Apr 28, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) and San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8) greet each other after game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
In an interview with LA Daily News’ Mark Medina, Jordan Hill gave his take on what he thought about the Lakers being 12th in the ESPN Summer Forecast.
"“We definitely could be in the top three in the West. I don’t see why not. Kobe is making progress with his rehab [surrounding his left Achilles tendon]. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back at the beginning of the season or in training camp. I don’t know if he will. But I wouldn’t be surprised. I have faith in everything he can do. I believe in the Mamba. The sky’s the limit for him.”"
When asked how the Lakers are going to overcome obstacles like Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace leaving, Gasol, Kobe, and Nash, and playing in a tough conference, Hill had a confident answer.
"“It’s going to be tough, I’m not sure. We don’t know when Kobe is going to come back. But I’m confident we can make some noise. We still have so many good pieces with Kobe, Pau, Nash, Kaman, a lot of good bench pieces. We can surprise some people and make some noise.”"
It’s nice to see the players with confidence in Kobe’s return, and with the team. There’s a couple drawbacks, however. First, it gets the fans confidence up, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if/when the team doesn’t do well, the fans get angry. And second, if the team doesn’t do well, the players are going to get a lot of crap for talking before the season even started.
What do YOU think about Jordan Hill’s comments? Will the Lakers be a top three team in the West? Let us know in the comment section down below!