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Media day: Lakers want to move past the Kobe Bryant era

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While the Dodgers just clinched a division title, the Rams are off to a 2-1 start and USC and UCLA are stumbling through the early part of their season, it is never too early to turn your attention the NBA.

The Lakers and Clippers will be holding their annual media days this afternoon and it will be the first time the full teams will be back together since the end of last season.

Paul Pierce thinks Clippers are an NBA “super team”

Clippers forward Paul Pierce waits to take the stage for questions at media day.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Paul Pierce knows something about being on an NBA “super team.”

In 2008, he was joined on the Celtics by Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and that team eventually won an NBA championship. At Clippers media day on Monday, he was asked about the challenges the Warriors could face after Kevin Durant decided to join forces with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

He offered a few bits of advice, but then made his case that the Warriors aren’t the only team with a surplus of star power this season.

“To me, I think we have a super team here,” Pierce stated at Clippers media day on Monday. “You look at Chris Paul who’s been first-team all-NBA ... Blake Griffin first-team ... DeAndre Jordan currently first-team All-NBA.

“I mean how many teams can currently say that? You have the best three-point shooter in the NBA (J.J. Redick). You have the Sixth Man of the Year (Jamal Crawford). I mean why is this not a super team? What defines super team? When you look at those stats and you hear when I’m saying, this could very well easily be what’s considered a super team.”

Pierce conceded that the Warriors are also a super team, and added that Derrick Rose said the Knicks are. That leaves three of them, by his unofficial count, and his focus now is helping the Clippers stand out of the pack.

“I don’t know how many super teams are out there, but there’s definitely three,” Pierce said, laughing. “Now I get an opportunity to play on another one on the Los Angeles Clippers. We just have to go out there and win it now, so we can be kind of inked into the history books as one of the great super teams.”

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Brandon Ingram ready for rookie chores

Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram laughed.

He didn’t answer the question: Which teammate, if any, had taken him under his wing since the Lakers drafted him with the second pick in June?

But he shared that Lou Williams notified him Monday, before meeting with the media, that he would be Williams’ rookie.

And so the rookie chores, mostly bag carrying duties, begin.

Ingram stood at center court, on top of the Lakers logo, to field questions from about 20 reporters who circled him Monday.

Is winning rookie of the year among his goals this season?

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Ingram said.

He’s listed at 6-feet-9 and 190 pounds, so how will he hold up against bigger players?

“Just staying in the weight room. I think when you go in there people respect you. Your frame will change a little bit but it takes time. I’ve just been trying to get stronger. It’s not a lot about weight … just getting stronger.”

And how about the bench? That’s where Ingram will start the season since the addition of veteran forward Luol Deng.

“If it was given it wouldn’t drive me as much to be the best player I can be. So just coming off the bench and showing that I can be one of the best players or one of the best players on the floor it just gives me motivation to work hard every day.”

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J.J. Redick praises athletes who have protested during anthem

In light of recent athlete protests sparked by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick expressed the importance for athletes to act on their opinions at the team’s media day on Monday.

“I think it’s wonderful, I really do,” Redick said. “First of all I think it’s important that athletes recognize that they have a voice.”

Redick recently discussed athletes and activism on his podcast on the Vertical, and he reiterated the effect athletes can have through the media coverage they receive.

“We can kind of control and sort of get our message and our narrative out there,” Redick said. “I think the more active that athletes are, the better it is for everyone.

“Because I know when I was a kid I looked up to athletes, so if an athlete spoke out on an important issue I was probably more likely to hear that opinion and see that staff, and recognize the importance of that.”

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Deng: ‘I believe that we don’t live in a perfect world’

New Lakers forward Luol Deng has a unique perspective on social issues, having moved from South Sudan as a child.

“I believe that we don’t live in a perfect world,” Deng said.

“There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed. I think this is happening here in the United States, but if you look all over the world, me being from a country that had civil war for so many years, it’s not a perfect world. As long as everybody together thinks of solving the issue, not necessarily what the action” is.

“If you don’t like what somebody is doing, I think the question is, ‘Why are they doing it?’ Solving the issue will get people somewhere in the long run. The point of protesting or showing your actions is because you want a change. I think that’s what people should look at.”

