Lakers not done with roster moves, looking to add another big

• July 10, 2023

LAS VEGAS — The Lakers have already made several moves since free agency start over a week ago, but general manager Rob Pelinka made it clear they’d like to make at least one more addition before training camp starts in the fall.

While speaking with reporters during halftime of Sunday’s 93-75 summer league win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Thomas & Mack Center, Pelinka said the Lakers are “actively in the market to add another big.”

“Coach and I have talked a little bit with Anthony [Davis] in the offseason about more minutes of some of the 2020 success we had where Anthony got to play with a big. Adding Jaxson Hayes [in free agency] was key to that. Jaxson, much like Dwight Howard in that [2020] stretch for us: big body, rim protector, active roller.

“When you have on-ball guys like D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, having someone who’s willing to sacrifice their body and set a screen is important. Jaxson is going to be big there. But we are looking to add an additional center as well.”

Among the top unrestricted free-agent centers are: former Dallas Mavericks big man Christian Wood, former Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo, former San Antonio Spurs big Gorgui Dieng and former Philadelphia 76ers center Dewayne Dedmon.

The Lakers have 13 players signed to standard NBA contracts, leaving them two open roster spots.

Pelinka said the greatest likelihood is that they’ll “fill the 14th position before training camp,” before adding “the 15th one is more open.”

He added that they’d like to diversify the skillsets in their big-man rotation. Wood and Dieng would help in this regard because of their ability to stretch the floor as shooters from beyond the arc.

The 6-foot-10 Wood, who’s a Long Beach native, has shot 37.9% on 3-pointers (3 ½ attempts per game) for his career. He’s made 38.1% of his 3s (4.7 attempts per game) over the previous three seasons.

The 6-foot-11 Dieng has shot 35.5% on 3s for his career, albeit on low volume (0.9 attempts). He’s shot 36.7% on 3s the last four seasons on 2.1 attempts.

“Dimensionalizing the skills at that position would be important,” Pelinka said. “So we don’t want to sign someone who replicates the skills that Jaxson Hayes has. So if we can diversify the big position and have different looks, that would be good.”

Pelinka said before free agency started on June 30 that the Lakers were prioritizing continuity and maintaining the core of the team that went 18-9 to close out the regular season post-trade deadline before the playoff run to the Western Conference finals.

They accomplished that goal, re-signing forward Rui Hachimura (three-year contract, $51 million), guard Austin Reaves (four years, $56 million deal) and D’Angelo Russell (two years, $37 million with a player option for the second season).

The additions: guard in Gabe Vincent (three years, $33 million), forward Taurean Prince (one year, $4.52 million), wing Cam Reddish (two years, $4.62 million with a player option for the second season) and Hayes (two years, $4.62 million with a player option for the second season).

“We talked a lot after the trade deadline about that being kind of a ‘pre-[free] agency,’ sort of a precursor to what we wanted to do this offseason,” Pelinka said. “And I said over and over that continuity was going to be important, keeping together the core of the success we had with the run we went on to the Western Conference finals. And we were able to do that.

“When you want to win a championship, you have to go through the defending champs and Denver’s size was something that really was apparent to us that we wanted to upgrade our wing depth. And so that was something else accomplished with the group we put together.”

As a result of the Vincent deal, which used the bulk of the Lakers’ $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and using the $4.5 million bi-annual exception for Prince, the team will be hard-capped at the first tax apron level of $172.24 million.

They still have about $1.9 million of their mid-level exception remaining to make roster additions.

“We were intentional about keeping some space and using that,” Pelinka said. “It could come in handy. For instance, in the buyout market.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka says “dimensionalizing” the skills at the center position will be a priority as the team searches for another big pic.twitter.com/pR60GD3SzV

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) July 9, 2023

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Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy take Hermosa Beach women’s volleyball title

• July 10, 2023

HERMOSA BEACH — The AVP Women’s Hermosa Beach Pro Open championship match was a battle of the underdogs as the No. 6 seeded duo of Corinne Quiggle and Sarah Schermerhorn-Murphy faced off against No. 13 seeded team of Megan Rice and Savannah Simo.

