White Collar, Gold Swagger : Los Angeles Lakers Association

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Inspired by the Blue Collar Gold Swagger Indiana Pacers basketball dynasty, I will be controlling all Los Angeles Lakers operations and providing an immersive and engaging storyline. Box scores will be limited as this dynasty is intended to focus on the storyline and off-court issues that inevitably prevail.

****ASSOCIATION SETTINGS****

82 games
PS4
6 Min Quarters, 12 Min Sim Quarters
7-7-7-7 Playoff Format
2014 NBA Realistic Draft Class
Default All-Star Sliders
Default Roster w/current roster injuries turned on
Injuries ON
Trade Deadline ON

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2014 NBA Draft: Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Julius Randle out of Kentucky with their 1st round pick. Randle, sidelined by a broken leg, will look to develop his game while hopefully garnering the starting position next season. Randle is considered to be a future corner-stone for this Lakers franchise and will look to develop into one of the leagues premier power-forward position. This will be no easy task, facing off against the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Serge Ibaka, and Blake Griffin. This is the Lakers highest draft pick (#7) since drafting James Worthy with the #1 overall pick back in 1982.



Jordan Clarkson, acquired via trade from the Washington Wizards for cash considerations, will look to be a rotational player in the 2014-2015 season. Lakers' management hopes that Clarkson will be able to provide a spark off the bench and be able to push the tempo when necessary. He will likely not see much action, slotted behind the likes of Kobe Bryant and Nick Young, but the Lakers look eager to give Clarkson a chance to run the point once in a while.


OFF-SEASON TRADES

The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy off-season bringing in a whole slew of new players to the roster but more surprisingly was the move to bring Andrew Bynum and Eric Gordon onto the Lakers.

First, the Los Angeles Lakers traded Jeremy Lin back to the Big Apple for Jose Calderon. This was more of an impressive move by Phil Jackson than by the Lakers as the Knicks shed two years additional years and brought their rebuild closer to the present. As for the Lakers, they acquired a crafty offensive-minded point on a fairly lengthy three-year contract. Perhaps a move that might come back and bite them but for now, Calderon is definitely a huge upgrade over Jeremy Lin even if his contract points to the contrary.

Next, the Los Angeles Lakers conducted a four-way trade that looked like this:

Los Angeles Lakers Send:
Ed Davis
Houston Rockets 2015 first round draft pick
Los Angeles Clippers 2015 Second Round Draft Pick

Los Angeles Lakers Receives:
John Jenkins
Los Angeles Lakers 2017 First Round Draft Pick
Orlando Magic 2016 Second Round Draft Pick

Atlanta Hawks Send:
Atlanta Hawks 2016 First Round Draft Pick
John Jenkins

Atlanta Hawks Receives:
Ed Davis

Orlando Magic Send:
Los Angeles Lakers 2016 First Round Draft Pick
Orlando Magic 2016 Second Round Draft Pick

Orlando Magic Receive:
Houston Rockets 2015 First Round Draft Pick
Atlanta Hawks 2016 First Round Draft Pick
Los Angeles Clippers 2015 Second Round Draft Pick

Afterwards, they conducted a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans that the took the form of:

Los Angeles Lakers Send:
Jordan Hill
John Jenkins
Wayne Ellington

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
Eric Gordon
John Salmons
New Orleans Pelicans 2017 First Round Draft Pick
New Orleans Pelicans 2016 Second Round Draft Pick

In addition to the off-season transactions the Lakers conducted, they also signed Andrew Bynum to a 1yr/$2.20M deal.

Sources say that Bynum had successfully completed the physical prior to signing but no word has been given regarding his status and his role on the team.

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Injuries:

Ryan Kelly *Hurt* 4-6 Weeks (Pulled Hamstring)
Eric Gordon *Out* 4-6 Weeks (Torn Labrum)
Steve Nash *Out* Season (Pulled Lower Back Muscle)
Julius Randle *Out* Season (Broken Leg)


Andrew Bynum cleared to play; will garner first start of the season against the Houston Rockets opening night.

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Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets

October 28, 2014
Toyota Center

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the Houston Rockets, 115-94. Dwight Howard could do no wrong, scoring 29 points and coming down with 13 rebounds while shooting 12-20. James Harden led the team with assists with 14, punishing the Lakers weak backcourt defense. Carlos Boozer led all Lakers in points with 20 and Andrew Bynum had a terrific first game of the season pulling down 12 rebounds and scoring 17 points.

When asked about the outcome of the game Kobe Bryant replied, "Lotta' promise out there tonight. Loved what I saw from Andrew Bynum but he's got to do a better job staying in front of his man and defending the paint."

Lakers' center was the only Laker to break into double digit rebounds. This was Bynum's first season since signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year and being shipped to the Chicago Bulls and finally ending his tenure with the Indiana Pacers.

The Lakers had a hard time shooting beyond the arc, 5/19 (26%) and only 22 points in the paint compared to the Rockets 52! The Lakers were also out-rebounded on the defensive glass; 44-33 by the Houston Rockets.

Towards the end of the game, Bynum shoved Dwight Howard in the chest. Expletives were exchanged and Kobe had to be held back by teammates.

"Too soft man, too soft.. He over there giggling and sh*t but this supposed to be a bar fight," replied Andrew Bynum in regards to Dwight Howard.

The Los Angeles Lakers have lingering concerns regarding their interior defense and stopping opposing centers from tantalizing their backcourt. It will be interesting to see the improvements this team makes their next game tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns in the U.S. Airways Arena.

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Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum Exchange Words

Kobe: Too soft, huh? You think Dwight Howard is too soft? Man, you should have seen your lazy fat a** getting pounded out there.

Bynum: Dont talk to me like that when you're chucking up shots from the outside expecting them to get rebounded by me each time. Why don't you learn to play some team ball for once in your life and pass up the shot?

October 28, 2014--

Frustrations have pent up inside the Los Angeles Lakers practice facility as Kobe and Bynum exchanged some words to one another. One individual reported to be there said, "Man, they were throwing punches at one another and it was gettin' crazy!"

Another individual laughed and said,

"It was nothing. They were just clearing some air with each other. No punches were thrown."

Regardless of what occurred, Kobe was clearly irked by the interior defense after their showdown with the Houston Rockets and they will look to resolve these issues heading into their next game against the Phoenix Suns.