Rob Pelinka was smiling. Darvin Ham was laughing. For 40 minutes the Lakers basketball brass fielded questions from reporters. As Thursday’s pre-training camp press conference wound down, Pelinka indicated to a PR rep that they were ready to go 40 more.
“If there’s anyone that didn’t get to ask a question that wants to,” Pelinka said, “we want to make sure everyone has a chance.”
These are good times in Los Angeles. Happy times. Training camp opens on Monday and the Lakers are ready for it. There’s no roster imbalance. No first-year coach jitters. No brewing Russell Westbrook drama hanging over their heads. This was a team that went 16–7 after the All-Star break. That knocked off Memphis and Golden State in the playoffs.