In a dominating game, Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy came out on top, sweeping Rice and Simo 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) to win their first AVP championship title.

Schermerhorn-Murphy recorded 14 kills on 29 attack attempts along with 5 diggs and 6 blocks. Quiggle added 9 kills and 13 diggs.

“We’ve been working really hard as a team. Beach volleyball is definitely up and down. We had a great year last year, and we’re finding our momentum this year,” Quiggle said. “To be able to come into this tournament and win it feels amazing. It’s something really special that we get to share together forever.”

The journey to the championship match was not easy, but they breezed through the competition sweeping all but one opponent.

In the second round of play, they defeated No. 3 seeded Deahna Kraft and Zana Muno 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) en route to Sunday’s championship.

Rice and Simo defeated fellow underdogs Lexy Denaburg and Carly Kan 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) to set up a matchup with Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy.

Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy came out of the first set on fire, taking an early 9-1 lead. The duo coasted the rest of the way to come out with a 21-15 set 1 win.

The second set was much closer to start, but Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy’s offensive efficiency was too much for their opponents. Quiggle and Schermerhorn-Murphy recorded an attacking percentage of .455 in the closeout set to take the 21-16 victory.

“I think we were confident in ourselves that we were capable of winning this tournament,” Quiggle said. “Being able to follow through and complete that goal of ours is just an unbelievable feeling. It’s a testimony to all the work that we put in, all the work our coaches put in in the gym. It’s really nice to see the work pay off.”

For Quiggle, playing at Hermosa Beach felt familiar as she played her collegiate career at Pepperdine where she was the 2018 WCC Player of the Year. But Schermerhorn-Murphy said the journey to get to this point was difficult as she has been away from her family and friends throughout the season.

“(Our relationship) is very much a marriage and a partnership. I live in Florida, my husband’s in Florida. So, emotionally it can be hard for me to be out here,” Schermerhorn-Murphy said. “Corinne’s a great supporter, her family is really supportive out here. We’ve just really pushed through. I think we’ve grown a lot as a team through some of those hardships and it’s just made us better.”

The duo won their first AVP championship with their tournament victory at Hermosa. They said their next big challenge will be back here when they compete in the Manhattan Beach Open on Aug. 18.

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Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner win Hermosa Beach men’s title

• July 9, 2023

HERMOSA BEACH — The AVP 2023 Hermosa Beach Men’s Pro Open championship match on Sunday saw a familiar matchup as Trevor Crabb and partner Theo Brunner faced off against Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander for the second time this tournament.

Trevor Crabb and Brunner came out on top, winning 2-1 (19-21, 21-13, 15-10) to take the crown.

Trevor Crabb converted 20 kills on 30 attack attempts. Brunner recorded a game-high eight blocks while also having 13 kills.

Brunner won his third Hermosa Beach Open championship, Trevor Crabb his first. Trevor Crabb is now 13-10 all time in matches against his brother — winning the last five — and holds a 2-1 lead in championship matches involving the two Long Beach State products.

“It’s always an extra tough battle playing against (Taylor Crabb), and then when you add the finals on top of that, it’s even more pressure,” Trevor Crabb said. “The atmosphere is way better for everyone in the championship.

“I’m sure (Taylor Crabb) is pretty bummed right now, but there’s obviously more tournaments to come for him.”

The two teams had some familiarity going into Sunday’s championship showdown as they played each other in the tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, when Trevor Crabb and Brunner won 2-1(17-21, 21-15, 15-11) to advance to the semifinals.

Brunner and Trevor Crabb defeated Billy Allen and Alison Cerutti 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) in the semis.

Taylor Crabb and Sander were relegated to the contender’s bracket after losing in the quarterfinals against Trevor Crabb and Brunner on Saturday, but they were able to jump back into the winner’s bracket after defeating Miles Evans and Chase Buddinger 2-1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-10) on Sunday morning.

