OC Register: Robert Traylor will workout on Thu. (p. 2)

ElginTheGreat · by **ElginTheGreat** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:59 am

trodgers wrote:I think Scooby's right and knm is way overbearing here. You can't just go and try out for the Lakers. You get that privilege only if the Lakers want you to try out. Now maybe Traylor's crazy and believes he can just show up...or maybe the Lakers have invited him.

I was thinking the same thing. He can't just show up and try out. The article reads

But when Traylor got a chance this week to try out for the Lakers, his probation officer denied him permission to leave his halfway house and make the trip.

Either he is just way off and is just putting that out there trying to spark an invite or the Lakers reached out to him. I HIGHLY doubt that though.

This isn't telling a lie to the media, it would be telling lies to his parole officer and now a judge. I can't believe he would go through all that without a sure thing. Last thing he needs is more trouble.

Why Mitch would want him, I have no clue. But the Lakers had to have expressed some interest in him. Maybe it wasn't solid enough for his parole officer to let him leave, but there had to be something. I can't believe he just came up with that out of thin air.

wallangong · by **wallangong** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:00 am

who knows, he could come in and just tackle people for 5mpg.

Sirron · by **Sirron** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:28 am

some heft on the front line wouldn't be so bad. If nothing else, to smack around Gasoft in practice and toughen him up. :mhihi:

SignPippenNow · by **SignPippenNow** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:42 am

Good old Gasoft. Maybe Mitch can get Crittenton and Kwame back for some of you. I will take Gasol myself.

tha son · by **tha son** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:43 am

knm131 wrote:
ScoobySnackz wrote:It goes both ways.. why would he try out for the Lakers if the Lakers didn't want him?

Scooby -

Please change the thread as it is misleading.

The article nowhere at all states the Lakers are interested. You should change the thread title to "Tractor Traylor wants to try out for Lakers" or something.

It doesn't say ANYWHERE in the article that the Lakers are interested. Why wouldn't you change it to something more appropriate? To be intentionally misleading and get attention?

Be a good boy and just change it.

What the hell is up this guy's azz?

It's one damned thread get over the title for christs sake. PLEASE PLEASE CHANGE THE TITLE YOU HAVE TO smh...

jimbo327 · by **jimbo327** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:29 am

Hell, might as well send an invite to "The Escalade" on the And1 tournament! :man10:

Whatthef? · by **Whatthef?** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:55 am

Maybe he just heard about the "Free Taco" promotion. :man10:

wallangong · by **wallangong** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:06 pm

i'm not lying when i say if he still has some game he might be valuable to have to just come in and knock fools around. we're only thin up front if we encounter a major injury. otherwise, we really only have 5-10mpg max for another big guy. who knows what the guy has left, but he might be a valuable bruiser.

SignPippenNow · by **SignPippenNow** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:57 pm

He is trying out Thursday for a non-guaranteed contract. There will be about 4-5 more of these and Mitch will get bashed each time one signs. Then it will end until this time next year when he signs some more camp fodder.

JSM · by **JSM** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:53 pm

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld wrote:Robert "Tractor" Traylor made a surprise appearance at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he told HOOPSWORLD he very much would like to return to the NBA. He has a young son now, and would like nothing better than for his son to see him play on the world's biggest basketball stage. His stint with the Cavaliers' Vegas squad did not garner him an offer from the Cavs, but it's still possible that a team in need of an extra big could consider him.

Today there are reports out of LA saying that the Lakers have some interest in at least bringing Traylor in for a workout. The Lakers have been looking at their options for adding another big body in the front court, and there are few bigger than Traylor. The Lakers put the feelers out to Kwame Brown before he decided to sign with the Detroit Pistons earlier in the week.

Traylor isn't going to start for anyone, and his best basketball is probably behind him. Best-known for being the player Dallas traded to Milwaukee to acquire Dirk Nowitzki, Traylor was never much of an impact player in the NBA. That said, he showed in Vegas that he can still get up and down the court, score a few baskets, block a few shots, and get his share of rebounds. That might just be enough to help him realize the dream of having his son see him play in the NBA.

chug o nomics · by **chug o nomics** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:57 pm

Does anyone have a picture of Traylor? Before I scoff at the idea too much, I want to see if he is indeed in good shape.

nameant · by **nameant** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:58 pm

So I can just say "Hey I'm going to LA to try out for the Lakers"??? No. There's absolutely no reason why he'd go try out for the Lakers unless they OKed it. Like it or not, sounds like there is some interest on our side.

chug o nomics · by **chug o nomics** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:07 pm

nameant wrote:So I can just say "Hey I'm going to LA to try out for the Lakers"??? No. There's absolutely no reason why he'd go try out for the Lakers unless they OKed it. Like it or not, sounds like there is some interest on our side.

