![]() “Just seeing the trophies upstairs, I kid you not,” he said, “I was sweating for the first 10 minutes of looking at it.” Standing before them, Walker said he felt overwhelmed. Walker trying to live up to expectations – Arguably the centerpiece of any tour of the Lakers’ El Segundo practice facility is the wall of gleaming trophies, which are set in a walkway above the courts so their golden glow can cascade down during workouts. I’m going to wake up every day and get after it and I’m going to compete.” I don’t want nobody to take my job from me. “And so I’m extremely grateful to have a job in this league. “I know what it looks like to be on the outside looking in, and when I say on the outside looking in, outside of the NBA, hoping and dreaming to be in this league,” he said. Toscano-Anderson wound up getting a standing ovation in Chase Center during the California Classic summer league event, perhaps from the Golden State fans who’ve appreciated him over the last three seasons and the Lakers fans who are eager to see what he can do. But things change, teams change, and I’m a Kobe fan – that was my favorite player ever. “Because I still have so much respect for that organization and those fans, because obviously, I’m from there. “I asked my girlfriend, ‘Agh, you think I’m doing too much putting this jersey on?’” he recalled. Would that be perceived as a disrespectful gesture to the Bay Area – the very region where he grew up? He had on a Kobe Bryant jersey, a nod to his signing with the Lakers a day before. He was headed to Chase Center, where he’s spent the last three seasons as a Golden State Warrior. Toscano-Anderson’s Golden State of mind – Before leaving the house on Saturday, Toscano-Anderson wasn’t sure about his wardrobe choice. Here’s a bit of what we learned about the role players who will try to take a big leap next season: ![]() On Wednesday, the team trotted out Juan Toscano-Anderson, Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones and Troy Brown Jr. But the Lakers’ new crop of free agents have a few miles on their tires, too. Just a familiar face, help me get accustomed.” JEANIE BUSS SUPPORTS A KOBE BRYANT NBA LOGOĪ notion put forward by Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has caught the eye of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.EL SEGUNDO - They’re younger, faster and maybe a little more athletic than last year’s crew. “It’s cool to have former teammates who I know on the squad, kind of show me the ropes of what’s going on,” he said. Having McKinnie, a former teammate, was helpful, he said. ![]() Jones took the Staples Center court two hours before tip to talk over his role with assistants Mike Penberthy and Phil Handy, even though he was not expected to play on Friday night. Much of the roster is also on the first year of new contracts or on one-year deals that restrict the team’s ability to trade players. The Lakers have limited options in adding to their roster, with their hard salary cap leaving them less than $2 million to fill out roster spots, including one they created on Wednesday when they cut Cook. Under Rob Pelinka, former supporting members of the Warriors have found a way of landing in the Lakers’ laps: In previous seasons, they’ve signed JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins and traded for Alfonzo McKinnie. Last season with the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. Jones, who hails from Louisiana, averaged a block per game in his most productive season (2018-19) with the Warriors, which included 22 starts. Without Davis, the Lakers are in need of shot-blocking, which might be an area where Jones can help. ![]() He’s scored 22 total points and committed 19 fouls. Most recently, Jones was with the Phoenix Suns who waived him on Wednesday after he failed to crack the rotation: For the season, he’s played in just 14 games for a total of 94 minutes. Jones is in his fifth year out of Vanderbilt, and three of those seasons were spent with Golden State including the 20 championships. He’s expected to shore up the big man depth that has been frustratingly thin since All-Star Anthony Davis has been out with injury. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound center officially signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers on Friday morning, the team announced. “It was pretty crazy yesterday,” Jones said, grinning. It was the first true test of Jones’ resourcefulness: He managed to rent a car, drive across the Southwest to the coast, and make it with about 20 minutes to spare. to administer a coronavirus test that would clear him to play on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Jones, 25, got the call on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m., and the Lakers needed him in El Segundo by 11 p.m. Talk about a fast break: Before he even signed a contract, Damian Jones’ first assignment from the Lakers was to get from Phoenix to Los Angeles in less than seven hours. ![]()
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