Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell averaged 6.9 points on 39.6 percent shooting in the preseason. HANS GUTKNECHT — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Both the excitement and anxiety of the Lakers’ 2015-16 season caused Byron Scott to toss and turn, leaving the team’s coach so restless that he woke up on Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. He then took a hot yoga session around 6:30 a.m., an exercise that made Scott both “feel better” and help him reach clarity on a pressing issue.

Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell will make his first career start in the season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Staples Center. As expected, Russell will play alongside Jordan Clarkson (shooting guard), Kobe Bryant (small forward), Julius Randle (power forward) and Roy Hibbert (center). Scott hardly reached clarity on Russell’s status stemmed from a hot yoga session, however. The reasons became more tangible for the Lakers’ No. 2 draft pick.

“I’ve been very impressed with our talk and how hard he’s worked the last three days,” Scott said, referring to telling Russell to focus more on defense and rebounding instead of just playmaking. “I think he’s ready. He has an inner confidence in himself in that he wants to be in this position. He wants to be in that spotlight.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell to start in season opener against Minnesota” »

Kobe Bryant joined Khloe Kardashian and some of Odom’s childhood friends at his bedside after a Tuesday night Lakers game in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, file)

Only two weeks ago, Kobe Bryant learned Lamar Odom was hospitalized after losing consciousness at a Las Vegas brothel, prompting the Lakers’ star to leave the team’s preseason game and rush to his former teammates side.

Then, Odom was not expected to make it. But plenty has changed since then. Odom was transported last week to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He started physical therapy. Those around the Lakers believe Odom will survive.

“It put things in perspective even more,” Bryant said on Tuesday in what marked his first comments about Odom since his ordeal. “This is what we do and this is not who we are. Sometimes basketball can get in the way of life and living. He’s a brother above everything else. I’m supporting him to get back on his feet. It’s amazing to see him doing so well. It truly is remarkable.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Kobe Bryant says Lamar Odom is “doing well”” »

Laker Girls The Laker Girls will walk with the float in the 127th Rose Parade. (Photo by Robert Casillas/Daily Breeze, file)

Few anticipate the Lakers will host a championship parade along downtown Los Angeles next June. But the Lakers will take part in another parade, announcing on Tuesday the franchise will have a float in the 127th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.

The Lakers said the front of the float will feature unnamed guests with a replica of the NBA championship trophy, while Laker Girls will perform alongside the float. A large animated basketball will sit at the center of the float, which will spin while circling the rim to simulate the final seconds of a close game. Fireworks and streamers will the be fired from the base of the hoop, which will also have 16 stars to represent the number of championships the Lakers have won in their 67-year-old history.

The rear of the float also will feature Kobe Bryant’s jersey as well as those for the nine retired ones, including Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, James Worthy and Jerry West. The shape of the rear platform has also been constructed to convey rippling water in homage to the Lakers’ origins in Minneapolis.

“The Rose Parade is a timeless tradition on New Year’s Day and the Lakers are enthusiastic to celebrate the start of 2016 with the rest of the country in this fashion,” Lakers President Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “Our entry into the Rose Parade is the first of its kind for an NBA team, and we’re looking forward to joining the spirited festivities.”
Continue reading “Lakers participating in the 127th Rose Parade” »

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has partnered with The Players Tribune (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant partnered with a venture capital firm to close a $15 million investment in The Players’ Tribune, the company announced on Tuesday. Through his own investment firm, Bryant joined New Enterprise Associates to close the Series B financing.

In a news release, The Players Tribune noted that financial support will allow the one-year-old platform “to broaden and further develop its multimedia editorial offerings, including written pieces, photography, podcasts and The Players’ Tribune Radio.” It will also help to expand the website’s video content, including “Players’ POV, “Singular Focus” and “1440.”

Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter founded the company in 2014, which features athletes telling first-person accounts aided by ghostwriters to talk about various sports issues.

“Through The Players’ Tribune, Derek and his team have built something special. A platform for athletes to own their own stories and present them to fans is an extremely powerful tool,” Bryant said in a statement. “Through this investment and my personal creative involvement, I look forward to joining the vision and helping the team push boundaries in content creation and technology.”

Continue reading “Kobe Bryant, NEA closes $15 million in fundraising for The Players’ Tribune” »

Lakers’ Julius Randle (#30), Jordan Clarkson (#6) and Roy Hibbert (#17) are on the court vs. Portland at Staples Center on Oct. 19, 2015. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Back when the Lakers collected an NBA title seemingly every June, their California counterparts represented a mere speed bump before the championship parade. The Sacramento Kings shared some intense playoff battles with the Lakers, but the outcome always turned out purple and gold. The Golden State Warriors never could put up a fight. Neither could the Clippers, whose only similarity to the Lakers entailed sharing the same arena at Staples Center.