The Lakers have had discussions about making a statement together about racial injustice. These protests began in the NFL when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat for the national anthem during a preseason game to protest racial injustice. Kaepernick shifted to kneeling for the anthem and several athletes followed suit or offered their own gestures in the ensuing weeks.

“I think it takes a lot of courage,” Deng said. “It takes a lot of courage to stand up for something. Everybody has the right to do however they feel. I think they are exercising their rights. I think for everybody, I think individually everyone should have the right to express how they feel whether it’s through their words or their actions.”

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Julius Randle reflects on Kobe Bryant’s influence

The focus throughout media day was on moving forward with this young group of Lakers, but the team’s history is always part of the present.

Julius Randle took advantage of that recently, reaching out to Kobe Bryant for a workout.

“Mamba!” Randle said, when asked about the retired Lakers great. “I was actually with him the other day. Just how intelligent he is. Very detailed. Understanding of the game. He just loved to work hard, to come out here and work hard on the court or whatever it may be. He puts a lot of work off the court into looking at guy’s tendencies. Doing the homework, and stuff like that. Obviously there’s his competitive nature.”

As the seventh-overall pick of the 2014 draft, Randle spent more time around Bryant than most of the Lakers’ young corps before Bryant’s career ended at the end of last season. He insisted, though, that there was nothing weird about walking into this building this offseason without Bryant’s presence.

“Just because Kobe’s retired, the Lakers organization is not going to stop,” Randle said. “You gotta go on and get better.”

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Rookie Brandon Ingram is taking media day in stride

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Pierce talks about his decision to return

There was a time this summer when Paul Pierce didn’t want to wake up to work out in the morning, which made him contemplate retiring before his 19th NBA season.

But then he pushed himself to the gym and found that he felt good — or at least good enough — and decided to play one more year as a result.

“As the summer progressed I thought about the year and I thought about the players and I was like, last season kind of left a bad taste in my mouth and how it ended, how I played, so I just want to kind of go out on my own terms and have one more opportunity to win a championship with this group,” Paul said at Clippers’ media day Monday.

“I think this group is a great group, a lot of talent, being together they understand each other, they’ve been through the trials and tribulations, and I think sometimes it takes that to get over the hump. And I think why not give it one more shot?”

Aside from feeling physically ready for one more season, the chance for one more run in the playoffs is what drew Pierce back to the court. The Clippers are stocked with All-Stars in point guard Chris Paul, power forward Blake Griffin, center DeAndre Jordan, sharpshooter J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford, the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year.

Pierce won a championship with the Celtics in 2008, and likes what he sees in this year’s Clippers squad.

“To win a championship here for the Los Angeles Clippers would be monumental,” Pierce said. “And if I can be a part of that that’s something I thought about and that’s something that drove me.”

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Brice Johnson has the floor at Clippers media day

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Doc Rivers: ‘I just like our team’ [Video]

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talks about the upcoming season during the team’s media day.

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Redick weighs in on national anthem debate

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Paul Pierce: Teammates were the inspiration to play one more year

Veteran Paul Pierce announced earlier Monday that his upcoming 19th NBA season will be his last.

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More from the Clippers on media day ...

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Russell opens up about national debate

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Clippers’ Big Three have their turn at the mic

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Rivers: Clippers have discussed racial injustice

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Clippers: Doc Rivers has his say

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Clippers step into the spotlight

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Lou Williams finds himself a rookie

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Have Young and Russell buried the hatchet?

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Clarkson excited about post-Kobe Bryant Lakers under Walton

Kobe Bryant’s victory lap last year did, in some ways, delay Jordan Clarkson’s development as a scoring shooting guard.

And when he was asked about life after Bryant at the Lakers’ media day on Monday, there was one more roadblock.

“Sorry, there’s a fly,” Clarkson said, smiling and whipping his head away from the flying bug. “What did you say?”

Once he swatted the fly away, he offered a preview of the post-Kobe Bryant era.

“I think it’s going to be fun, you know, a whole new group. A new young, talented group of guys coming together,” Clarkson said. “We got some older guys, vets that are here to help as well, and help us get wins. I think it’s going to be an exciting time for us with Coach [Walton] as well.”

As for how the Lakers will replace Bryant’s leadership, the third-year guard said that is still to be determined.