In the semis, Taylor Crabb and Sander defeated Tri Bourne and 2022 Hermosa Beach Pro Open champion Chaim Schalk 2-1 (17-21, 22-20, 15-12) to set up a rematch with Trevor Crabb and Brunner.

The championship match started similarly to the quarterfinals matchup, with Taylor Crabb and Sander winning 21-19. Taylor Crabb converted 14 kills on 22 attacks, leading to a set win.

Trevor Crabb and Brunner found their groove in the second set. It went back and forth, but Brunner and Trevor Crabb went on a 10-5 run after leading 11-8 to knot the series at one apiece.

In the decisive third set, Brunner’s defense gave his team an early lead. The former UC Santa Barbara middle blocker recorded five blocks in the team’s first 10 points which stifled the opposition’s offense.

The final set was never in doubt as Trevor Crabb and Brunner had a lead as big as six points. The duo cruised in the last set to a 15-10 victory.

Trevor Crabb said that the quarterfinals matchup against Taylor Crabb and Sander helped the duo figure out a way to win on Sunday.

“(The adjustments) were the same as yesterday, just cleaning up our side of the net,” Trevor Crabb said. “I was shanking some easy digs, those easy balls that we should score on, and I was able to clean it up in the second and third.”

Brunner has never lost when he has entered the Hermosa Beach Pro Open.

When asked if he is the King of Hermosa Beach, Brunner said, “I mean, I usually leave that call to Trevor, but I mean, there could be an argument for that name at this point.”

Trevor Crabb and Brunner asserted their dominance throughout their tournament run. They swept every opponent except Taylor Crabb and Sander in both of their matchups.

“You can’t really take plays off against these teams,” Trevor Crabb said about the competition in the tournament. “You have to play at a high level if you want to win these tournaments.”

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Dodgers demote Miguel Vargas after poor first half

• July 9, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Miguel Vargas’ potential motivated the Dodgers to hand him a job as their second baseman. His performance has prompted them to take it away.

Vargas was optioned to the minor leagues Sunday after batting just .195 with a .672 OPS and 80 OPS-plus (100 is league average) in 81 games. The 23-year-old rookie reached the All-Star break with five hits in his last 63 at-bats.

The Dodgers also optioned left-hander Bryan Hudson and activated right-hander Yency Almonte from the paternity list.

The moves leave one roster spot open. Both Chris Taylor and Clayton Kershaw are expected to be activated from the Injured List at some point after the Dodgers return from the All-Star break.

The every-day second baseman when the season started despite his limited experience — in the big leagues and at the position — Vargas started 69 games there in the first half. But his protracted slump prompted the Dodgers to bench him, particularly against right-handed pitching. Mookie Betts started at second base six times in the Dodgers’ last 13 games before the break.

Earlier this week, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that a demotion for Vargas could be “on the table.”

“There’s a piece of winning here, and there’s also a piece of putting his mind where it needs to be, because clearly right now, he’s pressing. He’s never struggled like this,” Roberts said of Vargas, who has a .313 average and .878 OPS in his minor-league career.

“I do believe the defense is getting better, and the experience of being at the major league level is helpful. But it’s also helpful to feel yourself getting some hits and getting your confidence going. … He’s grinding. He’s playing hard. But it’s just not happening.”

The Dodgers open the second half on Friday in New York against the Mets. Vargas cannot be recalled for 10 days unless it is to replace a player going to the IL.

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Triple-digit heat wave to blanket parts of Southern California this week

• July 9, 2023

Summer is only just beginning and with it, another heat wave is on the way for parts of Southern California this week, with inland cities facing temperatures in the triple digits, forecasters said.

A high-pressure system is expected to start building over the region on Monday, with temperatures slowly climbing throughout the week and peaking by Thursday or Friday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson.

