For most of the off-season, the media has discounted the Los Angeles Lakers from even making the playoffs. It has served as motivation for all the players as most have made their way back into the practice facility. With training camp approaching, Mike Trudell sat down with Steve Blake to discuss this upcoming season.
Most of the players are aware of the low expectations and Blake is surprised at the negativity surrounding the Lakers:
“I’m still a little bit surprised about how negative people are on us right now.”
However, Blake believes the Lakers can use the negativity to come together and exceed expectations:
“If you speak to most of the players, we’re all pretty optimistic. I think the fact that people don’t believe in us this year might give us an advantage somehow.”
Blake believes that the Lakers have brought in players who will help the Lakers exceed expectations. He believes Chris Kaman is more dynamic in the pick-and-roll than Dwight Howard, Wesley Johnson will help the team defensively, and Nick Young provides the team with another scorer. In addition, Blake personally feels healthy and is ready to start the season.
With low expectations from outsiders, the Lakers have the opportunity to surprise a lot of people this season. Management was able to address their weaknesses on the perimeter and brought in a more versatile center on the offensive end. The players seem to have an understanding of the situation at hand and it’s encouraging to see that most players are already at the practice facility preparing for the new season.
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