“It’s something that we have to figure out,” Clarkson said. “You know us coming together just really working together and finding a way to do it.”

And even though Bryant won’t be with the team this season, Clarkson is sure the lessons he taught the Lakers’ young players last season will endure.

“The most thing we could have took from him was the competitiveness that he had,” Clarkson said. “He got on us a couple times in the locker room and stuff about what it means to play for the Lakers.”

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New Lakers Coach Luke Walton is the center of attention

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Julius Randle isn’t giving anything away

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Metta World Peace is back

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Nick Young wants to put D’Angelo Russell incident behind him

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Lakers in the post-Kobe era: ‘We’re a whole new group’

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Meanwhile, in Playa Vista

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Lakers plan on making statement on anthem ‘as a team’

The Lakers have discussed making a statement similar to the national anthem protests started by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Larry Nance Jr. said at the team’s media day on Monday.

Nance added that whatever the Lakers do will be team-wide.

“We as a team are currently in discussions of what we’re going to do as a group, as a whole, and it’s something that the brand of the brand of the Los Angeles Lakers can really make an impact on,” Nance said.

“We have a while to figure everything out and put our bases in check, but as a group we will do something.”

Nance said first-year head coach Luke Walton is behind whatever the players decide, and added that General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the same. The Lakers haven’t nailed down any specifics, but Nance assured that the conversation is taking place.

“We just had a little 30-minute discussion about, whether it be locking arms or something like that,” Nance said. “We just want to make sure our message is well-presented and I would just say very well-presented and we have all our ducks in a row.”

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Lakers players have talked about national anthem protests

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Lakers players making the rounds

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Nance: ‘I’m really looking forward to the chemistry on this team’

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And here come the players...

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The media start gathering in El Segundo

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Clippers’ window as title contenders still open, but for how long?

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The championship window hasn’t closed on the Clippers, but the core group of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan might not have much time left to claim the opportunity before them.

Still, it’ll be a tall task for the Clippers in the competitive Western Conference.

The Golden State Warriors remain the favorites as they seek to reclaim the NBA championship they lost to Cleveland, and San Antonio remains the gold standard despite Tim Duncan’s retirement.

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Key questions for Lakers going into training camp

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A franchise that has expected excellence for most of its history now heads into a transitional period that demands patience as it rebuilds.

The Lakers finished last season 17-65, the worst record in franchise history, four games worse than the previous mark set just one season earlier. The road back won’t be quick or easy. But patience will work only if coupled with progress.

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Clippers’ Paul Pierce: ‘This is it, my final season’

(John Raoux / Associated Press)

Paul Pierce, the smooth-shooting small forward who was one of the NBA’s best trash-talkers, announced Monday on the Players’ Tribune that 2016-17 will be his final season after almost two decades of memorable moments made mostly playing for the Boston Celtics.

Pierce will retire after having played 19 seasons – 15 with the Celtics.

“It’s time to move on from the game of basketball,” Pierce wrote on the Players’ Tribune. “Just like any difficult decision, I think you’ve got to be at peace with yourself. I’m at peace with retiring, but I’ve got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity.”

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Lakers face long odds as media day kicks off season

(John Locher / Associated Press)

The Lakers media day circus starts at 11 a.m. today, tipping off a season for which the Lakers face long odds.

Betus.com’s online sports book has the Lakers odds for winning this year’s NBA championship at 450-to-1, while the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has the Lakers at 300-to-1 odds to win a title.

Westgate’s odds for the Lakers are better only than the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets, and tied with the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. Betus.com has the Hornets, Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Suns with worse odds than the Lakers, while the Kings have equal odds to win the championship this season.

It’s not an especially surprising position since the Lakers went 17-65 last season and didn’t make dramatic changes to their roster during free agency. That they don’t have the worst odds speaks to some faith in the development of their young roster and in first-year head coach Luke Walton.

Where the Lakers have much better odds is for Rookie of the Year.

Per Betus.com, Lakers first-round pick Brandon Ingram has 4-to-1 odds to be named the league’s best rookie this season. Predictably, Ingram, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, has the second-best odds after first-overall pick Ben Simmons, whom the Philadelphia 76ers selected one pick before Ingram.

Third? Sixers center Joel Embiid, the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, whose rookie year has been delayed twice by a severe foot injury.

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