S63 Lakers Presser

[MexicanMamba]

[ Sweat trickles down the Laker star's face as he walks into view of the gaggle of familiar faces, waiting at the Lakers practice facility media room. It's an unexpected appearance causing light murmurs to bubble up from the crowd. Safi Fino-A-Laself sits in front of the microphone, greeting everyone with a brief nod before speaking. ]

SAFI:

I know I'm not who you were expecting. Coach D or Mr. Abitua usually have more than enough to say to ya'll about everything going on here in Laker Land. Today though, I asked to be here. I had some things that I wanted ..
NEEDED ... to say.

First is that I take full responsibility for how last season ended. There are absolutely zero excuses for the no-show we, I, pulled in the Finals. I know ya'll were disappointed in us. My mentions definitely let me know Laker Nation was disappointed in us. Mostly, we were furious with ourselves. Look, respect to the Grizzlies for going at our heads like they did but it never should have gone down that way.

Not a sweep. Not being incapable of scoring at even an amateur level.

I failed. Everyone involved here looks to me to be THAT dude and I wasn't. That is on me. Maybe we got a bit too full of ourselves. Maybe we didn't take Memphis seriously. Or they were just better than us. Regardless, it's unacceptable and I apologize.

It was a damn sobering and humbling experience. Just like losing to the Bucks after winning 70 games was. Folks are right to question if we can close this damn deal. I'm not. But I get why you all might.

To the credit of the front office, they didn't cry about it. They didn't rest or try to coast. They went to work just as hard as I did. I can't wait to show ya'll how seamlessly Evan Mobley fits in with us after the trade. You're going to love watching L.G. and Corey Kiss do work alongside us as well. I'm excited to have Bam watching my back again.

I'll miss the guys who aren't here, but they're gone. I wish them well but they're just not important to the mission now, so I move on.

I'm GOING to dominate this season. I'm ready. I'm FOCUSED. Karlo, Big A, Paolo, Walker ... they feel the exact same way that I do. There's no way in hell we want to feel this same kind of disappointment again. Failure isn't on the agenda this season.


Now, whatever questions you got, firing them my way and I'll do my best to answer them.

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[JNR]

GWR: After 4 years in the league, you're making the transition from young player to veteran. With today's press conference, should we expect to see you step up more as the genuine veteran leader of this team going forward?

[MexicanMamba]

GWR: After 4 years in the league, you're making the transition from young player to veteran. With today's press conference, should we expect to see you step up more as the genuine veteran leader of this team going forward?

Don't just expect it, that's what it is. With all due respect to my brothers Karlo and Alleman, and the Mobley, all of who have been great in this league longer than me, this starts and ends with me. If we up, it'll be cause I put the pressure on my shoulders. If we crumble, it's because my back went out and I couldn't carry the load. I want that responsibility. It's my time now. No excuses. Growing pains are over.

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[K-100]

Last season's team featured one of the all-time best defensive performances in league history. Do you think you can top it this season with Mobley and Galloway joining the ranks?

[MexicanMamba]

Last season's team featured one of the all-time best defensive performances in league history. Do you think you can top it this season with Mobley and Galloway joining the ranks?

Coach takes defense seriously and we follow suit. You can't walk through these doors and not make a commitment to D. Won't last long. Mobley and L.G. got that right away and we certainly don't expect much drop-off. I'm always personally recruiting folks who can D-up too, so, maybe I'll give the front office some suggestions. If we win the chip, we auto pass last season regardless how it happens!

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[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Which player in the league is the toughest person who's guarded you, and which player is the toughest person you've had to guard?

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: with eight blue or better players, do you think this team is as deep?


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[MexicanMamba]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Which player in the league is the toughest person who's guarded you, and which player is the toughest person you've had to guard?

Well, in the last 3 playoffs there's one guy who has made me have to really go back and hone my offensive game because of how much he made me work. After two straight losses to his teams, finally got back at him last season. It's Saddiq Bey. I've admired him even before I stepped into the league and while he's mostly known as an offensive guy, defense is where he made his mark on me. Look, I'm big. I'm strong. He's bigger. Stronger ... or was. It's tough to shoot over him, refs don't like to blow whistles on him, and he rarely gets confused or bites on fakes. I look forward to seeing him on defense more this season too.

As for the guy that causes me the most grief on defense? I really hate when I have to chase Darius Garland around the court all damn game. Which I'll have to do more often now that he's in Portland. It's the opposite of Bey, who uses his size and length to control you with his physicality. Garland is small but lightning fast, makes quick decisions and never gets tired. I try wearing him out by pressing him but you gotta catch his ass before you can do that. It ain't easy, man.

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[MexicanMamba]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: with eight blue or better players, do you think this team is as deep?


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I think we're deep and better. Yeah, we're without 4 guys now who filled our rotation last season but Mobley covers more than enough alone and Kispert, Galloway are former starters, Galloway a former superstar. Also, trust me, we aren't done adding depth. We're going to get better, trust that.

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[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Rookie phenom Paulo Banchero took the league by storm last season, even drawing some comparisons to you with his style of play. What has it been like working with and helping develop him? Do you think he was robbed of the RotY award last season?

[greepleairport]

Safi, have your dancing days been numbered? Or have you still found time to shake that thang for the world on the side?

[MexicanMamba]

Random Reporter: Rookie phenom Paulo Banchero took the league by storm last season, even drawing some comparisons to you with his style of play. What has it been like working with and helping develop him? Do you think he was robbed of the RotY award last season?

I see us much more as the perfect complementary pieces than replicas of each other. What we both excel at is made easier by what the other does. Paolo is my little bro though. It was quite unexpected getting him here in Los Angeles early last season because I thought Mac was gearing up to be the bridge between Laker runs. Look, at first I was leery. I liked Mac and you never know how young cats are going to work. I have no patience for laziness. I worked my damn ass off to get to this point. Paolo came in on day 1 and showed that we had nothing to worry about with him. He immediately put his nose in the dirt to make all of our lives easier. Especially defensively, he took on every role, every assignment. He didn't just fit in, he thrived. Believe me, he's only going to get better too. I look forward to playing with him for a long, long time.

As for the Rookie of the Year award? Man, we got bigger fish to fry.

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[MexicanMamba]

Safi, have your dancing days been numbered? Or have you still found time to shake that thang for the world on the side?

https://youtu.be/iNqPIOW5Grg

We out.

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[78#]

What role do you see for Corey Kispert, a former Rockets draft pick?

[MexicanMamba]

What role do you see for Corey Kispert, a former Rockets draft pick?

Barring injury, he may not get a ton of minutes on a consistent basis however he's a smart, veteran presence who knows our offensive system since he's played with us before. What I certainly learned last season is you can't have enough guys capable of putting the ball in the hoop and Kispert is coming off a career year in that department. He'll contribute when needed.

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[Eazy P]

Is it Championship or bust and how do you plan on incorporating Paolo this season