The interest is probably training camp fodder.

JSM · by **JSM** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:16 pm

chug o nomics wrote:Does anyone have a picture of Traylor? Before I scoff at the idea too much, I want to see if he is indeed in good shape.

He's not exactly the most photogenic summer league player, here's all I've been able to find so far.

chug o nomics · by **chug o nomics** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:19 pm

JSM wrote:
chug o nomics wrote:Does anyone have a picture of Traylor? Before I scoff at the idea too much, I want to see if he is indeed in good shape.

He's not exactly the most photogenic summer league player, here's all I've been able to find so far.

He looks incredibly thick, but that's his body type. Hmm, if Kendrick Perkins can do it at his size, maybe Traylor has a chance at 5 mpg. I really want Skinner or Elson (maybe even Powell since he was just released) since they are a lot more proven than Traylor.

JSM · by **JSM** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:34 pm

Art Thompson III of the OC Register wrote:The Lakers confirmed Wednesday that former NBA player Robert “Tractor” Traylor has been invited to their El Segundo practice facility for a private workout to be conducted Thursday.

The 31-year old Traylor has not played in the NBA since the 2004-2005 season, when he averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 74 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Traylor will be put through an assortment of drills by the Lakers’ coaching staff that likely will include Bill Bertka, who has been at the practice facility this week.

If the workout goes well, Traylor likely would be signed to a non-guaranteed contract and invited to training camp.

The Lakers currently only have 12 players under contract but general manager Mitch Kupchak said Monday that he plans to have 18 players signed by the time training camp begins in October.

Most recently, Traylor has been serving time in a Michigan halfway house for preparing a false tax return.

Traylor was sentenced last September to three years probation and three months in a federal halfway house.

In order to attend Thursday’s workout, Traylor received permission from US District judge Avern Cohn, who ruled Wednesday on a motion filed Tuesday by Traylor’s attorney, Steve Fishman, to overrule Traylor’s probation officer’s denial of his request to travel out of the state.

Traylor never has come close to fulfilling the expectations that came with him being selected sixth overall by the Dallas Mavericks, in the 1998 NBA draft.

The Mavericks immediately traded the rights to Traylor on draft night to the Milwaukee Bucks. In exchange for Traylor, the Mavericks received the draft rights to Dirk Nowitzki, whom Milwaukee drafted with the ninth overall pick.

Traylor also was drafted ahead of Boston’s Paul Pierce, a six-time All-Star player, who was the MVP of the 2008 NBA finals, after leading the Celtics past the Lakers in a six-game series.

Traylor’s career numbers are 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 438 games.

trodgers · by **trodgers** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:12 pm

Vindication.

killacam · by **killacam** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:29 pm

at least we know hes not gonna get pushed around

lakerball4life · by **lakerball4life** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:58 pm

killacam wrote:at least we know hes not gonna get pushed around

i guess worst comes to worst he can sit on the other teams best player?

LDR · by **LDR** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:37 pm

I could see him as a bruiser/enforcer type player, but its not the 90's anymore and with the game being called the way that it is, I don't think he has a place in the league.

CaCHooKa Man · by **CaCHooKa Man** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:56 pm

Game 1

Game 3

you can see a couple seconds of him in these videos

neelio010 · by **neelio010** on Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:12 pm

Yeah like everyone else has said. If he was a Laker phil would most likely use him as a bruiser so he can rough someone up out there. cause i doubt he will ever get pushed around.

FreshKobeBeef · by **FreshKobeBeef** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:33 am

The Lakers are bringing in the Tractor Traylor for a workout? That sounds like something that's usually reserved for teams like the T-Wolves or the Bucks.. I can admit to being a bit of a homer at times that will hype up players like Von Wafer, but there is no way in hell I can see this guy making any sort of positive contribution to a bona fide title contender like the Lakers.. I can think of probably 30 other minimum-salary players that I'd prefer to see the Lakers sign instead and that includes the likes of Chris Webber and Shawn Kemp.. :mhihi:

last stand · by **last stand** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:44 am

when i said i wanted toughness this is exactly who i thought of

i'm so happy

hes going to show all of you guys

he'll come in and average 12ppg 12rpg 6apg 6bpg

i'm telling you :man12:

vic5150 · by **vic5150** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:56 pm

All star nickname with a d-league game, whatever...

OC Register: Robert Traylor will workout on Thu. (p. 2)

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