NOONG si Frank Vogel pa ang coach ng Los Angeles Lakers, bagaman may go-signal siya para ibangko si Russell Westbrook lalo sa endgame, bibihira niya yung ginawa.
Sinipa si Vogel kasunod ng kabiguang mabitbit ang koponan sa playoffs. Pinalitan siya ni Darvin Ham.
Sa paglipas ng araw at sa papalapit na pagbubukas ng panibagong NBA season, mananatili si Westbrook sa tropa ni LeBron James.
Ayon sa ulat, mas binigyan umano si Ham ng karapatang i-bench o ‘wag gamitin si Westbrook sa endgame.
Hinahanapan ng Lakers ng koponan si Westbrook para mai-trade, ngunit bunga ng sobrang laki ng kontrata nito, walang kumakagat.
At dahil mananatili siya sa team, may mga mungkahing gawin siyang sixth-man player.
Ayon sa Lakers Daily:
“It looks like that might not be an issue in the upcoming campaign, as new head coach Darvin Ham will reportedly have more power to bench Westbrook at
the end of games if he desires to do so.”
Ito rin ang ulat ni Jovan Buha ng The Athletic:
“‘Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will have more power to bench Westbrook down the stretch of games, according to league sources. That could eventually extend to removing Westbrook from the starting lineup as well.”
Nang tanggapin ni Ham ang coaching job sa Lakers, magaganda ang plano niya kay Westbrook.
Sa ngayon, hindi malinaw kung magiging starter o ‘off the bench’ ang role ng player.
NUNN NAG-TRAINING NA
SA nakaraang season, walang nilaro si Kendrick Nunn sa regular season sanhi ng bone bruise sa tuhod.
Pumirma sa Los Angeles Lakers noong summer sa pamamagitan ng taxpayer mid-level exception, dapat sana’y ‘off the bench’ role ang gagampanan niya, pero hindi ito nangyari.
Kamakailan, sinabi ni Nunn pakiramdam niya’y 100% healthy na siya. Kaya naman umaasa ang fans para sa magandang 2022-23 season ng Lakers.
Pero bagama’t tinatrabaho ni Nunn ang kanyang pagbabalik sa court, marami pa siyang dapat gawin upang tuluyang makasali sa full basketball activities.
Via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha: “Nunn recently spoke with Spectrum SportsNet about his health and said he feels 100 percent.
He has been training with the younger Lakers – [Austin] Reaves, [Stanley] Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Mason Jones – during their Monday through Thursday offseason workouts. He hasn’t resumed five-on-five play yet, which is the next big hurdle. It seems like he should be ready to go by the start of training camp, but recovery isn’t always linear.”
DRAGIC, BULLS NAGPIRMAHAN
PUMIRMA na sa Chicago Bulls ang tinatarget nilang free agent na si veteran guard Goran Dragic.
Nagkasundo ang Bulls at si Dragic nitong Miyerkoles sa one-year, $2.9 million deal.
Si Dragic, sinimulan ang nakaraang season sa Toronto Raptors pero napunta sa Brooklyn Nets matapos ang buyout, ay makakasama sa Chicago backcourt nina Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu at Coby White.
Sa kanyang 21 games last season, nag-average si Dragic ng 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds at 4.1 assists per game.
Habang nasa Bulls, gagamitin niya ang jersey No. 7, na dating suot nina Toni Kukoc at Ben Gordon. (VT ROMANO)
143
