S70 We Back in PURPLE and Gold Presser

[MexicanMamba]

Transition.

It's the way of the world in our corner of this basketball world. S69 was the start of it. Out went the vast majority of wave of players that put together among the best stretches of winning basketball that a team could put together. Safi was the final boss. The last man standing. There was no grand exclamation point to the end of that chapter in Lakers lore. After the long awaited championship, last season was the curtin call. A quick walk out and bow for the appreciative crowd for a job well done.

As S70 starts, even Mr. Laker is somewhere else. While there will be a small drop in my stomach watching him Don another team's jersey, we wish him well, winning and health. Nothing but love.

After a brief introduction and initiation, Daniel Johnson was welcomed back after being handsomely paid. So was Fabian Hub, another small piece of purple and gold lore who knows how to win and win in this organization. And in continuing a tradition of returns, Gregory Kozak is back in LALA land after an extended absence. We honestly never got to watch him perform in this uniform, trading him early in his career.

But we look forward to giving him an opportunity to show us what we've been missing.

The fresh face that made the biggest waves is, of course, Dennis Funkhouser. A distributor expert, who is still only 25-years-old and growing. Even with Daniel Johnson running this offense well last season, the opportunity to grab The Funk was too good to pass up. We'll figure it out one way or the other.

But honestly? The Story of this team for this off-season isn't the draft or free agency or trades. It's training camp. Camp is the first place where our players get to show off all of their hard work in the off-season. Or prove that they don't belong at all.

In the cases of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jody Kinsella, not only were they ready to show off, to be part of the group and thrive, they showed up leadership, grit and accountability. They attacked every weight session and practice as if it were Game 7 of the Finals. They've even altered my mindset coming into this season. .

Before, I wasn't sure who might stay or go. I offered trades for superstars which were rejected. I gave options of trading for both Trayce and Jody, thinking maybe someone was ready to take the leap towards a rebuild and I, towards my first Safi-less title run.

Instead, Jody and Trayce made me shut my damn mouth, close up those damn trade blocks, and demand that they are those dudes to build around, not bait to lure a bigger fish in.

Cue the gold flakes from the ceiling and the purple spotlight for Trayce.

No, this season isn't ending in a championship parade. But what's most exciting? We can see those possibilities again in the future. Since it's been so long since the last time, amirite!?


But, look, if you're here, you're not here to read much of this or listen to me speak.

You're here to ask the (burnin) questions.

So put on the reporter hat, tell me how bad of a job I'm doing.

And ask.

Anything.


I look forward to.

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[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: After a really successful preseason in which not only did you go undefeated, but you beat the defending champs on the road, what do you change for the regular season? Your roster is stacked at the point guard position and with big men, so who did we see too much of in preseason and who didn't we see enough of?

[MexicanMamba]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: After a really successful preseason in which not only did you go undefeated, but you beat the defending champs on the road, what do you change for the regular season? Your roster is stacked at the point guard position and with big men, so who did we see too much of in preseason and who didn't we see enough of?

While no one in this building is doing much chest beating over preseason results, since there's always incredibly varying levels of gameplanning, experimenting, and, quite frankly, effort. Still, 6-0 is 6-0, and the Champs put their best starting 5 out there in that game. It's encouraging, especially after missing out on the playoffs last season. These performances have me asking the same questions about our lineups as you. I think there's a few obvious answers here, one going up and one coming down.

I don't imagine you'll see quite as much of Edward Bonilla once the lights really come on. He was impressive in the preseason. He damn near averages 12 points 10 rebounds 6 assists and 2.5 STLs while shooting 40% from 3. But 37 minutes per game is entirely too much. We count on him being a reliable veteran presence for a team whose budding stars are starting to learn how to win.

