D’Angelo Russell Talks Brandon Ingram, Kobe, Luke Walton and More

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No one seems to be happier with the Lakers’ recent changes than D’Angelo Russell. After a franchise-worst 17-65 record last season, the Lakers parted ways with Coach Byron Scott, who went 38-126 in his two seasons in L.A. In April, the organization hired Luke Walton, whose demand for a head coaching job was high after leading the Warriors to a 39-4 start as the team’s interim coach last season.

The Kobe Bryant era is now in the rearview window, so that leaves Russell, 20, to step in to lead a team that features nine players under the age of 25.

Prior to finishing with season averages of 13.2 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from the field (35 percent from the 3-point line), Russell’s rookie season was a roller-coaster ride. He started the first 20 games before getting pulled from the starting lineup. There was obvious friction between Russell and Scott; the coach’s minutes restriction put a cap on D’Angelo’s ability to show what the No. 2 pick in the 2015 Draft was really capable of. Some games he scored in double digits and others—29 to be exact—he had less than 10 points. Then there was the incident with teammate Nick Young that added even more negative attention to the team’s already disastrous season.

Russell used the adversity of his rookie season as motivation and led the Lakers’ summer league team—which featured this year’s No. 2 Draft pick, Brandon Ingram, to a 3-0 record. During his summer league stint, Russell had some impressive performances, including a buzzer-beating three against the Sixers and 22 first half points against the Warriors. Those performances have the Lakers’ fan base eager to see what this Walton-led regime can do in the regular season.

We caught up with Russell after he played Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare at Call of Duty XP in L.A. to see if he’s really as nice in COD as his teammates claim, what his relationship with new Coach Walton is like, passing along advice to Brandon Ingram and much more. Check it:

SLAM: Despite all the ups and downs from last season, what did you learn about yourself?

D’Angelo Russell: I mean, I went through a lot last year, so I would just say I feel mentally strong that whatever happens from this point on can’t break me, you know? So it’s like whatever God throws my way, it’s not going to break me. I’m prepared for it.

SLAM: What’s your relationship with Brandon Ingram been like so far?

DR: That’s my guy! I think he’s going to be successful in this League. He’s a funny dude and is real quiet ’til you really get to know him.

SLAM: Any advice you’ve given him as he prepares for his rookie season?

DR: I told him to embrace the pressure. What he’s going through now is what I went through as far as being the No. 2 pick, all the attention is on you and everybody wanting to see what you can do. Now I look back on what I went through last year and I was like, ‘That was the pressure I had?’ And I kind of didn’t embrace it. Embrace it, like, go get it and go attack it. That’s what I tell him—to go have way more success in your first year than I had.

SLAM: As of Luke Walton’s hire in late April ’til now, what are some of the things you guys have talked about?

DR: Luke is a great dude on and off the court and we’re just excited. Every time I talk to him, it’s talking about the next way to be better as a whole, as a group. And he’s one of the most positive guys I know, too. My college coach [Ohio State’s Thad Matta] was the most positive guy I knew and Luke is right there in competition with him. I’m just blessed to have those guys.

SLAM: Before I even said Luke Walton’s name, you gave a “Hell yeah!”-type expression. Was that because you’re really looking forward to having him as your coach?

DR: Yeah, I just know how good we’re going to be and we’re going to be going down the right path as far as being the best we can be. And I feel like everybody is all in and with his demeanor, mentality and the way he carries himself, the way he supports us, the way he is as a coach, I feel like if somebody walked in the gym and didn’t know who he was, they wouldn’t be able to tell that he was the head coach. He doesn’t come off like that. He comes off as a player, honestly, and a vet. I just know that’s the successful way to go in this league.

SLAM: Have you spoken to Kobe at all since his retirement?

DR: Actually I haven’t, no.

SLAM: The team has been participating in early morning Breakfast Club workouts. How has that helped build more of a camaraderie with the young core?

DR: I would just say the dedication. Every team in the League has those guys that are working and everybody is just working. You got guys on the team that are taking their rest ‘cause they’ve been in the League multiple years. I feel like the more we grow as a team, the success that we had, we don’t want to go from that. If that’s coming in everyday working out together early—even if we’re 10 years in—just stick to that routine.

SLAM: So what’s that Breakfast Club playlist looking like?

DR: Man, our trainer [Marco Nunez] kind of leaves it up to us, but he goes by Mexican Mondays, sometimes it’s Michael Jackson Tuesdays—you never know because he’s there before everybody. We’ll walk in and he might be playing old Michael Jackson or he might be playing some new [Lil] Uzi or whatever. It’s really up to the day and who’s there early that gets to pick to the music.

SLAM: What can we expect to see from you more on the court this upcoming season?

DR: Dominate. Just dominate every chance I get. No taking plays off, taking every possession as if it’s the last and just really competing at a high level.

SLAM: Jordan Clarkson recently said that aside from himself, you, Larry Nance Jr, Roy Hibbert and Anthony Brown were the top Call of Duty players on the team last year. Is anyone else nice at COD?

