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Now_Im_Not_Banned:
D-Fenders will have Lakers flavor
BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/16/2006 10:39:57 PM PDT
LAS VEGAS - Dan Panaggio can remember the first time he saw the triangle offense, back when he was coaching Quad City in the Continental Basketball Association and watching the Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s on television.
Now Panaggio has a seat next to Tex Winter for every exhibition game and the job of teaching the triangle to a new generation of players as head coach of the D-Fenders, the Lakers' new minor-league affiliate.
The Lakers are the first team to own and operate their own affiliate in the NBA Development League. The D-Fenders will play home games at Staples Center on the same days as the Lakers and will practice at the team's El Segundo facility.
They also will run the offense that Phil Jackson helped make famous and Panaggio went on to run with two of his Quad City teams.
"I think it's especially important for the Lakers," Panaggio said, "because they have a complex system they play that's different from the norm. Hopefully, we can provide a pool of guys that are familiar with that system so that, if they do need a player, they have one that's semi-trained."
The Lakers will have the ability to assign up to two players from their roster - either in their first or second NBA season - to play for the D-Fenders.
It was an option the Lakers would have considered last season with teenage center Andrew Bynum had their minor-league affiliate not been in Fort Worth, Texas, and had they known Bynum would get experience in the triangle.
"We're going to run it exactly at that level like we do at this level," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said.
Panaggio coached in the CBA for nine seasons and won two championships. He went on to serve as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers for four seasons and saw how a minor-league system could benefit young NBA players.
The Blazers drafted Zach Randolph, who played one season at Michigan State, as well as high schoolers Sebastian Telfair and Travis Outlaw, during Panaggio's time.
"They drafted so many very, very young players and they would get 82 pregame workouts once the season started," Panaggio said. "You knew it wasn't enough. It was good that they were getting those workouts, but those young guys needed to play to fully develop."
The D-Fenders will draft players Nov. 2, after the conclusion of NBA training camps. They will open the season Nov. 24 at Anaheim and will play home games at 3:30 p.m. before Lakers games.
Even though the team is owned by the Lakers, the D-Fenders players will be treated no differently than their counterparts in the league.
That means any NBA team - be it the Clippers or the Sacramento Kings - could sign their players to a 10-day contract.
As a result, how the Lakers avoid losing out on their investment of developing players remains to be seen.
Kupchak said he wasn't sure how much the Lakers would make use of the D-Fenders this season. The Lakers have sixplayers on the training camp roster who are eligible to be assigned, including Bynum and rookie guard Jordan Farmar.
GangstaBoogy:
I finally got to see Farmar play. I like his style. I can see him and Odom being a good duo.
Antonio_:
Still no games seen. :'(
Nik & Co. how are we playing? Expecially the new players..
Now_Im_Not_Banned:
--- Quote from: Antonio on October 18, 2006, 04:04:31 AM ---Nik & Co. how are we playing? Expecially the new players..
--- End quote ---
I like what I see. All our young guys are really active, they all look like they can contribute in a different way. Jordan Farmar is especially playing well, maybe not as well last night, but he's got a very bright future which hopefully begins with his rookie season (all depending on Phil)... Shammond Williams had a nice game the other night against Phoenix as well, hitting 5-5. I see where he can help the younger guys (he has a very fluid jumper and decent defense, along with tremendous confidence)... Devin Green has improved drastically, he's a very solid player on both ends of the court, really good at holding his ground on defense, now he just needs to improve his jump shot...Maurice Evans was brought in to back Kobe and I can safely say he'll be the first one off the bench for Kobe, which I believe is an upgrade over Profit. He's built very strong, has a nice defensive presence and also packs a deadly offensive game as well if his switch is on. Tremendous acquisation. Radman is in a shooting slump to begin the pre-season, but it's perfectly understandable, considering his shooting hand is badly injured. Aside from his off-shooting, he's been pleasantly surprising in other areas, moving his feet on defense, rotating well, driving to the hoop, even developed a nice cross-over/slash...Andrew Bynum is kinda struggling mentaly out there, but you can also tell he's gunna be good once he gets his shit together. I don't think he will play significant minutes this season :-\ (still young)...JR Pinnock is a nice athletic player, his game looks good for a 2nd rounder, he'll be a steal once he makes our roster (probably next season)...Sasha Vujacic has obviously worked on his game, he's looking like a solid NBA player out there, can't wait to see what he does...Von Wafer is done for, maybe a year of development elsewhere and he can return, but as of now he's been useless...Smush improved his shooting, should be interesting to see what areas he's worked on...Brian Cook improved his rebounding, though he's still a little soft on defense. He's wonderful offensively though...Ronny Turiaf is a very good player, he gives it his all and brings energy to the other players. Very good defender and rebounder. He also has a nice shooting form, which I hope will translate into a nice mid-range game soon...Luke Walton looks more calm and collected, he reminds me of a cross between Rick Fox and a poor mans Odom...McKie got injured again last night and asked to come out. He's done for. The rest are pretty self-epxlanitory...All I can really say is that I can't wait to see how the season plays out...PeACe
Now_Im_Not_Banned:
Kings vs. Lakers Box Score
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