253 Comments
User's avatar
Captain Jack's avatar

If Lebron doesn't come here I hope he pulls something crazy and joins a team NOBODY was talking about or least heavily favored so he can shut all of these damn insiders up

ServantOfLuna's avatar

>>>Yaxel on complaints about his age: " I’m going to continue to play every single day with that chip on my shoulder to prove to everybody else that I belong in the NBA, no matter how long it took me."<<<

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1v1wd88/yaxel_on_complaints_about_his_age_im_going_to/

Sleepy Freud's avatar

Thybulle to the MFL. FML!!!

Captain Jack's avatar

Welcome back GP2

ServantOfLuna's avatar

Lakers roster construction doesn't make sense to me. They're just throwing a bunch of darts on the walls in hopes that something would stick.

Captain Jack's avatar

That's what happens when you have a demanding superstar. At least now Pelinka can say "At least I did something" when it inevitably fails

Arash  “Moody Can’t Shoot”'s avatar

Given his lack of an explosive first step, Yaxel can't afford to catch, hesitate, and let the defense get set. He needs to know whether he’s shooting or attacking the closeout immediately, using momentum and timing to create advantages rather than relying on burst.

If he can consistently make the right decision, his height/wingspan/strength will allow him to be more effective than someone like Podz whose size is a limitation scoring wise given his athletic limitations.

ServantOfLuna's avatar

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1v1ty7p/vorkunov_lakers_dodgers_and_sparks_owner_mark/

>>>Lakers, Dodgers and Sparks owner Mark Walter's insurance companies and parts of Guggenheim, in which he has a stake, are being investigated by the federal government.

The billionaire Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s sprawling investment empire is facing scrutiny from US prosecutors, who have been investigating potential financial improprieties at two of his insurance companies and at Guggenheim Partners LLC, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Last year, federal prosecutors in Manhattan began examining Guggenheim’s $362 billion money management arm, said some of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential matters. Prosecutors have more recently shown interest in Walter’s Delaware Life Insurance Co. and Clear Spring Life and Annuity Co.

The insurers received grand jury subpoenas in February, according to previously unreported regulatory filings. Prosecutors want to know whether the companies failed to disclose that certain private credit investments backed other parts of Walter’s business empire, the companies said in the June 26 filings. That investigation is being conducted in parallel with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the companies said.<<<

Sleepy Freud's avatar

With today’s justice department all this likely means is he has not sufficiently bribed the Trump crime family.

crusty quips's avatar

We can only hope their investigation uncovers a tangled web of corruption and wrongdoing which requires the systematic dismantling of Walters' sports empire.

Willy White Shoes's avatar

But will probably be resolved with an unreported half billion dollar purchase of a certain crypto asset.

Color me cynical.

Abaddon's avatar

You say cynical, I say - only if you're not paying attention...

crusty quips's avatar

Most likely yes. But let me dream, damnit

Captain Jack's avatar

Free agent forward Matisse Thybulle has agreed on one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. @ShamsCharania·

BayesGT's avatar

Solid player, but I don’t think he really fits what they need

GlueAndBold's avatar

He’s no Kuminga /s

Captain Jack's avatar

Pelinka is in the "throw crap at the wall and hope it sticks" phase of his GM career. I get it though their supporting cast after the bubble ring has been mostly embarrassing to say the least

Sabiscrashedout.'s avatar

That's number 16 for the roster for standard contracts.

Chadara's avatar

With obvious recency bias from Summer League-

Whatever that discussion on draft day between MDj and Lacob was ...I'd say they got it right.

Proof of the pudding to come in 82 game NBA regular season....

Captain Jack's avatar

The Warriors have announced their home schedule for the preseason

@NBCSWarriors

Oct. 6 vs. the Lakers

Oct. 10 vs. the Kings

Oct. 16 vs. the Blazers

DubsNerd's avatar

Wow, only one Lakers game, seems like most years the Dubs play them a bunch

BayesGT's avatar

These are only the home games tbf, we might be in LA a couple times

DubsNerd's avatar

Thanks, I missed that detail

Sabiscrashedout.'s avatar

For some reason McMenamin (Clutch guy) is reporting that the Warriors are playing the Lakers in first pre season game.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lakers/comments/1v1qnuz/mcmenamin_the_lakers_will_play_the_warriors_in/#lightbox

BayesGT's avatar

That’s pretty typical for preseason for us

stickdog's avatar

Rankings of the Warriors SL Team, according to Real GMs all-in-on Floor Impact statistic (Vegas games only): https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/summer/1/NBA-Summer-League/60/stats/NBA/0/Advanced_Stats/Qualified/points/All/desc/1/Summer_League

5. Lendeborg

14. Ike

17. Leons

18. Cryer

109. Richard

137. Lajae Jones

145. McMillian

177. Smith

203. Boyd

271. Olbrich

(out of 369 qualified players)

GovernorStephCurry's avatar

Not a good sign for Richard or Olbrich.