But amid the the Lakers finishing with their worst record in L.A. franchise history in consecutive seasons, TNT analyst and former NBA player Charles Barkley increased the blood pressure of various Angelenos that were already tense from the recent losing.

“The Lakers are the fourth-best team in California,” Barkley said in a conference call on Monday. “They’re lucky the Sparks ain’t playing, they’d be the fifth.”
Continue reading “TNT’s Charles Barkley says the Sparks are better than the Lakers” »

os Angeles Lakers Media Day in El Segundo Monday September 28, 2015. D’Angelo Russell smiles during live TV show. ¬ Photo By Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze

The Lakers could not resist taking him with their No. 2 pick. Lakers coach Byron Scott has compared his on-court presence to Magic Johnson and Chris Paul. The Lakers believe he could become the franchise’s next cornerstone.

But amid all that preseason hype, rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell enters the Lakers’ season opener against Minnesota on Wednesday at Staples Center without any assurances he will start.

“I don’t know that yet,” Scott said, smiling. “Still mulling over it.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell not assured of starting spot” »

Metta World Peace stretches off the court during Lakers practice in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

The variables kept swirling in Byron Scott’s head.

How much should he value youth and upside? How much should he prefer experience and Lakers’ familiarity? How much should Scott weigh his satisfaction with Jabari Brown’s scoring over his defensive deficiencies? How much should Scott appreciate Metta World Peace’s mentorship presence over any concerns about his declining play?

Back and forth Scott went until Monday morning. Then, the Lakers chose World Peace over Brown in their last round of roster cuts to ensure a 15-maximum player roster for the 2015-16 regular season.

“It was a very very very extremely difficult decision,” Scott said after practice at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo. “But really it was about trying to balance the youth and experience on this team and obviously Metta has that experience.”
Continue reading “Byron Scott called it “extremely difficult” to choose between World Peace, Brown” »

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) is seen on the court during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 6 in Honolulu. AP Photo/Marco Garcia

The workload for Kobe Bryant scaled back. After completing a full practice on Sunday, Bryant practiced for most of Monday’s two-hour session before receiving treatment on his sore left leg. Bryant was not on the practice floor when the Lakers opened practice to the media during a scrimmage that lasted about a half hour.

Accounts vary on how much Bryant practiced. The Lakers said Bryant completed the first hour, while coach Byron Scott said Bryant completed 75 percent of the session, including parts of a scrimmage that was not open to the media. Regardless, the Lakers said that Bryant did not experience any setbacks on his injury that had kept him out for the last three exhibition games. Scott added he is “excited he will be able to play Wednesday” for the Lakers’ season opener against Minnesota at Staples Center.

“He looked good and felt pretty good,” Scott said of Bryant, who has not spoken to reporters since Oct. 11. “He came in early and got a bunch of shots up. Each day he’s getting better.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Kobe Bryant completed most of Monday’s practice” »

Lakers’ Metta World Peace looks on during practice for an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Lakers prioritized defense and mentorship over scoring and potential in their last round of roster cuts entering the 2015-16 season.

Metta World Peace will stay with the Lakers, a second-chance to revitalize his NBA career, pair up again with Kobe Bryant and spark nostalgia for his role in the franchise’s championship run in 2010. But the move came at the expense of 22-year-old Jabari Brown, the second-year guard facing his second consecutive roster cut with the Lakers despite showing intrigue with his athleticism and scoring.
Continue reading “Lakers retain Metta World Peace, waive Jabari Brown” »

By noon pacific time on Monday, the Lakers will have to choose between two players.

Metta World Peace or Jabari Brown?

The Lakers have to trim their 16-man roster down to 15 for their season opener against Minnesota on Wednesday at Staples Center. But the Lakers will make the move today so the cut player has time to clear waivers before the season begins. There are positives and negatives for both moves.

The 22-year-old Brown has more upside than the 35-year-old World Peace. Brown can also provide more scoring punch. But Brown could have difficulty getting minutes amid a loaded backcourt that includes Kobe Bryant, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Marcelo Huertas and Lou Williams.

World Peace could revamp the Lakers’ defense, mentor second-year forward Julius Randle and excite the Lakers’ fan base after he played a key role in the team’s 2010 NBA championship. But World Peace has not played in the NBA since the Knicks waived him in 2013.

But in Friday’s show on Time Warner Cable Access SportsNet, host Chris McGee, analyst Dave Miller and I debated whether World Peace or Brown will make the final cut.

RELATED:

Lakers’ depth chart breakdown: Analyzing the 2015-16 roster

Lakers’ Byron Scott believes D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson could become All-Stars

NBA experts mixed on Kobe Bryant, Lakers’ playoff chances

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com