We Will Rise Again: Official 2014 Laker offseason thread

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@ wacktoni remaining our coach. This can't be life.
 

Trojan 24

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I think the FO just threw that out to gauge the reaction.

On a Sadder Note apparently Phil already said he wants Melo to take a cut. He probably could have talked Kobe into a 2 for 30 :sadcam:
 

Dwight Howard

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Pau says he will re-sign only for Kobe..but players dont like playing w Kobe

Last Tuesday I talked to the press at the Toyota Center. Nothing really surprising in that. It’s standard protocol when the season comes to an end. Players always comment on the past year. It may not have been particularly significant event. But then again, it may be. I’ve finished my contract and I’ll be a free agent in the next few days and it’s not clear whether I’ll sign for the Lakers again.

It may be that the press conference was my last official act with the franchise. I’ve been in similar situations for the last two years, with one foot inside and the other outside. I’m not quite sure where I am at the moment. The good thing is that I’m now the master of my own destiny. It’s me that makes the choices, and that’s a good situation to be in.

Re-signing for the Lakers is a possibility, but I’m not sure whether to say it’s a remote one. If there’s anything or anyone who could make me stay it’s Kobe Bryant. I’d stay for him, but there’d have to be significant changes. I’ve said it many times: I want to be in a team that has a solid chance to win another tournament and where I can be an important factor in the game.

Money is not important

Money isn’t important to me. I have other priorities. A contract lasting several seasons, the make-up of the team that signs me: I’ll need to think long and hard. I won’t just go to the franchise that offers me the biggest salary, I know that.

I would have liked to finish the season on the court, but my vertigo problems made that impossible. I just have to accept it. I’m feeling much better, but not enough to play basketball just yet. I feel like my vacation will help me to make a full recovery and to get ready for the World Cup in Spain. If Orenga calls me I’ll be there. It’s a tournament we’re all looking forward to. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

It hasn’t been the best season for the Lakers, for many reasons. Our poor health was the main enemy. In all, we missed 319 games due to injuries. There’s never been anything like it, since records began in 1980. None of us escaped. Kobe, Steve Nash were out. In the end, I managed to play 60 games, but almost all our players were sidelined at some point in the season.

I can’t remember anything like it.

It’s been very difficult for the coaches too. They’ve had to be really patient to handle all these injuries. And they deserve credit for that. But it has obviously damaged the team and we can’t hide it. We’re all responsible for it. Like Kobe said, it’s been “a shyt season”.


I’ve never concealed the fact that D’Antoni’s style doesn’t suit my game. Everybody knows this. I don’t know if my decision will be swayed by whether Mike stays or leaves. Obviously, the coach is a very important factor for any team.
 

GreatestLaker

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Randle is aware that he could end up in Los Angeles, and also told Dan Patrick that he wouldn’t mind becoming a Laker and could learn a lot from Bryant himself:

“Playing with him (Bryant) would be amazing as well, I could learn a lot from him [...] I’ve always been a Laker fan and it would be a tremendous honor to play there.”
Kentucky Forward Julius Randle Grew Up A Kobe Bryant Fan | Lakers Nation

So that makes 3 out of the top 5 draft prospects Laker fans.
 

GreatestLaker

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For those suspicious of one, much less two coincidences, Kobe’s people acknowledge that he is, indeed, “frustrated” with the Lakers, that being the word everyone in sports uses for “angry.”

Bryant, who’s pouring his keen powers of observation, not to mention his inclination toward obsession, into the draft, reportedly wondered why the Lakers had to win their last two games, leaving them 27-55 with the No. 6 pick going into the lottery, rather than 26-56 with a coin flip with Utah for No. 5.
Weather Forecast for Lakers: Kobe Bryant Is Upset - Forbes

:ufdup:
 
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