Abaddon's avatar

Yeah I put zero stock in this with regards to Richard, we've already seen what he can do at the NBA level. I don't think he was particularly trying to stand out.

stickdog's avatar
2hEdited

While you may be correct, and I 100% hope you are, over the last 40 games of last season. NBA.com's Player Impact Estimate stat had Richard among the bottom 10 players in the NBA who played as much or more than he played: https://www.nba.com/stats/players/advanced?CF=MIN*G*20:GP*GE*10&LastNGames=40&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&dir=D&sort=PIE

stickdog's avatar
5hEdited

Final Summer League stats:

Yaxel Lendeborg (8 games)

61.2% True Shooting

57.7% Effective Field Goal

48.4% Field Goal

71.4% Free Throws

45.9% Threes (17-37)

23.3% Usage

13.7% Rebounding

22.3% Assist

23.7 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

19.9 points

9.0 rebounds

5.4 assists

3.2 turnovers

1.8 steals

1.2 blocks

Chance McMillian (9 games)

74.8% True Shooting

70.7% Effective Field Goal

55.1% Field Goal

51.4% Threes (18-35)

19.5% Usage

6.7% Rebounding

8.6% Assist

23.2 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

23.3 points

4.5 rebounds

2.0 assists

1.0 steals

1.2 turnovers

Graham Ike (6 games)

62.2% True Shooting

49.2% Effective Field Goal

48.4% Field Goal

78.9% Free Throws

25.0% Threes (1-4)

18.5% Usage

18.4% Rebounding

12.8% Assist

21.2 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

17.0 points

12.3 rebounds

3.2 assists

1.7 blocks

1.7 turnovers

Great rebounding, free throw rate, and assist to turnover numbers for Ike!

Malevy Leons (8 games)

64.9% True Shooting

60.5% Effective Field Goal

56.1% Field Goal

26.3% Threes (5-19)

16.0% Usage

13.8% Rebounding

9.0% Assist

20.7 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

14.8 points

9.1 rebounds

2.3 assists

1.9 turnovers

1.9 steals

Leons is just a solid all around player. No complaints from me if he returns on a two-way.

Deivon Smith (7 games)

55.3% True Shooting

50.0% Effective Field Goal

47.9% Field Goal

80.0% Free Throws (8-10)

33.3% Threes (2-6)

24.7% Usage

17.2% Rebounding

23.6% Assist

19.5 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

17.3 points

11.6 rebounds

5.7 assists

1.5 steals

0.6 blocks

4.8 turnovers

Other than the high number of turnovers, Smith played great overall in his minutes, especially on the boards!

LJ Cryer (8 games)

62.2% True Shooting

58.1% Effective Field Goal

43.0% Field Goal

77.8% Free Throws

41.3% Threes (26-63)

22.4% Usage

5.0% Rebounding

23.5% Assist

19.2 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

20.2 points

3.2 rebounds

5.8 assists

2.4 turnovers

1.3 steals

Lachlan Olbrich (8 games)

71.7% True Shooting

61.0% Effective Field Goal

58.5% Field Goal

50.0% Threes (2-4)

18.6% Usage

10.8% Rebounding

17.2% Assist

18.6 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

20.3 points

7.0 rebounds

4.2 assists

3.8 turnovers

1.4 steals

0.8 blocks

Note that Olbrich's numbers trended way down. He went from a 32.2 PER at the California Classic to a 7.2 PER in Vegas, primarily due to poorer shooting and a much higher turnover percentage in Vegas.

Will Richard (7 games)

63.6% True Shooting

61.1% Effective Field Goal

48.1% Field Goal

66.7% Free Throws

48.3% Threes (14-29)

17.6% Usage

8.6% Rebounding

13.4% Assist

17.9 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

15.0 points

4.4 rebounds

3.5 assists

2.7 turnovers

Nick Boyd (7 games)

55.9% True Shooting

46.2% Effective Field Goal

42.3% Field Goal

22.2% Threes (4-18)

22.0% Usage

7.1% Rebounding

38.4% Assist

16.5 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

15.3 points

4.1 rebounds

7.3 assists

2.9 turnovers

1.7 steals

Lajae Jones (9 games)

48.2% True Shooting

45.1% Effective Field Goal

41.0% Field Goal

60.0% Free Throws (5-10)

25.0% Threes (5-20)

20.0% Usage

11.0% Rebounding

7.5% Assist

14.2 Player Efficiency Rating

Per 36 minutes:

14.8 points

7.3 rebounds

1.9 assists

1.2 steals

0.7 blocks

1.2 turnovers

Lajae took a lot of tough shots all throughout summer league. But note that he performed much better in Vegas than in the California Classic. His PER for just Vegas was an admirable 18.9 and his true shooting was 56.4%.

Note that all 10 of the above players averaged at least 14.8 points per 36 minutes played!!!

