Marcus Landry

Western Notes: Lakers, Landry, Blazers, Frye

The Clippers signed Antawn Jamison earlier this week, and Jamison conducted a radio interview with ESPN 710 in Los Angeles on Friday, transcribed and given context by ESPN Los Angeles scribe Ramona Shelburne this morning.

In the interview Jamison spoke about last season under the microscope with the star-studded Lakers, applauded the competitive drive of Kobe Bryant, and discussed his sometimes strained relationship with coach Mike D'Antoni, who removed Jamison from the rotation late in the year. Said Jamison of Bryant:

"I would never count Kobe Bryant out of anything. I've played with some special players. Gilbert Arenas when he was [in Washington D.C], at the top of his game, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal [in Cleveland]. I've played with a lot but never played with an individual player who had the type of mindset, the drive that he has. If [Bryant] says he's going to win a sixth ring, believe me, he's going to do everything possible to get that ring."

Jamison also said there was little communication or rapport between the players and D'Antoni after Mike Brown was fired five games into the season.  

"Mike was pretty much put in a difficult situation. There was no training camp where he could get a feel for guys. There was a breakdown of communication when we first got there. And throughout the season it was kind of up and down."

Here's more from around the Western Conference, including a possible D-League addition to the Lakers next season…

  • The Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus shares the offseason workout video (via Ryan Ellerbusch of Maximum Exposure) of Lakers summer league standout forward Marcus Landry
  • Landry – younger brother of Carl Landry – averaged 15.2 PPG in 5 games this summer and in February was named to the Futures All-Star roster for the 2013 D-League All-Star Game.
  • Pincus adds that the Lakers are planning to bring 16-20 players to training camp despite having just 12 players under contract. They're expected to sign second round pick Ryan Kelly.
  • Sam Tongue of Blazers Edge wonders whether Blazers President Chris McGowan can enhance fan experience by upgrading their digital properties to "talk with the fans, rather than at them."
  • The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn tweets that Suns GM Ryan McDonough says they'll know whether Channing Frye will play in 2013/14 in the next few weeks, but he's "optimistic he'll be able to play."

Lakers Expected To Sign Marcus Landry

Marcus Landry is expected to sign a deal with the Lakers to attend training camp that contains a "small guarantee," tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.  While she adds that it's more of a camp invite than a contract, Shelburne says the team has legitimate interest in the former Wisconsin Badger.

Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times, who predicted the signing last week, tweets the deal is not yet official but he fully expects Landry to be in Lakers camp and to have a realistic shot at a roster spot.  With Elias Harris in the fold and the not-yet-signed Ryan Kelly a near lock to make the roster, Pincus opines that Landry could make the team as the 14th man if the Lakers don't add a veteran forward (Twitter links here). 

Marcus, the younger brother of Carl Landry, appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics.  He has since bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.

Lakers Rumors: Odom, Landry, Daye

The Lakers were the toast of the summer last year, but after a profoundly disappointing season and the loss of Dwight Howard, they're taking a more conservative approach this time around. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of rumors flying around the Staples Center as the team attempts to fill out its roster via the minimum-salary exception, the only tool to sign free agents that GM Mitch Kupchak has left. Here's the latest:
  • Kevin Ding of the Orange County register hears that Lamar Odom might be warming to the idea of playing for the Lakers again. The team isn't high on him, so a reunion is unlikely, Ding tweets.
  • Before news broke today of the Lakers' agreement with Elias Harris, Ding wrote that the team wanted to sign two more players this summer to partially guaranteed deals for the minimum salary. The Lakers are targeting players from its summer league roster, like Harris, and overlooked veterans (Sulia link).
  • The Harris deal didn't shock Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, who believes summer league participant Marcus Landry could be the next to sign with the Lakers (Twitter link).
  • The Lakers have been interested in Austin Daye, who worked out for the team this week, but Pincus gets the sense that the team wasn't enthralled with what it saw (Twitter link).