Los Angeles Lakers News, Rumors: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Byron Scott, Marc Gasol

Los Angeles Lakers News, Rumors: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Byron Scott, Marc Gasol
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Zachary Stieber
1/5/2015
Updated:
1/5/2015

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up another win on Sunday night as a new round of news and rumors come out.

Check out the latest buzz below.

Bryant Adjusting to New Role

Kobe Bryant has been focused on getting his teammates involved, and has also found that doing so has helped open things up for himself as well. 

“It’s amazing, these teams are playing me like a passer now. I was in the lane and it parted like the Red Sea,” Kobe said of changing in the fourth quarter of the 88-87 win over the Indiana Pacers from distributor to scorer, reported Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Kobe also said that he thinks his adjusted style of play makes teammates “feel more accountable because they know I’m going to come, and keep coming, to them.”

“They (teammates) don’t want to let me down and when they miss a shot it’s like ‘Hey man I’ll make the next one,'” Bryant said, reported Serena Winters of Lakers Nation.

“I think they feel more self-accountable and more responsible about knocking those down because I’m putting my trust in them.”

Meanwhile, before the game, coach Byron Scott told the Los Angeles Times that Kobe has been keeping his temper. 

“He really hasn’t blown up, to be honest with you. He’s been really good with his teammates, been encouraging at times,” Scott said. “But at times, just like you know he will, and great players do, he’s going to get on some players’ butts.”

“His blowup, to me, in the ‘80s that’s a normal practice,” Scott said about Kobe recently yelling at his teammates during practice. “That’s how we used to go at each other. And it was fun.”

Bryant told reporters after the game that if teammates can’t take his style of leadership, “you don’t belong here.” He added, “If it doesn’t [break you], then you'll win championships.”

Scott Confused Over Flagrant

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, left, tussles with Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 88-87. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, left, tussles with Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 88-87. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

 

Carlos Boozer was hit with a flagrant 1 foul after shoving Pacers center Roy Hibbert to the floor, and coach Scott said he didn’t agree with the call.

“I asked all three referees to explain to me what a flagrant foul is from now, because I have no clue. I really don’t,” Scott said, reported ESPN.

“I haven’t looked at it, either. They told me it was unnecessary, basically, pushing him down, as far as what he did. I said, it’s still a push. But college ball is more aggressive than we are and much more physical than the NBA right now.

“My assessment of a flagrant foul is anything above the shoulder -- not necessarily going for the ball -- but anytime you hit a guy above the shoulder, that’s supposed to be a flagrant foul. So like I said, I have no clue what a flagrant foul is. Ed [Davis] got hit above the shoulders the other night, so I don’t know.”

Kobe agreed, saying it should have been a technical foul at most.

Lin ‘Relaxed’

Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin, right, goes up for a shot as Indiana Pacers forward Lavoy Allen defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin, right, goes up for a shot as Indiana Pacers forward Lavoy Allen defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

 

Kobe Bryant recently said Jeremy Lin “just needs to relax,” but the guard says he has been doing just that. 

I really think the last while I’ve been pretty relaxed. Smiling a lot more on the court, regardless of what’s really going on,” Lin told Lakers Nation.

“I’m really learning to enjoy everything more. Even though things might not be changing or might not have changed, you can still change how you feel about stuff or your perspective.”

Lin added, though, that he doesn’t want to get too relaxed, as he wants to maintain being aggressive. 

Lin had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 22 minutes, and he and other bench players earned praise from Kobe. 

Randle Getting Surgery Done

Lakers rookie Julius Randle will get another surger done this week.

The forward is slated to undergo surgery on Tuesday morning to replace the screw in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.

The procedure will be done at the Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center, the team announced.

Randle is out for the season with a fractured tibia in his right leg.

He was injured first game of the regular season, though he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Gasol Comments on Lakers Rumors

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, left, of Spain, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov, of Russia, covers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, left, of Spain, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov, of Russia, covers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

 

Marc Gasol will be one of the if not the biggest free agent this offseason, and the Lakers have been linked to the center.

Though Gasol is expected by some to return to the Memphis Grizzlies, he said that he will take a look at other teams.

“I haven’t weighed anything yet. Knowing that Arn [Tellum] (Gasol’s agent) will handle pretty much the load of everything else, whenever July comes, it'll come,” he told the L.A. Daily News.

“We‘ll sit down and have a human eye-to-eye conversation and we’ll see what we’re looking for and looking at for the next four or five years of my life with the team and different teams and my family. Whatever decision I make, it would be the best.”

Gasol was asked whether he would consider the Lakers. 

“I haven’t even looked at it yet. Whenever the time comes, I’m not going to say no to anything or refuse anything. I’m not going to agree to anything. We’re much in no man’s land right now. I pretty much just have to wait until July,” he said.

“I won’t say no to anything right now.”

See an Associated Press recap below.

Lakers Top Pacers

Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young, right, celebrates with center Robert Sacre after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 88-87. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young, right, celebrates with center Robert Sacre after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 88-87. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

 

LOS ANGELES—Kobe Bryant has gradually accepted that it’s a good idea to miss a few games this season to keep his 36-year-old body in top shape for the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ schedule.

With a day off coming up, he put everything into another vintage late-game performance against the Indiana Pacers.

Bryant scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead short jumper with 12.4 seconds to play, leading the Lakers to an 88-87 comeback victory Sunday night.

Bryant is learning to accept his 36-year-old body’s limitations, and he agreed with coach Byron Scott’s decision to leave him home from Monday’s game at Portland. While playing just 32 minutes against Indiana, Bryant scored nine points in the final 2:32 after the Lakers rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half.

“I have many faults, but one of my strengths is that I can be realistic and that I can build around that,” Bryant said. “I have to understand my weaknesses, what I can’t do, accept it and then try to dominate.”

It wasn’t utter domination, but resilience: Bryant hit a contested 3-pointer from the corner to put the Lakers up 84-82 with 2 minutes to play, but Solomon Hill answered with a 3-pointer for the Pacers, who repeatedly grabbed key offensive rebounds. Bryant then missed a 3-footer with 50 seconds left, but buried the winning 4-footer.

He has missed several potential go-ahead shots in the final seconds this season, but Kobe still isn’t flinching in the clutch.

“I’ve hit plenty of them in my day,” Bryant said with a laugh. “I think the city of L.A. is a little spoiled by it.”

Nick Young also scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers.

Roy Hibbert missed a difficult jumper off a broken play as time expired to end the Lakers’ third win in 10 games.

“Not too good,” Hibbert said about the Pacers’ final play. “I don’t think the shot that I took was the shot we drew up.”

C.J. Miles had 19 points to lead six Pacers scoring in double figures. Despite outrebounding the Lakers 50-37, Indiana failed to secure its first three-game winning streak of the season.

With point guards George Hill and C.J. Watson sidelined by injuries, Donald Sloan had 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the third-stringer’s second straight start after not playing in the previous three games.

After Young made a steal and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half with the Lakers down 48-41, Indiana opened its largest lead in the third quarter. The Lakers erased it gradually, pulling even on Young’s behind-the-head layup while falling down with 7:20 to play.

WES WOES

Wesley Johnson strained his right hip flexor in the second quarter and didn’t return. He won’t make the Lakers’ trip to Portland, leaving the Lakers down two regular starters. Johnson has started all 33 games for Los Angeles, averaging 9.7 points per game. He'll have an MRI on Monday.