasons.

LeBron James played the “1 + 1” contract game with the Cavaliers during most of his second tenure with them. He did this not only to maximize his earnings but to also put pressure on the Cavaliers front office and ownership to keep a competitive roster around him. Expect fellow Klutch-mate Davis to follow in his footsteps and do the same dance with the Lakers over the next two seasons.

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7 takeaways from round two of NBA All-Star voting

TACKO FALL AND ALEX CARUSO ARE CLIMBING.

Do you hear that? Ah, yes. It’s the sweet, sweet sound of internet chaos. Round two of NBA All-Star voting is in and everyone is just as mad as they were the first go around.

For those of us who love to watch Twitter burn? This is great. For everyone else? All-Star voting is a complete sham. A popularity contest. Do away with the fan vote.

If we’re being honest here, they’re probably right. But that’s also the beauty of the fan vote. It’s chaos!

Here’s a look at how the second round of voting has gone so far. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

Once again, remember, fan voting doesn’t end until January 20. Player voting (25%) and media panel voting (25%) make up the other half of the vote for starters.  The reserves will be chosen by NBA coaches.

In other words, this isn’t how the team is going to look. There’s still a big chance for your favorite player to land on the All-Star team.

In the meantime, though, here are seven takeaways from the NBA’s totally chaotic second go-round of All-Star voting.

LeBron James is king again…

After falling down to third in the first round of All-Star voting, LeBron James has jumped up to first overall with 3,359,871 total votes. Luka Doncic is second with 3,277,870 and Giannis Antetokounmpo is third with 3,259,383.

Alright, look y’all. I’ll say it. Look, James is great. We get it. But THIS IS BORING.

Give us Team Doncic and Team Antetokounmpo. It’s time for the torch to be passed. Just once, it’d be nice to see James be human. Have him drafted with all of the other run-of-the-mill All-Stars. Could you imagine James being drafted as not the number one pick in an All-Star draft? DRAMA.

This is what we need. For the love of everything chaotic in the NBA, vote Doncic and Antetokounmpo.

Trae Young is still the leading guard in the East

TRAE YOUNG HIVE STAND UP! The Hawks guard leads all Eastern Conference guards with 1,389,628 votes.

We do not care that Young plays for the worst team in the NBA. We do not care that he can’t play a lick of defense. We don’t even care that we don’t fully know what’s going on with his hairline.

All we know is that he’s probably the most fun player to watch in basketball right now. That’s all that matters, numbers aside. All-Star games are about fun. This vote is correct.

Tacko Fall!? ALEX CARUSO!?!? CLIMBING!?!?

YUP. THAT’S RIGHT.

We’re doing it, y’all. We’re really going to make Tacko Fall and Alex Caruso All-Stars. We had no idea this was possible, yet here we are being incredibly dumb and incredibly great all at one time.

Tacko Fall has 543,352 votes. Alex Caruso moved up to sixth among all West guards. Objectively speaking, this is incorrect. But if this is incorrect, then what’s the actual point in being right?

This is great. Bald Mamba forever. Tacko Fall forever.

Carmelo Anthony is going to get that legacy spot

Anthony isn’t going to be a starter and that’s fine. But the fans want to see him in this game — that’s clear. He’s still sitting at 8th in the West’s front court voting and has been a pretty fun story this year.

We’ve got to get him in that same legacy spot that went to Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade last year. It makes too much sense.

Kyrie Irving knows what’s good

Kyrie Irving has been injured for most of the season and still has the second most votes as a guard in the East with 1,351,997 votes.

It’s hard to condone a dude who has missed 70% of his teams games so far being an All-Star starter. But, like Young, Kyrie Irving is just incredibly fun in an All-Star game. And he knows it, too.

…. Fair enough.

At the same time, Spencer Dinwiddie is being disrespected

We have to do better. Spencer Dinwiddie appeared in the first returns for the vote with 94,618 votes. Now, he’s nowhere to be found. He’s been replaced at the 10th spot with Fred VanVleet.

With all due respect to VanVleet, Dinwiddie has been flat out better this season. Hopefully, the players and media do him some justice.

What year is it again?

Because if you look at the voting too quickly you might think it’s 2010.

Derrick Rose is fourth at guard in the East with 918,550 votes and Dwight Howard is 10th in the West front court with 390,037 votes thanks to that Lakers bump.

Two years ago, this being a thing was laughable. Now? It’s…well…still pretty laughable. Yet, here we are.

Yup. We’re definitely living in a simulation.

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Report: Dwight Howard is participating in the 2020 dunk contest

With Dwight Howard back in the dunk contest, perhaps the event will regain some of its energy.

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has an opportunity to steal the show at this season’s All-Star Saturday night during All-Star weekend.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Howard will be in the Slam Dunk Contest, one of the weekend’s most storied events. Howard was a staple in the dunk contest from 2007-2009, throwing down jams in each of those three seasons.

Howard won the dunk contest in 2008, slamming his iconic “Superman” jam. Howard’s charisma helped make the dunk contest must-watch television in the late 2000s.

