Sure, Kobe Bryant is back, but the additions of Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin do little to inspire confidence in the loaded Western Conference. The best-case scenario would probably be a healthy season from Bryant, impressive development from rookie Julius Randle and then a big splash or two in the next offseason.
However, the team is still looking to put together its roster for this season, and there is some recent news out of Hollywood. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the latest updates from Lakers camp.
No More Keith Appling
The Lakers released former Michigan State guard Keith Appling and made it official with a statement on NBA.com/Lakers, “The Los Angeles Lakers have waived guard Keith Appling.”
Appling went undrafted after four years with the Spartans and played with the Portland Trail Blazers in summer league. He did appear in two preseason games for the Lakers but only managed to score two points, grab three rebounds and dish out two assists.
Appling never put up head-turning numbers at Michigan State, either, but he was known for his impressive defense, toughness and leadership. It is often cliche to describe someone as having intangibles, but Appling was always worth more to his team than the raw numbers suggested.
He averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 assists, three rebounds and 1.1 steals a game in his college career and could find his way onto a different NBA roster behind his defense and ability to set up teammates with assists.
Unfortunately for Appling, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders had some more bad news regarding his contract:
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