Temperatures will start to creep from the low 80s into the mid to high 80s on Monday and continue to rise into the high 90s and low 100s by Friday around inland Los Angeles County cities, including Woodland Hills and Pasadena.

Coastal communities will be spared from the heat wave, with early morning light fog hanging over the beaches and temperatures lingering in the mid to high 70s for most of the week, Thompson said.

Heading south down the coast, Orange County cities like Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach will also receive some cloud coverage, and temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s for the majority of the heat spell, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kasey Oswant.

The Inland Empire will feel the brunt of the torridity, with temperatures already in the 90s for some cities on Monday.

“The IE is going to get quite toasty, especially by the end of the week,” Oswant said.

By Tuesday, San Bernardino cities including Fontana and Ontario will climb into the mid-90s and potentially into the triple digits by Thursday, Oswant said. Meanwhile in Riverside County, cities like Moreno Valley and Corona should see similar temperatures that likely will reach into the low 100s by the end of the week.

A heat advisory was in effect starting on Tuesday through Saturday evening for several Inland Empire cities, as well as a heat advisory extending through Sunday evening in Los Angeles County.

Temperatures may begin to cool down by next Sunday, though forecasters said it’s too early to tell whether it would be the end of the heat wave.

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Lakers beat Hornets for second straight summer league win

• July 9, 2023

LAS VEGAS — The Lakers didn’t need another 20-point performance from Max Christie to secure their second consecutive summer league win, a 93-75 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

They got contributions from several players in the win, led by Colin Castleton’s 21-point, 14-rebound double-double to go with three assists.

D’Moi Hodge had 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks, while first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino recorded 15 points and five assists.

Second-round pick Maxwell Lewis added 12 on 5-of-9 shooting while Christie finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in the June 22 NBA draft, had 10 points (4-of-17 shooting), seven rebounds and four assists for Charlotte.

The Lakers were coming off a Friday win over the Golden State Warriors.

They’ll play the Boston Celtics Wednesday (7 p.m.) at the Thomas & Mack Center, the third of five games they will play in Las Vegas.

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17-year-old boy killed in predawn shooting near Beverly Center; suspect sought

• July 9, 2023

A 17-year-old boy was shot to death and two other males were wounded near the Beverly Center early Sunday, July 9, and the shooter was still at large, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched at 3:50 a.m. to West Third Street and South Orlando Avenue, where the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

A 17-year-old boy was shot to death and two other males were wounded near the Beverly Center early Sunday, July 9 and the shooter was still at large, authorities said. (Image courtesy of Google Maps)

Paramedics rushed another 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The suspect was last seen fleeing the area on foot southbound on Orlando Avenue, police said.

According to ABC7, the shooting occurred outside Berri’s Cafe, which is open until 4 a.m.

LAPD West Bureau homicide detectives urged anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 213-382-9470 or 877-527-3247.

Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lapdonline.org.

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How Dodgers’ Mookie Betts packs power into 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame

• July 9, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Growing up in Nashville, Tenn., young Mookie Betts was usually the smallest player on the field when he played baseball. So the other kids did what kids do.

“They said, ‘Move in,’” Betts recalled.

Betts’ parents weren’t the type to let their son accept any limitations on his abilities. So they offered some advice.

“They said, ‘Hit it over their heads.’ So I just did it. I don’t know how. I just did it,” Betts said. “God blessed me with the ability to do it, and I’m still trying to do it.”

He is doing it more successfully than ever this season. Betts reached the All-Star break with 26 home runs, tied for third in the major leagues and on pace for the first 40-homer season of his career. Ten of those have come in his first at-bat of the game, a franchise record for leadoff home runs and just three short of matching the single-season record set by Alfonso Soriano with the 2003 Yankees.

Betts has been outslugging much larger sluggers all season and will now try to do it in their private lair, the Home Run Derby scheduled for Monday in Seattle.

Move in, indeed.

