Kobe Bryant is expected to miss all exhibition games, according to Mike Bresnahan of LA Times: “Kobe Bryant continues to move forward in his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles’ tendon, though theLakers are unwilling to put an updated timetable on his exact return. “He’s progressing well and has met all the targets and milestones of his rehab, and we expect him to make a full recovery,” Lakers spokesman John Black told The Times on Monday. “One of the key issues is to make sure he builds up strength and endurance not only in his Achilles but also in his legs, knees, back and core.”… Bryant’s initial timetable called for at least six to nine months of recovery after he was injured April 12 against Golden State. The more optimistic part would put him in play for two Lakers exhibition games in China next month, though Bryant is expected to miss the Lakers’ entire eight-game preseason schedule that ends Oct. 25. The Lakers begin the regular season Oct. 29 against the Clippers. It is unknown if Bryant will be back in time. “We’re going to avoid giving a target return date until he’s doing full weight-bearing running and on-court basketball activities, at the earliest,” Black said.”
- Marcus Landry has made it to the Los Angeles Lakers roster, from Eric Pincus of Los Angeles Times: “The Lakers signed free-agent forward Marcus Landry to a contract Monday. Landry was a standout on the Lakers’ summer league squad in Las Vegas, averaging 15.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. While a deal wasn’t signed until Monday, Landry and the Lakers had reached a tentative, unbinding agreement on a “make-good” contract in late July. The 27-year old, 6-foot-7 forward tweeted his intentions almost two months ago. Landry will make $788,873 for the season, if he makes the team. The Lakers now have 15 players on the roster, the maximum allowed for the regular season. The team is expected to bring 16 to 20 players to training camp, including second-round draft pick Ryan Kelly (48th overall).”
- Ricky Davis will join the New York Knicks in mini-camp, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report: “Ricky Davis — yes, that Ricky Davis who played in NBA from 1998-2010 — is in #Knicks mini-camp today/tomorrow with 9 other camp hopefuls.”
- Sasha Vujacic is looking to make a comeback in the NBA, according to Marc Stein of ESPN: “Hearing: Sasha Vujacic working out hard in LA in hopes of relaunching NBA career. Determined to hold out for NBA instead of European return… According to one witness, Vujacic was a hit in Lakers’ gym last week and has been looking sharp in LA pickup games after his time in Turkey.”
General managers around the league feel that Bill Laimbeer is, to put it nicely, unfit to be a coach in the NBA, from Kate Fagan of ESPNW (via ProBasketballTalk): “The NBA coaching fraternity is a little bit like the Supreme Court: It’s really hard to get a spot on the bench, but even more difficult, practically impossible, to get kicked off. Once you’re in, you’re set for life. Although Rambis (now an assistant with the Lakers) was technically accountable for those two disastrous seasons in Minnesota, most NBA general managers I spoke with said he likely will, at some point, land another head-coaching job in the league because he is seen as a good guy who just didn’t have enough talent with the Timberwolves. When I mentioned Laimbeer, though, the reaction was visceral. He’s lazy. He’s a buffoon. He can’t relate to NBA players. He treats them like it’s college. Guys just won’t play for him. Laimbeer’s tenure with the Timberwolves is seen as a resounding failure, probably the final nail in his NBA coffin. Never mind this is the same league in which losing and getting fired seem like badges of honor for other coaches, something that happens every few years, like the Olympics, or the Sixers making the playoffs.”
Chris Wallace described what it was like for the Memphis Grizzlies when Derrick Rose was still in college, from Gary Washburn of Boston Globe: “I know getting roasted over a [trade] from time to time is one of the occupational hazards of being an NBA general manager, and we had to do what the organization felt was necessary to reboot the franchise, go in another direction.“We were stuck at that point. We never won a playoff game. We were heading for a second 20-something-win season. After all, this is the entertainment business and the town really did not see much entertainment value in our team anymore. Our crowds were dismal and it coincided with the Derrick Rose season at the University of Memphis, and literally we were like a high school JV compared to them in terms of interest. It was just remarkable when we played a day-night doubleheader, you didn’t think you were in the same building when you went to their game. So, there was really nothing to lose at that point.”
According to what John Schuhmann of NBA.com found from SportVU information, Brook Lopez’s rebounding ability cannot be judged simply based the total numbers: “Want to talk about rebounding? SportVU will tell you how many rebounding chances a player had, how many of his rebounds were contested or uncontested, and how much distance he travels for his rebounds. Reggie Evans led the league in rebounding percentage (the percentage of available rebounds that he grabbed while he was on the floor), but teammate Brook Lopez (in 18 games tracked by SportVU) actually converted a greater percentage of his rebound chances (63 percent vs. 62 percent) where he was in the vicinity of the ball. Furthermore, 54 percent of Lopez’s rebounds were contested, while only 31 percent of Evans’ were. And Lopez traveled 6.4 feet per rebound, while Evans traveled just 4.3 feet.”
