JH: With LeBron out of the East, has your mindset changed? What is your ultimate goal for next season? Giannis Antetokounmpo: The goal is still the same. Of course you have LeBron in the Western Conference. We still have great teams like Boston, Toronto, Philly, Indiana in the East. We just have to continue getting better every day as a team. We have a great team, we have a great coach, and hopefully we will have a great season and take another step forward this year.
Los Angeles Lakers Rumors
DeMarcus Cousins was one of the biggest signings of the offseason. To have a player who is of Boogie’s caliber on a team-friendly, contract-year deal is huge — especially for a team coming off back-to-back titles. Despite Cousins how big the Cousins signing was for the Warriors, Boogie still believes that the Lakers did a little more to shake the very foundation of the league.
“They got the best player in the world,” DeMarcus Cousins said in an interview with Brandon Robinson. Adding arguably the best player in the NBA is going to improve any team in the league, but as far as them having a chance to win a title, Boogie things anything is possible. “They’ve got a chance,” said Cousins. “We’ll see what happens when the ball goes up.”
LeBron James believes folks are sleeping on the Lakers young players. In an interview with China’s CCTV during his More Than An Athlete World Tour, James explained he believes the Lakers young core is being underestimated.
LeBron James: “I think more importantly than what I need to share with the younger guys, I think what a lot of people are missing is how hungry for knowledge that the young guys are. Kuz and Zo and Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Slavi (LeBron definitely meant Svi Mykhailluk but this is hilarious) and Moe Wagner, we have young guys that are extremely excited not only about playing the game, but also learning the game. That’s going to help out even more because those guys are just hungry for knowledge, so I’m looking forward to that.”
MT: Most folks within the NBA community have heard of “Playoff Rondo,” but after looking at your Per 36 numbers, I wasn’t convinced it was a thing. Is it actually more about playing time? Is “Playoff Rondo” a myth? Rajon Rondo: I feel that way. If given an opportunity, knowing I’ll play 36 minutes a night, I can perform at a high level. Spotty or inconsistent minutes, which have been the case in the past, then the numbers fluctuate. The people that came up with this “Playoff Rondo” name or title or whatever they may call it, obviously (it’s because) I’ve been on TV during the playoffs. In the regular season last year, I had some good games. It got a little bit of publicity, but I think I’ve had six (regular season) TV games over the last two years between Chicago and New Orleans. I’ll have more televised games this year than the last two or three years combined.