A similarly sized outfielder in his playing days, Dave Roberts hit a total of 23 home runs in his 10-year playing career. When the Dodgers acquired Betts in 2020, Roberts said the one thing that surprised him about the former MVP was his power.

“I just think looking at the stature, the physicality, it doesn’t add up,” the Dodgers manager said. “But as I’ve gotten to know him more and understand how he uses his body, the way he sequences (the parts of his swing), how he uses the ground force as well as anybody I’ve been around — then it starts to make sense.

“That’s how he generates it. … It’s not the bat speed. It’s the ground force, the torque he creates. He gets this whippy, rubber-band type thing with his body — all those things and the sequencing of how it goes. I equate it to how a golfer who’s not that big can launch a ball because everything is working in sequence, where you can try to brute-force a ball and it just doesn’t go as far.”

Hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc highlights two things as keys to Betts’ ability to generate more power than his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame implies — efficiency and leverage.

“He just uses every inch of his frame and everything he has as efficiently as you can,” Van Scoyoc said. “He uses his core, his wrists, his arms, all of it, each part independently is super efficient, and as you put them all together as one piece, it can produce that.”

Betts was one of several Dodgers players who went to Driveline for an evaluation this past offseason, that baseball think-tank known for helping pitchers now expanding into hitting. The feedback there just confirmed what the Dodgers’ hitting staff already knew about Betts’ swing, Van Scoyoc said.

“Since he’s smaller in size and stature, he has to get into his front leg and he uses his front leg very effectively, goes into rotation and creates a lot of force and torque with his front leg which will translate into speed and power up the frame,” the hitting coach said.

This is all well and good. But don’t expect Betts to traffic in words like “leverage” and “torque” when explaining how he generates power with his swing. In fact, don’t expect him to explain it.

“I have no idea. I have no earthly idea where it comes from. I just do it,” he said. “People ask me about hitting, I try not to ever give advice on hitting. I just don’t know.

“I know my swing. But for other people, I can’t tell other people how to do what I do. Hell, half the time I don’t know how I do what I do with hitting.”

But he knew what he wanted to do.

Betts took a step back offensively during his third full season in the big leagues. He hit just .264 in 2017 with an .803 OPS (still the lowest of his career). A friendship blossomed with new teammate J.D. Martinez, who encouraged Betts to make some changes in his swing.

“Really just the finish,” Betts said. “It’s kind of hard to explain. My finish used to be kind of low and cut across and that’s why I would hit a lot of ground balls on sliders. J.D. and Rob were kind of the ones who taught me a better finish.”

The result was Betts elevated more balls and drove them more often — though he insists that’s not what he was going for. His aim was “just to be a better hitter.”

“I just didn’t want to hit it on the ground. Not for launch angle. I’m not into launch-angle stuff. Just not hitting it on the ground,” Betts said.

“Sure, I wanted to drive it. But it was mostly to stop hitting ground balls on sliders. You look back at ’17, I hit .260. I hit a lot of ground balls to second on sliders, a lot of ground balls to short. I just didn’t want to do that anymore.”

Betts hit a career-high 32 home runs in 2018, led the majors with a .640 slugging percentage (Martinez was second) and won the American League MVP award. Though his average has dropped since then, Betts’ slugging percentage has stayed up and his home run rate has increased.

In his first three full big-league seasons, he had a .492 slugging percentage and hit a home run every 28.7 plate appearances while playing his home games at hitter-friendly Fenway Park. Since 2018, he has slugged .553 with a home run every 19.6 plate appearances.

“When things are clicking for him, it’s a really efficient swing,” said Dodgers coach Clayton McCullough, whose job it will be to find Betts’ sweet spot pitching to him in the Derby. “There’s a lot of twitch in there and a lot of bat speed. And his ability to create some torque, it amazes me sometimes.

“You can tell as soon as he hits it, you’re just like ‘Wow.’ For it to come off his bat that way, for someone who is not as physically maxed out or gifted as some other guys, it’s impressive — like everything he does.”

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