During that time period, Howard was also one of the game’s biggest stars. As one of the best centers of his era, Howard was the league’s leading rebounder for the 2007-08 season. He averaged 20.7 points during that same season.

The dunk contest has usually had a lively aura, but in the past few seasons that energy hasn’t been present. The most recent memorable dunk contest was in 2016, when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon battled in what’s arguably one of the best dunk contests ever.

With Howard returning to the dunk contest, perhaps one of the league’s most prized events can regain some of its mystique.

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Report: Lakers are willing to listen to Kyle Kuzma trade offers

Kyle Kuzma’s talent as a scorer gives him trade value as the trade deadline approaches.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has had an up and down season, but as a skilled scorer, he remains a valuable trade option for the Lakers.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Lakers “have shown a recent willingness to listen to pitches for Kuzma,” a change in the previous reporting on how the Lakers view Kuzma. On Friday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Lakers see Kuzma “as a core part of the future.”

Last season Kuzma, 24, emerged as one of the best young players in the NBA. He averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game and shot a career-high 45.6% from the field. As a second-year player last season, Kuzma ranked fourth among sophomores in points per game.

This season has been different, though. Kuzma has dealt with an ankle injury, and he missed the first four games of the season because of a stress reaction he suffered in his left foot before the season.

Kuzma is scoring 12.1 points per game, but he’s not playing as much compared to last season. This season he’s playing 23.6 minutes a game, whereas last season he played 33.1 minutes, due in large part to the fact Anthony Davis prefers to play Kuzma’s natural power forward spot.

For the Lakers, keeping Kuzma on and seeing if he plays better could prove to be beneficial. Despite a slow start this season, Kuzma is still talented. His ability to score in multiple ways is his best attribute. The Lakers need more bench scoring, too, as they rank 16th in the category (35.7), according to NBA.com. 

Also, Kuzma’s low salary as he remains on a rookie contract may make it more difficult for the Lakers to find a suitable trade partner that improves their team with more proven veteran talent. Kuzma has also tried to make it clear that the comments by his trainer about LeBron James following the Christmas Day loss were something out of his control.

The Lakers will look to extend their win streak to five games against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

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Anthony Davis discusses why his pick-and-roll with LeBron James has been so effective

Anthony Davis discusses why his pick-and-roll with LeBron James has been so effective so quickly this season with the Lakers.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been very effective together in pick-and-roll action this season for the Los Angeles Lakers. While James has run pick-and-roll with All-Star bigs like Chris Bosh and Kevin Love in the past, he’s never had a teammate on the receiving end who is as dominant or versatile as Davis is right now.

A.D. totaled 46 points and 13 rebounds against his former team on Friday and is helping LeBron continue to lead the NBA in assists. Following the Lakers latest victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis discussed why that pick-and-roll with James has been so successful this year.

“The two-man game pick-and-roll is tough to guard,” Anthony Davis said. “When you have a guy like LeBron going downhill at the big, and then me rolling to the basket. You kind of have to pick your poison.

“He does a great job of reading it, when to pass it and when to go finish. It’s been effective. We’re constantly learning each other, trying to get better and finding ways to score besides the pick-and-roll. But it’s been effective for us.”

Next up for LeBron, A.D. and the Lakers is a matchup at Staples Center with Derrick Rose, Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off on Sunday is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

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8 takeaways from early returns in NBA All-Star fan voting

TACKO FALL, Y’ALL

It’s that time of year again. The All-Star game is right around the corner next month and the turnaround for voting is quick.

Fans have just under a month to get their votes in. Voting began on Christmas Day and ends Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20.

The NBA released the first returns on Thursday, and as expected, they are wild. Twitter is already going bonkers with takes about why fan voting is a sham and why it needs to be abolished immediately.

Here’s an early look at how things are shaking out.

Now, before you get into a tizzy about why everyone doesn’t love your favorite player the same way you do, remember: Fan voting only accounts for 50%. Player voting (25%) and media panel voting (25%) make up the other half.

Plus, there are about three more weeks left for fans to continue to vote for their favorite players. What the vote looks like now isn’t what it’s going to look like next week or over the next couple weeks.

Also, keep in mind, these votes are only for the starting lineups. Coaches get to pick the reserves. Once the reserves are picked, all players are put into a draft pool and picked by the top two leading vote getters.

Basically, don’t get too upset just yet. Let’s get into some of the early takeaways.

Luka and Giannis are the NBA’s leaders

Did anyone have Team Antetokounmpo going up against Team Doncic at the beginning of the season? It’s reasonable to think that last year’s MVP might be a leading vote getter, but I couldn’t have imagined Luka Doncic would be LEADING him.

Doncic has the most votes with 1,073,957 and Antetokounmpo is right behind him with 1,073,358. Foreign voting is definitely part of that, but they’ve both been playing out of their minds.

It’s dope to see that actually recognized. Take that, you “popularity contest” truthers.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead the West’s forwards by a lot

This makes perfect sense — the Lakers have been one of the best two teams in the league in one of the NBA’s glitziest markets with two of the league’s best players.

