Lakers Have Yet To Start Negotiations With Kobe
While the talk of Los Angeles is how Kobe Bryant will look on the court this season as he rebounds from his Achilles injury, it's possible that the real focus should be on what happens in 2014/15. The Lakers haven't opened contract negotiations with Bryant and will take a wait-and-see approach as he recovers from his injury, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers star will earn an eye-popping $30.45MM in his walk year and many have wondered if he would be willing to take a pay cut beyond this season to help give the club the necessary breathing room to build around him. It's a tricky situation for the Lakers on a number of fronts. While the Lakers undoubtedly have Bryant as their top priority, they have no possible way of gauging his readyness after suffering a devastating Achilles injury late last season. Only time will tell what the future will hold for Bryant and it appears that Mitch Kupchak & Co. will take that cliche to heart.
Bryant could receive a maximum 5% raise over his current salary, bringing him to $32MM for 2014/15. However, that would eat up nearly half of the club's cap space for that season as Bresnahan notes that the early estimates have it at $62.5MM. If he took a major pay cut and asked for, say, $10-$12MM, that could give the Lakers enough breathing room to add two strong free agents in the summer of 2014.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Young, D’Antoni, Suns
Jeanie Buss updated her memoirs and over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times published an excerpt from the newest edition of "Laker Girl." In the book, Buss says that she was devastated when Mike D'Antoni was hired over beau Phil Jackson. Here's more on the Lakers and other news from the Pacific Division..
- With Kobe Bryant sidelined, the Lakers have the opportunity to unleash the ultimate gunner in Nick Young, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com. Gunners like Young can fill up a stat sheet with points but they don't do it in the most efficient fashion or get others involved in the offense. Even though Young isn't exactly Pistol Pete Maravich when it comes to dishing the ball, he doesn't turn the ball over often, which bodes well for the offseason addition.
- In an interview with Jamie Maggio of Time Warner Cable Sportsnet, D'Antoni said that he's looking forward to a "normal" season on the bench with the Lakers after the difficulties of last year. The coach also touched on offseason additions Chris Kaman, Wesley Johnson, and Shawne Williams.
- Matt Petersen of Suns.com profiled Suns offseason acquisition Viacheslav Kravtsov.
Jeanie Buss On Jim Buss, Jackson, D’Antoni
Jeanie Buss is the Lakers representative on the NBA's Board of Governors, making her as much the primary owner of the team as any member of the Buss family is following the passing of patriarch Jerry Buss in February. She hints at tension between her and brother Jim Buss, writing in the latest edition of her memoir that she wants Jim "to realize that I'm not the enemy." The Los Angeles Times published an excerpt of the updated portion of "Laker Girl" online today that centers around the team's abortive pursuit of Jeanie's fiancee, Phil Jackson, for their coaching vacancy last season. It's plenty revelatory, not just about the Jackson situation but the ongoing dynamics of the Lakers front office, so we'll recap the highlights here:
- Jeanie was moved to tears when the team decided to hire Mike D'Antoni instead. "The sequence of events — Phil almost coming back and then being told someone else was better for the job — practically destroyed me," she writes. "It almost took away my passion for this job and this game. It felt like I had been stabbed in the back. It was a betrayal. I was devastated."
- Jeanie, who oversees the franchise's business operations, says she and Jim had never spoken about basketball before Jim sought her input prior to asking Jackson about his interest in the job.
- Jackson never demanded part-ownership, a "ridiculous" salary, or an arrangement that would have allowed him to miss some of the team's road games, according to Jeanie, but he did ask for input on personnel decisions.
- The Lakers were aware of the negative publicity that choosing D'Antoni over Jackson would bring. When GM Mitch Kupchak called Jackson to tell him that they were going with D'Antoni, Kupchak told him he thought the media firestorm would "blow over in a month," Jeanie writes.
Western Rumors: Budinger, Lakers, Vasquez
A handful of teams were reportedly suitors of Chase Budinger this summer, but after just a single injury-shortened year in Minnesota, the Timberwolves had already won his heart, as he told reporters today, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (video link).
"It was a fairly easy decision." Budinger said of re-signing with the Wolves. "I just fit perfectly in Rick Adelman's system. He trusts me. I know the coaching staff. I know what they expect of me. Just all in all, I was very comfortable here, and that was the main reason why I came back."
Zgoda's video also shows Budinger and Dante Cunningham talking about the club's offseason additions. Here's more from Minnesota's Western Conference rivals:
- Dave Murphy of Forum Blue & Gold confirms that Nick Minnerath will pass up a training camp invitation from the Lakers to play for Obradoiro in Spain (hat tip to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times). We suspected as much when the Spanish team announced its deal last month with the undrafted former University of Detroit forward.
- Greivis Vasquez hasn't yet played a game for the Kings, who acquired him via trade from the Pelicans this summer, but the team already faces a decision about whether to extend his rookie-scale deal. Sacramento GM Pete D'Alessandro is among those who praises the Venezuelan point guard in Alex Kramers' piece for Kings.com, which chronicles Vasquez's unlikely journey to the team.
- The Kosta Koufos trade figures to open up the Nuggets starting center job for JaVale McGee, but Timofey Mozgov is also in line for more playing time as the primary backup at the position after inking a new three-year deal in the offseason. The big man recognizes the opportunity before him, as he tells Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
Lakers Sign Ryan Kelly
5:49pm: It'll be a non-guaranteed one-year contract for Kelly, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. That means he's essentially no more than a training camp invitee.