The person who is going to see those additional minutes being shaved from Bonilla is obviously going to be Dennis Funkhouser. We brought The Funk in without a set plan on how to deploy both he and DJ. Wanted to let them meet and train together and see where their chemistry is, then let it happen naturally. Coming out of camp, we were leaning towards having both of them start next to each other but wanted to toy with one running the 2nd unit in preseason. It worked, but I already regret easing Funk in so much and not giving him enough minutes to really explore the court and his teammates. That won't happen in the regular season, especially since we kick the season off on the road against his former team.

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[RPF]

Has this quick turnaround even surprised you?

[MexicanMamba]

Has this quick turnaround even surprised you?

Well, I'd like to see how much the preseason success translates to regular season success before I label it too big of a turn around. I still might be a season or 2 from that, but we'll see. What did surprise me, obviously, is just how big of a change happened with Jody Kinsella and Trayce Jackson-Davis in training camp and basically solidifying them as the future of the franchise. You never can tell what to expect from the youngsters, and you definitely don't ever expect to have two bigs hit that purple tint, or damn close to it, in one offseason. We're back in a good spot quickly after our reset, but we'll see what the ceiling is soon enough.

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[LazyTitanSmash]

With one of the top young teams, with lots of young assets does going after one of the top older players in the league make sense for your team? Or does the fact that your best player is super young have you joining the youth movement? Do you want a young core that adds rotating older players a transition pieces?

[MexicanMamba]

With one of the top young teams, with lots of young assets does going after one of the top older players in the league make sense for your team? Or does the fact that your best player is super young have you joining the youth movement? Do you want a young core that adds rotating older players a transition pieces?

Well, I don't think I have a lot of young assets now. It's a matter of perspective, of course, but Kinsella and Trayce are both capable of contributing to a winning team right now (Kinsella more than Trayce at this point). So, I see them as keys, not assets, which I always define as strong pieces to trade for a bigger fish. Since Kinsella, Trayce aren't getting traded, they aren't capable of netting me any bigger fish. Funkhouser is also a 25-year-old contributor. I usually try to be careful about being TOO young, because that's just generally not the recipe to championships, plus the costs associated with insurance for too many.

So, I think I'm already IN a youth movement and you always need the right legit veterans surrounding those youngsters to make everything pop. I would certainly add the right veteran player or players if that deal presented itself. Especially if we start the regular season as strongly as our preseason. On the other hand, I'd also get new homes for some of my more seasoned players for youth, if it doesn't look like true competing is possible.

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[LazyTitanSmash]

Follow up question, do you think you are not making a championship run this year? The scoots in the Mavericks organization have you at least in the top 6 teams entering the season.

[MexicanMamba]

Follow up question, do you seriously think you are not making a championship run this year? The scoots in the Mavericks organization have you at least in the top 6 teams entering the season.

As my roster currently sits, no, I don't think that I'll be able to top the Pistons for the championship (or the division or conference), and that's not bringing in the Omega conference top teams. I think what we have this season is a strange, but talented collection of talent that will have a few guys asked to fill some roles they aren't used to. That makes us dangerous but also unpredictable. I genuinely don't know the exact lineup of this roster, as currently constructed.

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[K-100]

One of the biggest defections this past offseason was Fabian Hub (again). What kind of role do you envision for him this season and beyond?

[MexicanMamba]

One of the biggest defections this past offseason was Fabian Hub (again). What kind of role do you envision for him this season and beyond?

Well, he could potentially be on the move again at Day 60. Not that there's any imminent move in the works, but I'm definitely willing to shift focus with an eye specifically on the current and future of the Twin Tower of Terrors. That said, Hub has a very unique for us because he has the ability to play at so many different spots. Right off the bat, he will be starting at the SF spot but look for him to flow up and down the lineup depending on the other guys on the court. His position flexibility is valuable and appreciated here in Los Angeles which is made possible by his unique athleticism for a player his size and skill set. It's that athleticism which made us confident in offering the long-term deal that we did. Where come players stop being able to keep up with the speed of the young players in the league, Hub's speed means his career will extend beyond what other big bodies can.

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