Lakers News, Rumors 2014: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash, Marc Gasol

Zachary Stieber
12/2/2014
Updated:
12/3/2014

The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed two nice wins in the past couple days and are now looking for more as the news and rumors ramp up.

Check out the latest buzz below.

Bryant Looking to Facilitate

Kobe Bryant’s impressive distribution against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons helped the Lakers get the two wins, and Kobe said he’s open to similar games.

But he also noted that his teammates need to make shots, something they have not many other games.

“The difference is, when they make them, I don’t have to force the offense. When you miss them, and you go down 12, 15 points, then I’ve got to try and force the issue a little bit and keep us in the ball game,” he told ESPN.

“But when they hit shots like that, it makes my job easier.”

Bryant had his first triple-double since 2013 against the Raptors, finishing with 31 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.

“He got a lot of people going and got them in a rhythm different from the way they’ve been playing,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said.

Teammates complimented Kobe as well.

“Kobe’s playmaking gave us a chance,” said Lakers forward Carlos Boozer, who scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. “They put two people on him, and it gave us a chance to eat early. We were aggressive with the ball, and it kept going throughout the game.”

The Raptors game came after Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley noted that the Lakers were difficult to guard when Kobe was facilitating for them in the first half of the game against the Grizzlies. But the offense reverted to a whole lot of Kobe in the second half, and the Lakers lost.

Kobe, meanwhile, said that he spends a lot of time taking care of his body to be able to play more than 40 minutes on some nights at age 36. 

“It’s 24-7 in terms of maintenance & therapy & taking care of my body,” he told reporter Mike Trudell. “Dude: when I say it’s around the clock, it’s around the clock.”

Coach Byron Scott said Kobe “looked exhausted” on Monday’s flight, so he gave him off on shootaround on Tuesday before the Pistons game. But Kobe played, garnering 12 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds as he helped the Lakers improve to 4-0 against Eastern Conference teams this season.

Bryant looked flustered for most of the first half, as his passes weren’t connecting, his shots weren’t falling, and his Lakers were locked in a back-and-forth struggle.

But vintage Bryant showed up, albeit briefly, in the third quarter to hoist Los Angeles out of its rut for a 106-96 victory Tuesday night.

Bryant scored all 12 of his points in a row. The Pistons held the NBA’s leading scorer without a point in the first half, but still lost their ninth in a row.

“I was tired,” Bryant said. “The first half, I missed a couple of easy ones. The rhythm of the game really wasn’t there.”

“Just paced it out a little bit and came out in the second half and let the game come to me. I made a couple shots and stepped on the gas,” he said.

Bryant had been averaging almost 27 points per game. His burst helped the Lakers take an 81-65 lead heading into the final period and eventually win 106-96.

“It was a critical juncture where we could stretch the game out, and we were able to do that,” he said.

Scott Discusses Lin

Jeremy Lin #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against Amir Johnson #15 of the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center on November 30, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Jeremy Lin #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against Amir Johnson #15 of the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center on November 30, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

 

Jeremy Lin was among the Lakers players who did well in the past two games, and Scott noted that he just needs to continue to work hard.

“Scott talked more about Jeremy Lin, saying he needs to master more PG instincts,” reported Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News.

“Noted with Knicks he had ball 95 percent of the time.”

Bryant essentially runs the point at some points in the games, leaving Lin in an off-ball spot. Lin seems to be handling his role better and better. Lin had 11 points and 3 assists against the Raptors and 11 points and 5 assists against the Pistons.

Scott also laughed when he was asked whether he consulted with former Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni about how to use Lin.

Scott also said that he still hasn’t spoken with Steve Nash, who is making $9.7 million this season but not playing due to injury. 

“Steve’s a busy guy and I’m a busy guy as well,” Scott said. “We’re missing each other. I don’t think he misses sleep over it and I don’t miss any sleep over it, you know? He’s a great guy. I’ve known Steve for a long time, so for us to not be able to get in contact with one another at this particular time, to me it’s not a big deal.”

Nash is expected to return at some point if he’s not traded to provide mentorship to players like Lin.

“He could, but like we said in the beginning, we want Steve to do that on his own time frame,” Scott said. “When you’re out for the season, you’ve been doing this for your whole life, that’s hard to take.”

Lakers Evaluating Options

Earl Clark is on the Lakers radar while the team looks to apply for the NBA’s hardship exception, which enables teams to add 16 players on their roster when they have four players with overlapping injuries.

The NBA has already granted disabled player exceptions for the season-ending injuries of Steve Nash and Julius Randle.

