Summer League Team : Russell smooth 21 (1-4)

Who better to guide him than KAJ . Stay strong kid.

 

The addiction specialist sitting in my avy says, "we should not ask 'why the addiction' but rather, 'why the pain'?" Underneath all addiction is an element of unresolved developmental pain and suffering that the substance or addictive behavior is attempting to soothe. The lakers need to find out what that is and address it with empathy, compassion, and understanding (see sig below).

For example, let's say it turns out Robert's trauma has to do with his mother. Jeanie should reach out to him privately, not in a patronizing way, but in a natural and warm way. She should meet with all summer league players individually, so as not to single him out and feel he's being targeted. When she meets with him the message is; "Robert, I'm sorry about the things that have hurt you in your life. I want you to know from day 1 that this organization cares about their players and that we are a family. YOU are with family." She needs to speak to his wounded inner child, because that's the addict, not the grown man in front of her. Substitute Byron, Mitch, KAJ, Kobe, etc depending on the specifics of his trauma.

 

You're hired!

 

OMG, can you say dream job. lakers' psychotherapist, hells yeah!

 

Yeah seems no brainer. Just posted that in Aldridge thread.

 

Get Kareem and Shaq over in the gym with him asap.

 

Would like to know about this as well

 

You guys are late to the party with your worries about this. I asked same question a couple days ago. Answer is it's a worry. Realdeal's mention of bringing him to camp and if like what we see, sign him to the minimum and send him to D league for more work and seasoning. At least he can't be snaked that way. And not much lost if he relapses. Bring him up later in the year. Kick butt. As well, I would imagine he and his agent could have an understanding with the Lakers that they WANT him if he stays straight. Now maybe they refuse the other offer. Would someone throw bigger money at him from Summer League performance? Maybe, but he has a chance to be a starting center for the Los Angeles freaking Lakers, in spite of the damage he's done to his career.

 

the only scenario in which I could imagine him signing elsewhere would be him getting an offer from another team and the Lakers not willing to give him one (not even saying it would have to be the same amount) as well. There is literally no better place for him to grow as a person and a player. If he gets/has already gotten his head straight, I'm pretty confident that he's going to consider other options only if the Lakers are unwilling to sign him.

 

I'm sure he'd give the Lakers a heads up if he gets an offer so that they could either offer or pass, if they give him an offer he probably stays.

 

I'm not worried about losing him to another team. All the other teams passed on him, for a good reason, but the Lakers reached out with an invite to try out to be a LAKER. I'm betting Mitch had a open dialog with his agent a while ago about the scenario of him being undrafted and may already have a contract offer in place that both partys have agreed too if he shows the maturity needed to be a professional. The big IF is ... is he clean and sober... will he stay that way... He'll be a Laker...but for how long?

 

seems like the custom is that you give the team you're with in SL right of first refusal. I think Jeremy lin was playing for the mavs, and gs came in with a guaranteed offer, which he brought to dallas and they passed. just a recent example.

 

Agents have to keep their credibility with teams GMs, when their client is given a great opportunity by a team they have to communicate with them about other interest or they will burn a bridge that could haunt them down the road.

 

I am so intrigued about this Upshaw kid. This may be a post for the Optimism thread but I'm imagining him as a legitimate solution for the 5, like Whiteside became for the Heat. Drug addiction is the scourge of our society and this COULD be such a great story line possibly helping other young men on the road to ruin.