DR: I honestly don’t know. We got a lot of vets on our team so I’m not sure if they even know what Call of Duty is, but I would say that’s about it. Maybe Julius [Randle]. He’s a fan and is good at it.

SLAM: If you could pick one or two other players and form a squad, would you guys come out with the W against one of these top teams participating in the Call of Duty Championships?

DR: Oh yeah, I’d get my boy Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns and we’d be successful.

SLAM: What are some of your favorite new features from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare?

DR: I would say the characters. In the previous versions of Call of Duty, the characters were limited—maybe four characters and they only had one specialty. Here, there’s multiple different specialties and characters that you can choose from and you can keep getting upgrades for those.

—

Related:
D’Angelo Russell: ‘Walton Is Not a Head Coach That Will Sit Back And Watch Other Coaches Train Players’
Nick Young on D’Angelo Russell: ‘I Can’t Be Mad Forever’

The post D’Angelo Russell Talks Brandon Ingram, Kobe, Luke Walton and More appeared first on SLAMonline.

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Here Are More Changes To The UCL You Need To Know About

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As you’ll probably know, the Champions League is changing from the 2018/19 season.

The top four leagues from across Europe will be guaranteed four qualification places, with the co-efficient rating scrapped.

But that’s not enough for UEFA, according to German newspaper Bild, who report that kick off times are also set to change, to maximise TV revenue.

Currently, all Champions League games kick off at 7.45pm, except games played in Russia, which get underway at 5.30pm.

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But, under the new proposals, games would kick off at 6pm and 8pm, meaning the action on a Tuesday and Wednesday night would follow a similar pattern to the one that the Europa League currently does.

This way, every game can be televised and no one can miss out by being shown at the same time as another match.

We’ve all been there, when we have to choose to watch either Bayern Munich vs Juventus or Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid, but under the new idea, that could be a thing of the past.

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And it would also mean whoever owns the rights to show English teams in the Champions League will be able to show two teams on one night, rather than pick one over the other.

We often criticise governing bodies for messing around with our game too much, but if this is one step further towards killing the idea of a breakaway ‘Super League’, then that’s fine by me.

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Carlos Beltran: Texas is ‘more about baseball’ than New York

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Nine-time All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran was traded from the New York Yankees to the Texas Rangers at this year’s deadline, and he appears to be happier about the change of scenery than a camel on Wednesday.

Beltran recently appeared on The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley on KESN-FM 103.3 ESPN Radio and discussed the different playing atmosphere in Texas relative to that of New York.

“Playing in Texas … it’s relaxing, man,” Beltran said. “Being here, for me, I feel so weird because playing in New York, you know, every day I feel like I talk to the media before the games, after the games, and there were like 30-40 guys in the clubhouse every single day. And here, there’s maybe four or five, and sometimes they don’t even want to talk to you.

“At the end of the day, [in] New York there’s a lot of distractions, a lot of things going on more than baseball,” the veteran continued. “Here it’s more about baseball.”

With the Rangers currently in possession of the best record in the American League and Beltran still looking for first World Series title, it’s safe to say he must be quite pleased about the move. And if Beltran can find a couple of quality Taco Bells in the area to call home, Texas will truly be utopia for him.

H/T HardballTalk

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Tony Parker reiterates desire to play five more years with the Spurs

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Tony Parker’s illustrious international basketball career may be over, but he sees his time with the San Antonio Spurs continuing for significantly longer.

Parker, who announced his retirement from the French national basketball team after they lost to Spain in the Olympic quarterfinal on Wednesday, told Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports that he still wants to play five more years with the Spurs.

“We brought French basketball on the map,” Parker said. “As a French player I’m very proud of what we did in my generation, winning all those medals. Especially in 2013, that’ll be my favorite moment because that was the first time in French basketball history we won a gold medal.

“I want to end my Spurs career on a high note,” Parker continued. “I want to play five more years.”

The 34-year-old Parker, who has expressed this desire before, was still productive for San Antonio in 2015-16 with averages of 11.9 points per game and 5.3 assists per game. But his age-related decline has become apparent in recent seasons, especially when juxtaposed with his freewheeling, up-tempo style of play from years past.

But fortunately, the Spurs no longer need Parker to be that guy with LaMarcus Aldridge in town and Kawhi Leonard fully embracing a primary offensive role. Using his basketball IQ and craftiness alone, Parker does indeed have what it takes to continue to survive in the league for several more seasons.

The six-time All-Star only has two years remaining on his deal, and the dominoes may have been expected to fall quickly with Tim Duncan retired and Manu Ginobili believed to be entering his last year in the NBA. But if Parker gets his way, we’ll still be seeing him slithering around screens and breaking down defenses with his dribble for a long time to come.

Image Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

H/T ProBasketballTalk

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Brazil on brink of more home humiliation

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Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil face another embarrassing exit from a tournament on home soil after Neymar slumbered through a second 0-0 draw of Rio 2016 against Iraq.

The Olympic hosts need to beat group leaders Denmark on Wednesday to win to avoid a stunning exit, just two years after their devastating 7-1 World Cup defeat by Germany.

Neymar was expected to ease Brazilian football’s wounded pride by delivering a first ever Olympic gold for the five-time world champions.

