The Lakers’ attempt to be a specialist in making players comfortable is kind of weird considering they’ve alienated every top class free agent for the past 3-4 years. It just confirms that the history and pageantry doesn’t mean squat to players anymore. They would happily go to a San Antonio or Milwaukee, the Lakers have lost an advantage that is not exactly their fault in losing. I mean their tactics have been a part of it. But it’s more about the modern player, they don’t mind where they play.
For Nick Young however, he clearly likes playing for the Lakers. It’s his home town, he can strut his stuff and act like he owns the place. And now that we know that the Lakers won’t trade him, he now feels comfortable that he’ll suit up in purple & gold next season.
Lakers forward Nick Young recently met with general manager Mitch Kupchak, according to league sources familiar with the situation.
It is not entirely clear what Young and Kupchak addressed in their meeting. It is typical for Kupchak to meet with players to discuss both professional and private issues. But the conversation at least left Young feeling comfortable enough that he will enter the 2015-16 season on the Lakers’ roster, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Mitch Kupchak is not all skipping through daisies though. He still thinks that Young has a lot to prove.
Even after the Lakers signed shooting guard Lou Williams to a three-year, $21 million deal, Kupchak maintained he viewed Young as a significant part of the rotation. It is possible Young will come off the bench at small forward, while Williams will play as a reserve shooting guard.
“That’s going to be up to Nick,” Kupchak said in a conference call with reporters on July 9. “He has to convince our coaching staff he can play within the system. That doesn’t only mean score the ball. That means defending and doing the little things, which I know he can do. The answer is yes. I do see him being a core player this year.”
I don’t see him being a core player. You might see him being talked about on TimeWarner Cable but in the bigger scheme of things, he isn’t all that. He’s J.R. Smith with a lot more ‘Swag’. Lets just call it how we see it.