Xavier Henry also suffered a season-ending injury, while Ryan Kelly will miss at least five more weeks.

“We would have to find a better player than who is on our roster now since you have to cut somebody,” said general manager Mitch Kupchak, referring to the NBA allowing a maximum of 15 players on a roster, reported Medina.

“I’m not sure those players exist as free agents. When we get something closer to the trade deadline, there might be something there.”

A league source confirmed the Lakers had talks with Clark, and he could be signed any day now. The deal, believed to be one-year for $1 million, could wait until the exception is granted, or the Lakers could waive Henry, who is guaranteed $1.1 million.

Kupchak also took the time to praise coach Scott.

“I think Byron’s done a great job,” Kupchak said. “He’s instilling his culture and players compete and work hard in practice. It’s very organized and he likes to work. He’s got his hands full with the roster, but right now we can’t put anything together insignificant. But I think he’s doing a great job.”

Ellington’s Contract Update

Wayne Ellington his a contract guarantee date this week, with almost 55 percent of his previously non-guaranteed $1.1 million, one-year deal becoming guaranteed.

His full salary locks in if he’s still on the roster as of January 10.

The sixth-year 27-year-old guard is averaging 7.5 points a game through 10 appearances, shooting 50 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range.

Veteran guard Ronnie Price has a similarly structured contract, reported the Los Angeles Times.

“With Ellington and Price’s full salary, the Lakers’ total payroll for the 2014-15 season is $69,699,818,” it said.

Lakers in Danger of Losing Pick

Fans want the Lakers to win games, but by winning too many the team could lose its first-round draft pick.

The pick is part of the deal the team put together to acquire Nash.

It’s top-five protected, meaning the Lakers keep it if it’s in the top 5 and give it to the Phoenix Suns if it’s not.

“The only way the Lakers are 100 percent guaranteed a draft pick in June is if they finish with the worst or second-worst record. At third-worst, they have a 4 percent chance to fall to sixth. The odds climb to 20 percent at fourth and all the way up to 44.7 percent at fifth,” noted the Times.

A number of teams are “competing” for the top slots in the draft, principally the Philadelphia 76ers but also including the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.

At 4-13, the Lakers currently have a better winning percentage than four teams--the Sixers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Charlotte Hornets.

The Celtics and Timberwolves have just slightly better winning percentages.

Lakers Must be Realistic in Free Agency

Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer, bottom, shoots as Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, of Spain, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Grizzlies won 99-93. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer, bottom, shoots as Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, of Spain, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Grizzlies won 99-93. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

 

Los Angeles will hit free agency hard this summer, but it could turn out somewhat like this offseason when the team was unable to acquire the highly-sought after targets.

Marc Gasol and Kevin Love are two big targets, but Gasol will be a restricted free agent who could stay in Memphis while Love is expected to stay in Cleveland if the Cavaliers do well this season.

Other options include LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, and Rajon Rondo.

“orward Paul Millsap and point guard Goran Dragic, for example, are just the sort of players whose tenacity is underappreciated and will allow future teams to compete at a high level. It could be a blessing in disguise if the Lakers have to settle for someone such as Millsap or Dragic or another player with untapped potential like center Greg Monroe as their key piece in free agency this summer,” noted Bleacher Report.

“And each might be in the range of $14 million per year, offering a better value than a pricier player with a bigger name. That’s what happened for Charlotte in signing Al Jefferson at that less-than-max price point two years ago: He outplayed his contract (and he could opt out and be a free agent this summer, too).

“Bottom line, there are a lot intriguing ways for the Lakers to get something great or at least really good next summer. If it’s not enough on its own to sell [Kevin] Durant [on the roster] the year after, all is not lost either.”

2016 will see Durant possibly become a free agent, along with Joakim Noah, DeMar DeRozan, Al Horford, Mike Conley, and Nicolas Batum, among others.

“If it’s not Durant, maybe it’s Gasol or Noah as the primary anchor. Or perhaps some crew such as Monroe, Julius Randle, DeRozan, Nick Young and Conley that doesn’t look like enough now is ready to be special by then,” Bleacher concluded.

“As difficult as it is for fans to endure a rebuild that is mostly killing time, the shopping results will become reality some day. Free agents know the Lakers openly pay the luxury tax in pursuit of titles, unlike in Oklahoma City or Memphis, and the attraction of Southern California is legit, with Noah expressing his joy about three off days in L.A. after the Bulls beat the Clippers. That the Lakers would rule the NBA used to be a probability. Now, they'll just have to do their best with the upcoming possibilities. But they will arrive—in time.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.