Another summer has come and gone, the Lakers spent another July evaluating their hand-picked pool of players. A few were familiar faces to those in attendance, but the majority hoped to showcase their talent and land a spot in the NBA. The Summer Pro League offers this opportunity every year for Laker hopefuls and provides a competitive atmosphere for rookies and some of the league’s younger players.
The main attraction this year was the duo of Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar, a local product, having attended Taft High and UCLA. Yet those two were the only ones who were guaranteed a contract this year. Returning Lakers Devin Green and Von Wafer still had to prove more to the Lakers staff.
After receiving two full days of rest, the Lakers came back a refreshed team, topping the Wizards 132-123 on Tuesday night.
The trio of Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Devin Green carried the Lakers, who had six players scoring in double figures.
Bynum would record 25 points & 11 rebounds, Green had 26 points & 8 rebounds and Farmar finished with 16 points & 11 assists.
"We had a day off and I ate my Wheaties and all that," Bynum said after the game. "I definitely felt more refreshed."
The Lakers simply couldn't get into a rhythm on Friday night, overpowered by the Memphis Grizzlies 88-73 at the Summer Pro League.
Devin Green would lead the Lakers with 18 points and 7 rebounds, but received little help from the others on the roster, as no other player would score over 10 points.
The game was broken up by a plethora of foul calls (71 total, including a pair of flagrants) , something that possibly hindered the players from getting into a groove offensively.
"We turned the ball over an awful lot," coach Kurt Rambis said, "and there was a discrepancy in the amount of times they went to the free throw line, but I think they were the more aggressive team. They came after us today. I think our guys were a little bit tired and it took them too long to try and respond. They tried to get back into the ball game in the second half, but for the most part I think our guys ran out of gas."
Bouncing back from his worst game of the summer, Andrew Bynum threw down 19 points to lead the Lakers over the Washington Wizards, 114-85, Friday night at the Pyramid in Long Beach.
The Lakers maintained a steady, double-digit lead throughout most of the game, until blowing the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.
"He played much better," coach Kurt Rambis said of Bynum after the game. "He was more focused and more determined. I left him out there for some very long stretches, so I know he got tired, but that's something he's going to have to learn how to fight through and play through."
Doron Perkins would add 19 for the Lakers, followed by Jordan Farmar, Devin Green and Danilo Pinnock, who all finished with 13 points.
With this win, the Lakers improved to 4-1 in this year's Summer Pro League.
With Jordan Farmar on the sideline, the Lakers had to wait until the final quarter to pull away from the Mavericks.
Kasib Powell led all scorers with 18 points, pushing the Lakers to a 99-87 win on Wednesday.
After the Lakers opened up the game 21-12 in the first period, Yuta Tabuse would lead the Mavericks in a third quarter surge, giving them a four point lead.
But Powell and Marcus Slaughter would carry the bulk of scoring duties for the Lakers in the fourth, finally pushing them in front of the Mavericks for sure.
Slaughter and Devin Green both scored 16 points for the Lakers.
It was a disappointing effort that saw the Lakers squad, minus Farmar and Marcus Douthit, struggle against the Mavericks' B-Team.
Smush Parker showed up at the Lakers-Grizzlies Summer Pro League game on Tuesday. I had the chance to sit down with him and talk about the past season and what to expect in the coming months.
BDG: After one year in the Triangle, how do you think you've developed and what should we expect different next year from you?
Smush Parker: Well the Triangle is a complicated offense to learn. Even Phil Jackson said it will take up to two years for one player to really understand the Triangle and be comfortable in it. So I think I did a pretty good job learning it the first year. I know I have a lot of adjustments to make as far as my game and learning the in's and out's about the Triangle but I look forward to next season and it's just going to get better from here on out.
BDG: You guys had a tough series with the Phoenix Suns to close out the year. How do you think you've developed from that point on?
Parker: You know, everthing was a learning experience. This year for myself was definitely a learning expierience. I definitely got a chance to play. My first playoff expierience, going up against the MVP of the league, Steve Nash, was a tough task, but like I said everything was a learning experience. All of us as a team got better. We grew as a team this year and we're going to make bigger moves next season.
BDG: What part of your game do you think needs most work at this point, because you still a young guy and there's still always room for improvement?
Parker: Just being more consistent. A floor leader, you know, a floor general. A consistent shooter, a consistent ballhandler, consistent teammate. All around, just being consistent in all aspects of the game.
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