[PhxRam]

Luckily I found out the Lakers Summer League game would be televised today, so I watched the 1st overall pick Simmons versus the 2nd overall pick Ingram, if any of you watched you know how that came out, the 2nd overall pick was everywhere in the 2nd half, only his name was D'Angelo Russell ! !.8 seconds on the clock, Lakers down 69-67, Russell shoots a l-o-o-o=n-n-g 3 as time expires, swish, nothing but net, Lakers win 70-69 !
Russell was also the catalyst in the Lakers win over the Pelicans & game MVP...Sadly I didn't get to watch that game but they say D'Angelo Russell is playing a different game so far this year & so far that's what I'm seeing & I like what I'm seeing...Larry Nance was everywhere as well, Brandon Ingram seemed lost at times & was scoreless in the 1st half, had 2 fg. in the 2nd half & missed a wide open 3 for his only attempt... The Croation Zubac plays well under the basket...

The Lakers are finally watchable again! Last year I think my tolerance level was at an all time low. My TV remote just couldn't stay on a Laker broadcast for longer than a 5 min interval, no matter how hard I tried.

Notes from Summer league:

Ingram will be a future Star in the NBA, he has "it"

DLo is starting his official "Unleashed in the West" tour

Zubac looks like he could turn into even a bigger draft steal than Nance or Clarkson. The Lakers just might have scored two lottery picks.


Koolaid /off

64

Go to Lakers.com & check out "The Icebox" or whatever it is, front page & its all about Ingram & Zubac, really good info on our 2 draft picks & this guy also thinks the Lakers scored bigtime on Jiangliang the Lakers signed as a free agent from China & was really high on how well he's playing now since he was the #8 overall pick in the 2008 draft, but the guy he talked about most is Zubac, kept going on & on about Zubac lasting til the 32nd pick...

Zubac looked good in the summer league. But he will be hard pressed to see any meaningful minutes this year.

[Hacksaw]

Mosgov is a house. Nice to see more bigs on this team.

[Rams Dominate]

If your referring to yesterdays season opener against the Rockets, yes he is a house & his defense is pretty decent as well...During the pre-season Luke Walton hinted at B.I. (Brian Ingram) becoming a point forward, it was on display in last nights game as was his 7'3" arm length on his 6'9" frame that turned "The Beard" Henson? sp? into a passer, (17) assists, he got his points anyway but not off of B.I., he was one frustrated shooter, when B.I. got up on him with his arms raised it was like The Beard was triple teamed, I don't think B.I. missed a shot all night either, in the 1st qtr. with the Rockets up 15-6, B.I. brings the ball up, hits Swaggy left side of the key = 15-9, someone steals the ball & feeds Russell, he hits a 3= 15-12, Rockets in bound & miss a shot, Russell brings the ball up & hits B.I. standing in the right corner unguarded, "boom"= 15-15...Really fun game to watch, this young Lakers squad is gonna get a lot better in the next 81 games but they have some scorers folks & will make mistakes but you'll be entertained believe me...
They'll be tested Friday night in Salt Lake City against a veteran Jazz team...

[Hacksaw]

LA Rams, Lakers and even the Dodgers all appear to be on the verge of some "winning time". Plenty of accumulated talented youth.
We are due.

[snackdaddy]

I still think this team has a way to go. Still too young to be considered a playoff team. But the talent is there. Russell and Ingram could be that Durant/Westbrook combo in a couple years. Randle and Clarkson can be a nice complement. Throw in a some high energy bench guys like Nance along with a few savvy vets and this team could be pretty good in a year or two. They'l need an athletic big man to keep up with the youthful legs.

[Hacksaw_64]

Tell me if I'm off base here. Is Jeff Fisher reminding anybody of a lot like how Byron Scott coached the Lakers last season? Is he maybe just a little too"old school' and stubborn for his own good?

Has Fisher's treatment of his rookie QB crossed the line into the personal "i'm gonna show you who's boss"?

I'm starting to think so.

There's only one organization I can think of with a coach that succeeds with this approach nowadays an that's the Patriots. I think Kroenke has kept Fisher around aiming for continuity and the Patriots model. He clearly isn't as forward thinking as Belicheck to be able to rule with an iron fist.

This begs the question, who are the LA Rams Luke Walton?

[snackdaddy]

Nice win last night against the Warriors. Randle had a nice game. Lou Williams brings a veteran presence and some offense along with it. I think one of the biggest offseason moves was signing Luol Deng. He's a solid defender. Experienced vet and can provide some scoring.

Right now they seem to have a nice blend of vet experience and youthful energy. It might take some time, but last night showed what the future could hold. Walton just might be the right coach to put it together. I still think they're a year or two away, but you never know.

They began the season with a home win then went on the road and lost 3 in a row. But they rebounded nicely. Gave the Hawks their first loss and beat a legit championship caliber team in the Warriors.

I have a feeling we're going to see some more impressive wins, but we'll be frustrated by some bad losses too. This team is becoming watchable again. I don't know that they can make it into the final 8 for a playoff spot. But I can see this team improving as the season progresses. I can see them winning over 30 this year. And who knows, maybe improve enough to attract an all star caliber vet or two. They'll likely have to give up that draft pick this time around.

[Rams Dominate]

I watched the Warriors/Lakers game yesterday & loved what I saw, like Kevin Durant said after the game "they came out & hit us in the mouth & never let up, it was a wire-to wire victory, at one point in the 4th qtr. the Lakers led by 22 points & D'Angelo Russell said Luke Walton harped on defense, defense, defense against the top scoring team in the league, "don't let them shoot 3's & hope they miss, MAKE THEM MISS!" Stephen Curry had his streak of 136 straight games of at least one 3 made snapped, he was 0 - 10, Klay Thompson was below his average as well, the next highest scoring team, the Atlanta Hawks, were beaten by the Lakers ON THE ROAD, under their scoring average as well...Our young Lakers have bought into Luke Waltons philosophy & at times are playing over their heads but so far this season they're competitive & from what I've seen every team they've played knows this young Laker squad is not to be taken lightly..
Couple years the Lakers might have their pick of a top free agent once word gets around about what's happening with the Lakers...
This offense doesn't need a Kareem type center, just a center that hits the boards & clogs the middle sorta like Timofy Mozgov already does... Julius Randle is an animal & is as strong & quick as any big man in the league & IMO this team needs experience & they're getting that every game, couple of vets (Kupchak & Walton will figure that out & who) the Lakers will be back big time...

[Hacksaw]

Things are looking up fellas. Rams, Lakers and Dodgers repin'.

[Rams Dominate]

If any of you watched the past 3 games (Rockets, Warriors & Suns) you know what these 3 teams already know, the new, young Lakers are not to be taken lightly...They've bought into Luke Waltons system & hit the floor thinking they can beat anybody...