The 2012-13 NBA season is close to wrapping up, which means the Lakers will once again be in the spotlight once the off-season is in full swing. Without a first round pick, the Lakers are currently setting up workouts for potential second round picks or players that won’t see a minute in the upcoming season.
Regardless, most Lakers are currently in the news, and I’m going to take a look at which are for the right reason and those that just can’t do anything well.
Trending Up:
Metta World Peace:
It sounds like World Peace will return after all as he’s doing the sensible thing and listening to his agent instead of “trying to help the Lakers” out like he said in previous months.
However, if Metta does opt-in for next season, there is still a chance that the Lakers use the amnesty provision on him since his quickness has deteriorated over the year. Regardless, it’ always good to know you can watch MWP for 82 games as he plays for your favorite team for one more year.
Kobe Bryant:
Over the years, Kobe has become so media savvy that an interview or tweet have become must-see, as in his later years he doesn’t seem to care what he says. In his interview with Dave McMeniman of ESPNLA, Kobe talked about so many different topics ranging from Dwight Howard remaining a Laker to how the 2008 finals loss shaped his leadership.
Bryant has embraced having no filter, and as his career winds down, it was bizarre to hear that he’s comfortable with where his career is. Hopefully, even when he retires, Kobe keeps that honesty and sense of humor through the media and Twitter for all of us to enjoy when he isn’t hitting game winner one after the other.
Jodie Meeks:
Meeks hasn’t been in the news much during the off-season, but I get a kick out of players in the NBA who live-tweet when they aren’t playing, and Meeks had a great tweet during the Pacers-Heat series.
Much has been made of the Heat and Pacers flopping, and in Game 6, LeBron James had one of his worst flops, to which Meeks tweeted “$5,000”. With the new NBA flopping rules during the playoffs, Meeks was making a reference to the league fining James for another terrible flop. Keep tweeting Jodie.
Trending Down:
Lakers Assistant Coaches:
Everyone’s biggest fear is about to become complete: the Lakers will have just two full-time coaches under contract, and both their last names are D’Antoni.
With the hiring of Steve Clifford in Charlotte, Clifford is on the verge of bringing Darvin Ham with him to help turn the Bobcats around. Thus, the Lakers have Mike and Dan D’Antoni as the only coaches under contract, thus bringing another subplot into the crazy Lakers off-season.
Wouldn’t it be easy for Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak to cut ties with D’Antoni since he doesn’t have a staff to pay? Well, one can only dream.
Dwight Howard:
Another week, another time for Howard to be on the trending down portion as the more information leaks from his camp, the more Lakers fans get frustrated about this off-season.
There hasn’t been a free agent that has “dumped” the Lakers, and Howard sounds like he would entertain the idea of playing with the Rockets. Regardless, Howard has only surfaced for a fishing trip with his friends, but has been very vague about how long he’ll take during his free agency.
——————————————————————————————————————-
VIDEO: Does Kobe Still Think He’ll Return For Season Opener?
Don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