James has 1,020,851 votes and Davis has 955,246. Both make sense. What wasn’t expected, though, was that the third forward, Kawhi Leonard, would be more than 200,000 votes behind Davis. That’s wild.

Trae Young is leading all guards in the East

TRAE YOUNG HIVE STAND UP! The fans got this one right.

Look, the Hawks suck — we get it.  BUT Trae Young absolutely deserves to be an All-Star starter. He’s averaging 28.5 points and 8.3 assists while hitting 36% of his threes on the worst team in the league. It ain’t his fault, y’all. He’s doing all he can.

Plus, let’s be honest, trying to watch Kyle Lowry flop all over the place and make the right pass to start the All-Star game? Nah. Give us Trae Young 40-foot moon bombs and nutmegs instead. Please and thanks.

Stop voting for the wrong Nets guard

I’ve got no idea who is voting for Kyrie Irving at this point, but they’re voting for the wrong guard. Spencer Dinwiddie deserves way more love than he’s getting.

He’s 10th in voting with 94,618 votes while Kyrie Irving, who hasn’t hooped since November 14, has 432,481. Irving is great — he’s an alien with the best handle we’ve ever seen. But Dinwiddie has been the Nets’ best player this season.

And it’s not like he hasn’t been fun. he’s dunking on dudes, hitting clutch threes and putting up big numbers. Most importantly, he’s led the Nets to a 12-9 record without Irving after a 4-7 start. We’re voting for the wrong guard here.

Speaking of not getting enough love, where is Devonte’ Graham?

Alright, we get that he plays for the Hornets and all. Charlotte isn’t the biggest market, they don’t have many big players of note, and they won’t make the playoffs. All that is true.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to get him into this game off of this play alone.

I’m sorry, y’all. Those are the rules. Vote for Devonte’ Graham.

Carmelo Anthony’s last dance

Here’s a fact: Carmelo Anthony has done absolutely nothing to deserve being placed on this list. Here’s another fact: It would be a top five most fun thing in the world if Carmelo Anthony was actually an All-Star this season.

He’s not a good player anymore, but if you put him on a basketball court he’s going to entertain you. And, honestly, what else is the All-Star game for? Let’s start the campaign right here. Let Melo in, y’all.

The Lakers and Celtics have nine players total getting votes

LeBron James and Anthony Davis head off the list for the Western Conference forwards. Meanwhile, in the East, the Celtics have five players with votes including Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.

It almost feels like the 1980’s again until you realize…wait…is that…DWIGHT HOWARD getting votes for the Lakers? So…who…the fourth guy is…ALEX CARUSO!?!?!?

WAIT. ONE. SECOND.

IS THAT TACKO FALL!?!?

WHY, YES. YES IT IS.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Remember, there are still a few weeks left. Just keep voting. You’ve got three weeks to get your favorite players into this game. Things will even out…probably.

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LeBron is oldest player since Kobe Bryant to have 30-point triple-double

LeBron James has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and it showed as much in his latest accomplishment.

LeBron James has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and at 35 years old, he’s proven to still be one of the best players in the NBA.

James earned his eighth triple-double of the season Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns. He scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and tallied 12 assists as the Lakers got their third straight win.

According to Sportsnet Stats, James became the oldest player since former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant to achieve a 30-point triple-double. James turned 35 on Dec. 30, 2019.

Bryant was 36 years old when he achieved his triple-double Nov. 30, 2014. He scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 12 assists.

As one of the most multi-dimensional players ever, James has 89 career-triple doubles. He ranks fifth in career triple-doubles, and he’s second in the category among active players. Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook has the most triple doubles of any active player (144).

The Lakers have benefited from James’ eight triple-doubles, as they are 6-2 when he earns a triple-double. The Lakers will look to extend their win streak to four games Friday, when they’ll play the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Report: Darren Collison prefers Lakers or Clippers in potential return

Darren Collison could potentially come out of retirement and return to the NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers have a floor general in backup point guard Rajon Rondo, but as a team with championship aspirations, it surely wouldn’t hurt to add a point guard who can shoot well and facilitate.

Darren Collison could potentially be that quality shooter for the Lakers. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Collison is thinking about coming out of retirement in February. Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are his top destinations.

Collison, who played 10 seasons, retired from the NBA last June, writing about his decision to focus on his faith and family in The Undefeated. 

Last summer Collison was going to be a free agent, and as a solid lead guard, he would have had suitors. According to Wojnarowski, Collison could have had deals potentially be “in the neighborhood of $10 million-plus a season.”

Collison played with the Indiana Pacers the past two seasons, and last season he averaged 11.2 points per game and a career-high 6.0 assists.

During the 2017-18 season, he shot a career-high 46.8% from the 3-point line, ranking first in the NBA for 3-point percentage. Collison is a career 39.4% 3-point shooter.

Collison’s shooting would be beneficial for the Lakers, a team that needs more buckets off the bench. Rondo has improved as a shooter — he’s shooting a career-high 39.3% from deep this season. But his best strength is facilitating and running the offense. If the Lakers signed Collison, they could stagger him with Rondo and have a solid guard rotation.

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