Sabiscrashedout.'s avatar

This sounds familiar....

r/nba

46m ago

YujiDomainExpansion

[Woike] Jonathan Kuminga momentum has “stalled” with sides far apart on terms and Lakers not motivated to put significant draft capital into sign-and-trades. Cavs are also connected to Kuminga. Lakers still monitoring market for big men.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1v1o1ts/woike_jonathan_kuminga_momentum_has_stalled_with/

Eric Apricot's avatar

So happy I don’t have to care about this anymore

Sabiscrashedout.'s avatar

Yeah it's just nice to see Kerr getting more vindicated by the day though.

ServantOfLuna's avatar

>>>The Athletic has reported on the Lakers’ interest in free agent Jonathan Kuminga since late June, but it appears that momentum has stalled with the sides far apart on terms and L.A. not overly motivated to push significant draft capital into sign-and-trade scenarios. Still, he appears to be the biggest upside play left on the table, and could re-emerge as a target if his market remains tepid. Cleveland, according to league sources, is the team most-often connected to Kuminga other than the Lakers.

The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic. They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.<<<

fzwinter's avatar

Maybe one Kobe was enough for the Lakers

Captain Jack's avatar

*No Longer Our Problem*

Goofus's avatar

Here’s Yaxel’s post-game comments, include the puckered butts comments. Also, if you suspected he played with something to prove when facing Boozer, your direct answer awaits: https://youtu.be/sEKXchPntgQ?si=QSAnH8RdI1VS6-mW

Eric Apricot's avatar

Well on track for First Team All-NBA Quote, and accelerating. He *will* have to learn to rein it in (!), maybe as soon as in pre-season with the top squad.

Willy White Shoes's avatar

I think the underappreciated comment came when he got his MVP trophy, something about kicking off the new era with Iren as a sponsor. Off to the side, Raymond Ritter must have been smiling.

That young fella is going to make a lot of money.

jaxfor3's avatar

Yaxel's comments are really out there. Will he get the same flak that Podz gets for his comments?

stickdog's avatar

Of course not. He looks big and athletic, so his self-confidence will be lauded.

Arash  “Moody Can’t Shoot”'s avatar

Yes. But just avoid Reddit which is crust infested wasteland of bad takes and you’ll be fine

Ando's avatar

Crust Infested Wasteland is my everyday breakfast cereal.

BayesGT's avatar

I think he won’t get flack from those people tbh

Goofus's avatar

My favorite comment: When asked if he now has bragging rights over his former Michigan teammates now that they won the championship, “I’m definitely gonna brag to those losers.” (He was laughing as he said it, all in fun.)

Goofus's avatar
8hEdited

Good to get the win, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. A lot can happen in a seven games series…

Wait, that’s it?

(They should at least go 48 minutes for the championship game.)

stickdog's avatar
8hEdited

That was a very high level summer league game by both teams.

Every player the Warriors played had some goof (on edit: should be "good", aka my goof) flashes. Had Leons, McMillian, and Jones not gone a combined 0-9 from three, the Warriors could have had some breathing room.

As it was, Smith, Cryer, and Yaxel really came up big. But to me, Will Richard's unexpected 4th quarter offensive outburst is what won the game for the Warriors. Richard had 8 big 4th quarter points and a +14 in the quarter, plus one big block.

So let me state that I was wrong abou my pregame analysis insofar that Richard stood out as a NBA caliber player, as did Yaxel, Cryer, and even Leons (despite his outside shooting woes) and Ike. Keep them all and keep Smith in Santa Cruz and Lajae Jones on the roster somehow!

Goofus's avatar

>>> Every player the Warriors played had some goof flashes.

Not to be confused with Goofus flashes.

Sleepy Freud's avatar

Heck, even Steph has more than his fair share of goof flashes.

Nellie's avatar

I thought OKC might keep Dort for at least another year. Obviously that was wrong. But I still disagree with those who thought trading him was a no-brainer. He didn’t seem like a vital piece in these playoffs, but that’s in part because of the teams OKC played. If they had seen Luka, Ant, or (a healthy) Tatum, I think his bulk would have been more useful. Not saying the Thunder can’t beat those teams without Dort, but it seems clear to me that their short-term title odds are at least marginally diminished, and the margins matter when you are in your championship window.

stickdog's avatar
8hEdited

Trading him and Joe weren't no-brainers, but what better options did the Thunder have if they wanted to stay under the second apron?

Nellie's avatar

Well, I had been thinking they might choose to cut bait on Sorber and Topic instead (though I’m not sure how the final numbers on Hartenstein’s extension affect the math). Especially since they just drafted players at the same two positions.

I don’t feel confident enough to say it’s a mistake on their part, but as a general principle I do think they should be trying to maximize their title odds right now, rather than worrying about keeping the window open farther into the future.

tempprofile's avatar

OKC did what the apron rules force teams to do. Even if they wanted to pay the additional tax, and they probably don't, the other conditions are onerous.