Getty Ime Udoka in his NBA debut with the Lakers.
The Lakers did not make it very far into the NBA playoffs this season. Nor, in fact, did they make it to the NBA playoffs at all. In fact, the only player involved in the series who has donned the purple-and-gold in the past is Gary Payton II, who played just 11 games for the Lakers in 2018. But, surprisingly enough, they do have some representation and were a topic of conversation on the eve of the opening game of the Finals.
That’s because Boston coach Ime Udoka got his first NBA break 19 years ago as a player with the Lakers, signing a 10-day contract out of what was then the D-League in January 2004, appearing in four games in place of the injured Kobe Bryant before the Lakers moved on and signed Maurice Carter.
Udoka had signed on with the Lakers for training camp that summer, which saw the Lakers also acquire Gary Payton (the elder) and Karl Malone. He did not make the team, but the Lakers kept tabs on him while he played in the minors.
“I had a really good training camp in Hawai’i that year when Payton and Malone came,” Udoka explained. “It was I think the last cut to some veteran guys, Bryon Russell and some of those guys they brought along. So I was confident in what I did there. Kobe’s shoulder popped out and they called me up and got on a red-eye to play against Denver.
“But in the first game and even in that 10-day I played well enough to probably stick. I heard that was the plan. So it kind of just boosted my confidence. … L.A. has always been a special place to me. Being from the West Coast and being from Portland originally, first place I played and first taste of the NBA, like I said, it motivated me and drove me to get back.”
Dennis Schroder, Joe Johnson Up for Championship Rings
The possibility that the Celtics could win a championship has some around the league wondering about the team’s ring situation. Traditionally, anyone who dons a uniform in a championship season winds up with a ring. But with Boston undergoing a wave of COVID-19 issues earlier this year, plus a handful of trades, that means at least 28 players could get an NBA championship ring if Boston wins.
Among them are Enes Freedom, who has raised eyebrows around the league for his outspoken attacks on LeBron James and others for doing business in China. Former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder would also win a ring with a Celtics victory. Sixteen-year veteran C.J. Miles, who played one game while on a hardship contract for Boston, could also get some jewelry out of this series.
Less clear is whether the Celtics will reward those who never got into a game for Boston but were briefly on the roster, like Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier, as well as veterans Al Farouq-Aminu and Norvel Pelle. If so, then the team’s list of player rings expands from 28 to as many as 32.
While some of these “champs” will be head-scratchers, there is positive sentiment around the NBA for the possibility that Joe Johnson could get rewarded. He has been a consummate professional in the league for 18 years, and appeared in one game for the Celtics in December.
“Anyone who knows Joe Johnson likes Joe Johnson,” one Eastern Conference GM said. “You’d have to be happy for him if they win it, even if he did not do a whole lot to get them there, obviously. It would have been nice to see him stick with that group a little longer, he is a quiet but effective leader, he has a good voice in practice and the locker room. You kind of have to root for them just because it might get a guy like Joe rewarded that way.”
Lakers Could Buy Into Draft’s Second Round
The Lakers won’t have a first-rounder in this year’s NBA draft and, as an extra kick in the shin, they won’t have a second-rounder, either. They are conducting workouts, though most of the players they’re looking at figure to go undrafted and are Summer League candidates. Still, the Lakers might not be out of this draft entirely.
“They can see the writing on the wall, they need young players,” one league source told Heavy.com. “They’re often one of the teams looking to buy a second-round pick when they have a guy they like, as they did with Talen Horton-Tucker. It’s a safe bet that they will look to buy a second-rounder this year as they’re looking to get younger however possible.”
The Pelicans, with three second-round picks plus the No. 8 overall pick, are a likely target. New Orleans has 14 players under contract for next season, and even if they use a pick on a draft-and-stash international player, and trade Zion Williamson along with another player or two, they won’t have room for that many rookies. The Cavs, Timberwolves and Warriors also have multiple second-rounders and might be inclined not to use both picks.