3:20pm: The Lakers have officially signed second-round pick Ryan Kelly to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Kelly had been dealing with foot issues and it was unclear if he'd be healthy enough to join the team this fall, but it looks like he'll get a camp audition, at the very least.
Kelly, the 48th overall pick in this June's draft, played his senior year at Duke in 2012/13, averaging 12.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 23 contests. Since the Lakers only have 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, the 6'11" forward should have a good chance to earn a regular-season roster spot, depending on his health and production in October. In addition to those 11 guys and Kelly, Los Angeles is also bringing Shawne Williams, Marcus Landry, Xavier Henry, and Elias Harris to camp.
Details of Kelly's deal with the Lakers aren't known, but since the team is into tax territory and has used its mid-level exception, it'll have to be a minimum salary contract of some sort for the rookie. It can be for either one or two years, and will likely only have a small partial guarantee.
Western Notes: Kobe, Kelly, Parker
- As for most recent second-round pick Ryan Kelly (whom Vitti says is "asymptomatic"), the trainers have still decided to take a conservative approach with his rehab and aren't sure when he'll be returning to action either.
- Tony Parker tells Mark Woods of ESPN that general manager R.C. Buford wants him to play less minutes at Eurobasket, but added that he has a great relationship with the Spurs and appreciates them letting him play for the French national team.
- Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation relays a snippet of Marco Belinelli's interview with HoopsHype, noting that the 27-year-old guard chose San Antonio over several other teams because of the opportunity to play for Gregg Popovich and a chance to win a championship.
- Rockets guard Jeremy Lin tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 about how great it was to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon and says that "anybody with (Dwight Howard) is a deadly combination" in response to the 50-year-old's recent comments about Lin and Howard being a potent duo next season (All Twitter links).
Western Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Iguodala, Spurs
Let's round up a few Thursday notes from around the Western Conference….
- In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains how Utah's past has informed its present. As Deeks writes, the team is retooling by stocking up on draft picks rather than signing a slew of free agents. The Jazz did the same thing nearly a decade ago, but are doing it better this time around, says Deeks.
- Kobe Bryant's health and his ability to return to form in the 2013/14 season could play a significant role in next summer's free agent market, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who explains that the Lakers' plans could be significantly affected by whether or not Kobe shows signs of slowing down.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News spoke to Andre Iguodala about working out with his new teammates, as the swingman prepares to enter the first season of his four-year deal with the Warriors.
- The Spurs announced a number of front office promotions and hirings in a press release today. Among them: Director of scouting Brian Pauga has been named the new general manager of the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.
Western Rumors: Richardson, Barron, Jazz, Lakers
With training camps set to open in less than two weeks, let's round up a few of the latest notable items out of the Western Conference….
- A report from CentralIllinoisProud.com suggests that former Illinois guard D.J. Richardson has earned a "tryout" with the Jazz. It's not clear whether that means Richardson has been invited to camp or that he's just auditioning for the team, since Utah has been working out plenty of players recently.
- Case in point: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report tweets that free agent big man Earl Barron worked out for the Jazz yesterday.
- The Lakers intend to evaluate second-round pick Ryan Kelly in about a week to see how his recovery from right foot surgery is coming, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. It's still unclear whether Kelly will get a chance to earn a spot on the Lakers' roster for the coming season.
- There should be plenty of competition in Mavericks camp to see who deserves a look at the small forward position, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Vince Carter figures to play more at the three after the team signed a handful of guards in free agency, but Shawn Marion, Jae Crowder, and Devin Ebanks could also be in the mix, as Sneed notes.
Lakers Notes: Worthy, Kobe, Johnson
Get excited Lakers fans: The Machine is back. Sasha Vujacic has been out of the NBA for a couple of yeras now, but he's gearing up for a comeback in the L.A. area. There's little doubt that the 29-year-old guard could cash in on a solid contract overseas, but he's determined to find an opportunity in the NBA for 2013/14. Here's more out of La La Land..
- Fellow Lakers legend James Worthy is concerned about Kobe Bryant and the approach he'll take to his return to the hardwood, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Worthy doesn't question that Bryant will return from the torn Achilles tendon that cut his 2012/13 season short, but he wonders if the ultra-intense guard will dial things back in general in order to keep himself upright.
- More from Medina, who is running down the Lakers' depth chart as the new season approaches. Today's feature focuses on offseason acquisition Wesley Johnson who is looking to shed his reputation as a draft bust after going fourth overall in 2010 and not producing a whole lot in Phoenix or Minnesota.
- Earlier tonight, the Lakers inked Marcus Landry to a contract for the upcoming season and it sounds like he's got a solid chance of making the roster.
Lakers Sign Marcus Landry
The Lakers announced that they have officially signed forward Marcus Landry. Terms of the deal were not revealed, but the deal is likely a non-guaranteed pact.
It was first reported in late July that Landry, the younger brother of Carl, was likely to hook on with the Lakers on a deal that would essentially boil down to a camp invite. Landry appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics. Since then, he's bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.
Landry may not have a guaranteed gig in L.A., but he has a good chance of making the roster thanks in large part to Ryan Kelly's foot injury. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is represented by Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.