LIVELY LAKERS PUT TOGETHER PROMISING SUMMER SQUAD.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer It's been two months and the only apparent difference in Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. is the hair on his crown. The 18-year-old said he wouldn't spend the time sulking because of errors down the stretch in Game 5 in the Western Conference Semifinals against Utah. He stuck to his word. Maybe a normal 18-year-old would be tentative entering next season. Bryant? He's eager to continue his development and will start this weekend with the Lakers team in the L.A. Summer Pro League The Summer Pro League, officially known as the The Southern California Summer Pro League (SPL) is a basketball league held every summer in Long Beach, California where first and second round draft picks in the NBA are able to improve their skills. at Long Beach State. ``I thought about it and then it was over, that's how I had to look at it,'' said Bryant, who air-balled two 3-pointers in the last minute of overtime in the eliminating loss to the Jazz. ``It didn't take long. I just realized I have to be better. And whenever I don't want to work out or get lazy, I just think about that and it gets me up.'' It was a year ago that Bryant, 17 and totally unproven, scored 27 points in his summer debut and erased any doubts about leaving high school. Bryant experienced a roller-coaster rookie season: from missing part of training camp with a sprained wrist to hardly playing, to playing a lot, to winning the Slam Dunk Contest The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual NBA competition held during the week of the NBA All-Star Game. The Contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, just as the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA. , to the events in Utah. ``It's impossible,'' was Bryant's response to describe what he's learned in the last 12 months. ``A lot. I'm a veteran now, an 18-year-old veteran, and I know what the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= is like.'' Lakers coach Del Harris will coach the team this summer. With the departures of Travis Knight Travis Knight (born September 13 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1st round (29th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. and Byron Scott Byron Scott may refer to:
In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. candidates to fill them. Second-round picks DeJuan Wheat DeJuan Shontez Wheat (born October 14 1973 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and Vancouver Grizzlies. He went to University of Louisville, and became their second all time leading scorer with 2,183 points. and Paul Rogers Paul Rogers may refer to:
And then there's Shea Seals Shea Brandon Seals (born August 26 1975, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American professional basketball player. He played four games with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1997-98 NBA season. , who went undrafted. Originally a top pro prospect as a junior at Tulsa, Seals led the U.S. 22-and-under team in scoring in an exhibition against Dream Team III. But 39-percent shooting his senior year gave Seals the reputation of a shooting guard who couldn't shoot. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Seals has an NBA body. An impressive summer could land him a roster spot. The Lakers need an outside shooter off the bench - Scott is gone and George McCloud wasn't the answer. ``We have some very talented guys,'' Harris said. ``My job is to guide these guys into training camp and we have some openings on our roster. Nothing's for sure.'' Robert Horry and Jerome Kersey are free agents and the club wants them back. Some interesting players have crept up on the roster, including former Michigan standout Jimmy King, Ace Custis (Virginia Tech), Jason Sasser (Texas Tech) and former Georgia Tech star James Forrest, most famous for hitting the buzzer shot that knocked USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. out of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Vaught out: Clippers forward Loy Vaught, expected to play with the Fila team, pulled out and will not play this summer. The Stack is stable: Jerry Stackhouse isn't playing in the summer league but did show up representing Fila. It's been an interesting period for the Philadelphia 76ers star, who was trade bait for Scottie Pippen just last month. In three months, the Sixers have received several new players, a new coach, new general manager and even new uniforms. ``I think good things are happening,'' said Stackhouse, entering his third year with his third coach, Larry Brown. ``I talked with coach Brown and he expects me to be a leader. It's been a tough two years but being drafted high, you don't expect things to be easy.'' With the addition of Jim Jackson, Stackhouse now can play either the shooting guard or small forward. The Sixers were thought to want Colorado's Chauncey Billups in the draft to move Allen Iverson to shooting guard. Instead, Philadelphia traded for Tim Thomas and Iverson will stay at the point. ``Can you name me a two-guard Iverson could defend?'' Stackhouse said. ``I think that was just talk. We have a lot of new guys who can help us and Allen will handle the ball.'' SUMMER JOB The Summer Pro League includes a Lakers team coached by Del Harris. The team, which plays at the Pyramid in Long Beach, begins today against Team USA at 7:30 p.m. Here is the Lakers and Clippers roster with recent college and pro experience: LAKERS Guards: Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Derek Fisher (Lakers), Jimmy King (Toronto/Denver/Dallas), Shea Seals (Tulsa), Alvin Sims (Louisville), DeJuan Wheat (Louisville). Forwards: Ace Custis (Virginia Tech), James Forrest (Georgia Tech), JoJo Garcia (UTEP UTEP University of Texas at El Paso UTEP Urban, Technological & Environmental Planning ), Juaquin Hawkins (Long Beach State), Jason Sasser (Texas Tech). Centers: Keith Closs (Central Conn. State), Paul Rogers (Gonzaga) CLIPPERS Guards: Brent Barry (Clippers), James Collins (Florida State), Jessie Drain (U. of Houston), Kiwane Garris (Illinois), Michael Hawkins (Boston), Shawn Jamison (Harlem Globetrotters), Eric Piatkowski (Clippers), Mark Young (Kansas State). Forwards: Malcolm Leak (Central Oklahoma), Joe McNaull (Long Beach State), Lamond Murray (Clippers), Maurice Taylor (Michigan), Lorenzen Wright (Clippers). Centers: Rastko Cvetkovic (Belgrade), Richard Manning (Clippers), Gary Trost (BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding ). BOX: SUMMER JOB (see text) CAPTION(S): Box |
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