However, the Barcelona star was eclipsed. And just as in their opening stalemate against South Africa, Brazil were booed from the field in Brasilia on Sunday as they paid for their profligacy in front of goal.

Portugal and Nigeria were the first sides to seal their places in the quarter-finals with victories over Honduras and Sweden respectively.

There were also wins for Argentina, Denmark and Mexico.

In contrast to his display against South Africa when he was labelled “greedy”, Neymar was a peripheral figure against Iraq and lost his cool when he fired the ball at Sherko Kareem in the second-half as the Iraqi prevented him from taking a quick free-kick.

– Caught dozing –

Manchester City’s £27 million ($ 36 million) signing Gabriel Jesus had another night to forget. After claiming he “wouldn’t sleep” after missing an open goal against the South Africans, he skewed an golden chance wide inside two minutes before being hooked off by coach Rogerio Micale early in the second-half.

Iraq could even have snatched a shock win when Mohanad Abdulraheem’s first-half header came back off the inside of the post.

Renato Augusto had Brazil’s best chance when he shot over the gaping goal deep into seven minutes of stoppage time.

Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan waived away strong claims for a penalty moments later when Gabriel Barbosa tumbled inside the area.

Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa scored and set up Jonathan Calleri’s winner as 10-man Argentina got their challenge for a third Olympic gold back on track with a 2-1 win over Algeria in Rio.

Argentina coach Julio Olarticoechea was put in charge for the Games just weeks before their opening 2-0 defeat to Portugal. Olarticoechea took over from Gerardo Martino who quit after a second Copa America final defeat to Chile in as many years.

Olarticoechea’s options were slashed by a number of high-profile pullouts and European clubs not releasing their players so close to the start of the season.

However, it was Calleri, called in at the last minute to replace Luciano Vietto, who bundled home the winner 20 minutes from time.

Argentina still need to beat Honduras in their final Group D game on Wednesday to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Portugal are assured of their place in the last eight after beating Honduras 2-1.

Goals from Tobias Figueiredo and Goncalo Paciencia cancelled out Alberth Elis’s first minute opener.

World champions Germany also dug themselves out of trouble as a stoppage-time equaliser from Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry salvaged a thrilling 3-3 draw against South Korea in Salvador.

Germany lie in third place in Group C, two points behind Mexico and South Korea.

They face the prospect of having to beat Fiji by at least four goals in their final group game to progress, if South Korea’s final match with Mexico also ends in a draw.

Defending champions Mexico needed a second-half fightback to stave off one of the biggest shocks in Olympic football history to beat Fiji 5-1.

Fiji benefited from New Zealand’s disqualification for fielding an ineligible player to qualify for the Olympics at last year’s Pacific Games. They were thrashed 8-0 by South Korea on their debut on Thursday.

However, they led 1-0 at half-time in Salvador thanks to Roy Krishna’s opener.

Erick Gutierrez was Mexico’s saviour as he struck four times in the second-half.

Sadiq Umar headed 1996 winners Nigeria into the quarters with a 1-0 win over Sweden.

Colombia hold a one point advantage over Japan and Sweden in the fight for second place after their second 2-2 draw  against Japan in the Amazonian city of Manaus.

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Liverpool Boss Ready To Splash More Cash To Land Defender

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Liverpool are no strangers to spending big money.

This summer, they’ve kept up their annual raid on Southampton by taking Sadio Mane for over £30m, and also signed Gini Wijnaldum from Newcastle United for £25m.

Add Ragnar Klavan and Loris Karius into the mix, and the Reds have spent over £60m this summer – and they’re not done yet.

Despite adding experienced Estonian Klavan to his defence, Klopp still has worries about the left back position, currently occupied by Alberto Moreno.

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Moreno is one of those modern day full backs who attacks twice as well as he defends, and his German boss is looking at two players as potential replacements for the former Sevilla defender.

The first is AC Milan’s Mattia De Sciglio, who has long been one of the brightest young defenders in Europe.

The 23-year-old has been part of Milan’s first team for five years, and has 26 caps for Italy since coming through the youth ranks at his boyhood club.

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A fee around £16m is enough for the Italian giants to sell, and it’s thought they’d be willing to do so in order to keep star striker Carlos Bacca, as they look to make a push for the Champions League next season.

Despite being right footed, De Sciglio has spent plenty of time playing left back for Milan, and is more than comfortable there.

Should Klopp fancy an old fashioned left footed left back, PSV’s Jetro Willems could be the man.

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Available for a similar price to De Sciglio, the speedy Dutch international would fit in nicely at Anfield, having played with fellow new signing Wijnaldum for the Netherlands national team.

And it looks like Willems is aware of the interest, if his recent Twitter activity is anything to go by:

I wish you all the best at your new club my friend, we"ll see each other again soon! @GWijnaldum pic.twitter.com/P7nFu8HjkX

— Jetro willems (@JetroWillems_15) July 22, 2016

‘See each other again soon’ could be the clearest sign that Liverpool are in the market for a left back, which is bad news for Alberto Moreno, but good news for football fans who dislike footballers with top knots.

Every cloud and all that.

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