Lakers: Anthony Brown making most of opportunity

Anthony Brown’s journey with the Lakers has been hot and cold to say the least. On Friday, he made his second start of the season and recorded five points and five rebounds against Philadelphia.

On Saturday afternoon, he was assigned back to the D-League and will be in uniform for the D-Fenders’ game against the Bakersfield Jam.

It has been that kind of journey for Brown so far but the rookie from Stanford is starting to find his groove and maximize his time on the court, no matter how limited.

“Every game for me, I feel like I’m getting more comfortable,” Brown said Saturday, “First time I was out there against [Oklahoma City], the game was moving so fast for me and now it’s starting to slow down a bit game by game.”

Aside from his starts, Brown has only played more than 20 minutes once in his nine games this season. His first start saw him thrown into the fire guarding Kevin Durant but against Philadelphia, he showed a glimpse of his shooting touch making his lone 3-point attempt.

He only attempted three shots all game but found ways to make affect the game with his defense and rebounding, something that impressed head coach Byron Scott.

“He took what the defense gave him and didn’t try to force anything. He did the exact thing, we wanted him to do, which was guard,” Scott said. “He just needs more time and he’ll get that. His experience with just being in school for four years I think absolutely helps him out.”

Scott did said that Brown could eventually find his way into getting more minutes as a full-time backup, although the timetable for that has yet to be determined. Until then, Brown,who was an standout player at Ocean View High School, is learning how to adjust and thrive when he can.

“I’m just trying to make an impact anyway I can. Shooting, defense, rebounding,” Brown said, “I just have to be ready for my shot knowing that I’m not going to get a ton of shots.”

Lakers: Larry Nance Sr. shares son’s potential Dunk Contest plans

The Lakers had an extra visitor Wednesday as Larry Nance Sr. stopped by practice and observed his son, Larry Jr.

Nance, who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, watched practice wearing a team hat, which he said was an adjustment from his days facing the Lakers while playing for Phoenix in the 1980s.

“They were always a tough team that came through and beat the crap out of us all the time,” said Nance, who recalled chasing James Worthy and guarding Magic Johnson as well as Lakers coach Byron Scott’s shooting prowess.

Continue reading “Lakers: Larry Nance Sr. shares son’s potential Dunk Contest plans” »

Lakers: Byron Scott begins implementing box-out drills to fix rebounding concerns

With the Lakers hovering near the bottom of the NBA in rebounding differential following Monday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, head coach Byron Scott turned to high-school box-out drills at practice on Wednesday to help the team fix its rebounding woes.

The Lakers gave up 18 offensive rebounds in the loss so the drills sought to increase their aggressiveness according to Roy Hibbert. Scott said the team also watched film that focused on giving up offensive rebounds, as well as turnovers.

With the team hosting the Toronto Raptors, who are tied for fifth in offensive rebounding, on Friday, Scott is confident that the team can amend some of its issues but the effort has to start translating on the court.

“It’s just about going out and doing it,” Scott said.

Byron Scott preaches patience on D’Angelo Russell and young players

Two games into his rookie season, D’Angelo Russell’s play has become as much discussion as the Lakers’ struggles as a whole. The guard has as many assists (four) as turnovers.

After scoring 13 points and only turning the ball over once against Sacramento, Russell showed fewer nerves and more improvement in head coach Byron Scott’s eyes, especially in his decision making.

“He’s 19 years old and played in two professional games. It’s going to take a while to understand what this league is all about,” Scott said.

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Lakers: Byron Scott says team was “fatigued” in loss to Sacramento

After watching the tape of last night’s 132-114 loss to Sacramento, Lakers head coach Byron Scott found an unusual culprit aiding his team’s defensive struggles. Fatigue.

It’s a bit unusual to hear that two games into the regular season and something Scott said he hadn’t noticed in years past coaching.

But upon review and talking with the team, tired legs may have been a factor in the team falling behind by as many 31 last night.

“What I did see was guys making the effort but they just looked fatigued,” Scott said.

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Lakers assistant coach Paul Pressey ready to assume head coaching duties

With Lakers head coach Byron Scott leaving the team on Tuesday and Wednesday to grieve the passing of his mother, assistant coach Paul Pressey will coach the team against Oklahoma City and Minnesota.

“He knows me and the players know him,” Scott said Monday at practice. “Paul will do a great job and he’ll be demanding just like I am.”

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Lakers gear up for LeBron’s Cavs; Jordan Hill, Ronnie Price probable

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are set to square off on Thursday. The Lakers should also be getting reinforcements with Jordan Hill (knee) and Ronnie Price (elbow) listed as probable for game./GETTY IMAGES

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are set to square off on Thursday. The Lakers should also be getting reinforcements with Jordan Hill (knee) and Ronnie Price (elbow) listed as probable for game./GETTY IMAGES

By Tony Ciniglio
Los Angeles Daily News

So Kobe Bryant is expected to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, preserving the Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown.

The Lakers are also expecting to have other reinforcements.

Lakers forward Jordan Hill, Continue reading “Lakers gear up for LeBron’s Cavs; Jordan Hill, Ronnie Price probable” »

Lakers coach Byron Scott: no talks to shut down Kobe Bryant

Lakers head coach Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant have not talked about shutting Bryant down for the season, but it continues to be a game-by-game approach to limit the superstar's minutes. Friday, January 2, 2015.  The Grizzlies beat the Lakers 109-106. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)"

Lakers head coach Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant have not talked about shutting Bryant down for the season, but it continues to be a game-by-game approach to limit the superstar’s minutes. Friday, January 2, 2015. The Grizzlies beat the Lakers 109-106. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)”

By Tony Ciniglio
Los Angeles Daily News

The Kobe Bryant tightrope walk continued Wednesday.

Bryant’s workload continues to be a major discussion, particularly in light of a poor performance Tuesday against the Miami Heat where he was 3 of 19 from the field and just 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

Bryant missed six of the last 12 games before Tuesday, including the previous two games, to rest his aging 36-year-old body that has 19 years of NBA wear and tear.

Bryant rarely practices. He has a 32-minute cap when he plays, whether there is overtime or not. He is schedule to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, then take Friday off against the Utah Jazz as part of the Lakers’ plan to hold him out on the back end of back-to-back games.

But Lakers coach Byron Scott denied there is a plan to shut down Bryant for the season. Bryant is scheduled to make $23.5 million this season and $25 million next season.

“There have been no discussions Continue reading “Lakers coach Byron Scott: no talks to shut down Kobe Bryant” »

Lakers might be driving Byron Scott to drink, lose sleep

Byron Scott

By Tony Ciniglio
Los Angeles Daily News

Lakers coach Byron Scott joked after Tuesday’s ugly loss to the Miami Heat that he might need a bottle of vodka nearby if he watched the game film.

Scott admitted Wednesday that he sometimes loses sleep trying to figure out Continue reading “Lakers might be driving Byron Scott to drink, lose sleep” »

Lakers react to Steve Nash’s Facebook post on back injury

Although Steve Nash was not at Lakers practice, his Facebook post was the topic of conversation as Byron Scott addressed the post with the media.

Scott read the post moments before speaking and found it sincere and as he agreed with Nash’s assessment on the difference between swinging a golf club versus defending NBA players, he believed Nash was beginning to admit that his playing days may be over.

“It’s given me insight on where he’s leaning towards,” Scott said, “He probably feels he did everything in his power in the last two years to get in unbelievable condition and put himself in a position where he felt he could compete again. But as we went on through training camp, the more he played, the worse it got.”

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