Lakers 2031-32 Pre Season Press Conference

[greepleairport]

Following a heartbreaking game 7 loss the in the first round of the 30-31 playoffs, blowing a 3-1 lead, the young and ever-improving Lakers had a lot to be proud of following last season's accomplishments. Rising from the ashes of many losing seasons, these Lakers actually MADE the playoffs, tying two other teams for 2nd place in the division! With Cobb entering free agency and observing the immediate impact veteran J.R. Johnson had on the team, I had a lot to consider this offseason - especially with not one, not two, but THREE first round draft picks to play with, including a second straight number 1 pick.

Unfortunately, Cobb wanted more than what we wanted to offer and walked. We wish him the best, happy to see him getting a big contract to play for the Pistons. This freed up cap space for us to fill our roster with talent everywhere, trying to mix and match roles, seeing what will work best. Leiker had yet another excellent training camp, likely taking over Jackson's starting role at SG this season. We HAD to bring J.R. back with the amount of impact he had on our team last year, even as he ages in the league. Dennis Smith Jr. will keep the position tight while J.R. rests, taking over starting if the unthinkable happens.

Even without Cobb, we have a logjam at SF. Delmar will step up to start, but we will limit his minutes somewhat until he gets better cardio. We will have both Atwater and Gary Loredo back him up alternately, and have the versatile Micheal Williams back up roles at C, PF, and SF, which brings me to my next logjam around bigs. I have a lot to learn about UFA still, and really only expected to land either Williams or Sherrill as a starting center, not both, but it's not a bad problem to have. This leaves us with Jacobs, Bulter and Battle who will back them up when needed.

Speaking of Bulter, let's talk about some of these rookies we signed. Gary Loredo will grow to be a force in this league, and Atwater will show some great talent in the league as well. Bulter though, the last of our three picks, had the true breakout TC this year, jumping from y/g to g/b! He's ready to play immediately, which is great from a big. We'll work hard to get him minutes this season, but needless to say, we're very happy to have these guys around and cannot wait to watch them grow.

Last but certainly not least, we're thrilled to have Nickels back, exercising the player option on his contract, continuing to be a major role player at PF. He's played tremendous ball for us, and really found a solid connection with J.R. last year that we hope to rekindle this year. Nickels was dearly missed during the playoffs, and we're glad to see him healthy again, too.

Time will tell how much a deep squad benefits this team in the PBSL world, as a lot of successful teams have built great records and playoff runs with a few key players. We'll try to prove this year that this is not the only way!

So who's got the first question??

[Keepit100]

Alex Sayuck - Laser Eye Basketball Magazine

With such a deep lineup and expiring contracts coming up for some of your young nucleus, are you looking to flip them for veterans to make a run at a deeper playoff push or do you plan on keeping the group together?

[MexicanMamba]

If you could change one thing about how your team approached the playoffs to stop from giving up a 3-1 lead, what would it be? And also, what was your drink of choice (and how much of it) after game 7 to help drown the sorrows away?

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[false9]

With JRJ slowing down, who are you expecting to be the leading star?

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News- who do you see as the Alpha of this team, the guy you want to have the ball in his hands with the winning shot?


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[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Who can we expect to see starting for the Lakers on opening day?

[JNR]

GWR: Do you think Nickels has a shot at 6MOY?

[greepleairport]

Alex Sayuck - Laser Eye Basketball Magazine

With such a deep lineup and expiring contracts coming up for some of your young nucleus, are you looking to flip them for veterans to make a run at a deeper playoff push or do you plan on keeping the group together?

Excellent question. I'm very much invested in my young players. I decided to beef up with some vets so that we're in good team in the meantime, but I will probably have to make some difficult decisions when these rookie contracts expire. no one likes the tax man, man!

[greepleairport]

If you could change one thing about how your team approached the playoffs to stop from giving up a 3-1 lead, what would it be? And also, what was your drink of choice (and how much of it) after game 7 to help drown the sorrows away?

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Losing Nickels to injury had me feeling that a playoff loss was imminent. I was extremely proud of my squad going to Game 7 without Nickels. I guess you could say that, if I lose one of my best players again at a critical point in the season, I beefed up the roster so that I won't go down without a (Wyatt) battle!

[greepleairport]

With JRJ slowing down, who are you expecting to be the leading star?

I think JRJ is likely to stay our star this year, but I do think David Leiker is next for a breakout season. Delmar had a solid TC too, so he will definitely get extra minutes this year, and we'll see how these young men do!

[greepleairport]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Who can we expect to see starting for the Lakers on opening day?

This was not easy - I had to rethink it a couple of times honestly. While this is most certainly subject to change throughout the season, on Sim1 we're going with Sherrill (C), Nickels (PF), Lopez (SF), Leiker (SG) and J.R. Johnson (PG), with Micheal Williams serving as a very important sixth at C and PF.

[greepleairport]

GWR: Do you think Nickels has a shot at 6MOY?

I'm going to have to plead ignorance here. I never thought about it! This is my first season where, yes, I have a real contender for that role, maybe 2 for that matter. If I pull Nickels from the starting lineup then yes, I think he's a real contender for 6MOY.