Clippers put themselves in title discussion
They dismiss talk that the Warriors are unbeatable with Durant, say they’re focused on reaching the top.
The widely held assumption is that the Clippers and every other team in the NBA saw the gap between them and the Golden State Warriors widen over the summer.
Never mind that the Clippers still have their core of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Or that the Clippers added quality and depth to a reserve corps that already included sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers. And that the Clippers have one of the best coaches in the NBA in Doc Rivers.
The Warriors signed one of the NBA’s best players in free agent Kevin Durant and put him on a team with two-time NBA most valuable player Stephen Curry and All-Stars Klay Thompson and Dray-
“Everybody is just enjoying each other. The game is starting to become fun again. You win 15 games, what was it, 17 games we won last year? Everything feels like press, a struggle. Doesn’t make the game fun. We’re just trying to get back to the game being fun.”
The theme of togetherness permeated the session, in discussions about everything from on-court chemistry to the Lakers’ plans to join protests of racial injustice.
“The message is terrific,” forward Larry Nance Jr. said when asked what he thought of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem. “Obviously something needs to be done about this in the United States today.”
Nance said the Lakers plan to make a gesture as a team, but haven’t decided what that will be. He said the team met for 30 minutes Monday to begin that discussion. Forward Tarik Black said General Manager Mitch Kupchak told the players they’d have the organization’s support.
“Commissioner [Adam] Silver, the players association are doing a great job of getting behind the players,” Randle said. “Obviously guys have concerns. Guys want to have a voice. They’re doing a great job of getting behind us and finding the right meaningful way to make an impact on the community.”
Randle, 21, and Nance, 23, are part of a young group of Lakers who are expected to help the team recover from last season, when it posted the worst record in franchise history.
Perhaps the most critical piece, though, is second-year point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was prodded this summer to assume a leadership role.
“You can guide as a coach,” Walton said. “It’s up to players to take what they want. Some people are born natural leaders and other people learn to become leaders.
“I’m impressed with how D’Angelo is trying to make that part of who he is as a leader.”
Walton’s work with Russell so far has come during unofficial practice sessions this off-season. Several Lakers spent their mornings at the facility, getting to know each other and the staff.
The Lakers left El Segundo for Santa Barbara after media day finished and will begin a weeklong training camp Tuesday.
Media day took place on a practice court surrounded by championship banners, overlooked by a row of championship trophies gleaming through a window sitting high above the court. They are all reminders of what’s often been expected of this franchise.
For these Lakers, though, the process starts smaller.
“We’re young, we got a lot of room to grow,” guard Jordan Clarkson said. “We can expect that in two years coming on, but not at this point.”
To him a successful 2016-17 season would show progress.
“Can’t win 17 games next year,” Clarkson said. “That would be a sign of us not getting better. Seeing the growth of us getting better [would mark success]. Last year we’d win a game, we’d lose 10 in a row or something crazy like that. Just us progressing as a group to win games.”