kekgeek1 wrote:I know there was reports that Jackson has gotten a promise from a team.
He has worked out for the Lakers and 76ers and will not work out with the suns.
Also reports are Lonzo Ball was out of shape at his lakers workout and it was just "ok". Go along with the concerns with his 1st step, shooting form and his dad.
If Jackson was promised by the Lakers it will be interesting to me to see how far Lonzo drops (could be just to the 76ers)
I think the Lakers are blowing a bunch of smoke on Ball being out of shape and "just ok" (or some surrogate started the rumor on their behalf). We know damn well that Ball and Magic/Lakers are a match made in heaven (or hell, depending on one's perspective). They just want to make sure Boston passes on him.
Oooh, how I can't wait to see if the Lonzo/LaVar/Magic triumvirate eventually collapses in a heap of dysfunction.
What advantages do they get saying that. Fultz is all but decided being the #1 pick.
I actually believe that they might pass on ball. They have young guards and there are legit basketball concerns with ball. Weird shot motion, slow first step, very weak iso player because of the 1st step. Turned over the ball in 32% of PnR possessions (via draft express). Only 3% of his jump shots were inside the arc. He was pressed against Kentucky and fox and he had to give up the ball because he couldn't blow by him. And then you have his dad.
He is a very good passer and has great feel for the game but I am down on him in general as an nba pg
Someone may be willing to trade a top tier vet to Boston for the #1 pick. That team may decide Ball is a better fit for them than Fultz. I agree it's a long shot, but how can a kid that is 170 lbs. and plays basketball all the time show up to these lame workouts out of shape. I just don't buy it. They aren't working these guys super hard because the agent won't let them.
As far as the concerns you expressed, I agree. I actually think he's kind of a poor fit for the Lakers from a pure roster construction perspective. That team has zero defense and Ball will surely struggle on that side of the ball. Josh Jackson may actually be a better choice.
But I don't think Magic can resist taking a pass-first PG like he was back in the day.....
I think Jackson is the best fit for the Lakers. They need defense and energy next to Russell and Ingram. Ball/Russell/Ingram/Randle/scrub city. Who plays defense in that lineup? I think Ball is a great fit at 3 for Philly. He's not a high usage guy. He's a good shooter in his own right. Put shooters around him and Simmons with Embiid covering up everything defensively and that's a great foundation.
So why would the Lakers leak word that Ball was out of shape? It doesn't give them any leverage for possible trades. The only thing I can think of is that the Lakers don't want Ball and are trying to create a narrative for the local fan base that loves Ball on why they passed on him. But that seems silly. So it doesn't make any sense to me. My sense is that the Lakers absolutely intend to draft Ball.
lipoli390 wrote:So why would the Lakers leak word that Ball was out of shape? It doesn't give them any leverage for possible trades. The only thing I can think of is that the Lakers don't want Ball and are trying to create a narrative for the local fan base that loves Ball on why they passed on him. But that seems silly. So it doesn't make any sense to me. My sense is that the Lakers absolutely intend to draft Ball.
The only argument I've heard that makes sense is they are trying to make 100% sure that the Celtics do not take Ball #1.
If the Lakers didn't want Ball, and had told him such, Ball would be on his way to BOS to work out for them.
lipoli390 wrote:So why would the Lakers leak word that Ball was out of shape? It doesn't give them any leverage for possible trades. The only thing I can think of is that the Lakers don't want Ball and are trying to create a narrative for the local fan base that loves Ball on why they passed on him. But that seems silly. So it doesn't make any sense to me. My sense is that the Lakers absolutely intend to draft Ball.
If they intend to draft him, why would they let it leak that he was out of shape? That just makes it look like they are drafting a lazy guy. I don't see a scenario where the Celtics take Ball. He refused to work out for them and Fultz has been basically the unchallenged consensus #1 for a while now and he plays the same position as Ball. That seems like an easy pick. I think the only thing that makes sense is diminishing how he looks as a prospect so they can take someone else.
It's good. The editor should have kept Lonzo's quotes interspersed with the serious ones a bit more toward the end to keep it subtle and make them stand out more, but that ad's genius, no doubt. And I like that Lonzo's willing to make fun of his dad. That actually makes me a little less worried about his relationship with his dad. Good stuff.
lipoli390 wrote:So why would the Lakers leak word that Ball was out of shape? It doesn't give them any leverage for possible trades. The only thing I can think of is that the Lakers don't want Ball and are trying to create a narrative for the local fan base that loves Ball on why they passed on him. But that seems silly. So it doesn't make any sense to me. My sense is that the Lakers absolutely intend to draft Ball.
If they intend to draft him, why would they let it leak that he was out of shape? That just makes it look like they are drafting a lazy guy. I don't see a scenario where the Celtics take Ball. He refused to work out for them and Fultz has been basically the unchallenged consensus #1 for a while now and he plays the same position as Ball. That seems like an easy pick. I think the only thing that makes sense is diminishing how he looks as a prospect so they can take someone else.
I listened to the Veryical podcast with Mannix and DX guy Schmitz and they basically dismissed the whole Ball was out of shape thing. They said of course the Lakers want to explore their options but both guys felt Ball was a lock to go to the Lakers and Schmitz thinks Ball is a fairly clear #2 guy although the gap isn't huge.
I'm becoming more and more convinced Markkanen will be an absolute nightmare on offense. 7ft prolific 3 point shooter, a hyper quick release, and nimble feet. I think he will shatter the view of him only being a standstill shooter with his ability to attack closeouts, look at how easily Belly does it and gets into the lane (before he blows it) Imagine how hard people are going to overplay Markkanen 3's point threat! If Jackson and Isaac are gone I pray we take this dude
BloopOracle wrote:I'm becoming more and more convinced Markkanen will be an absolute nightmare on offense. 7ft prolific 3 point shooter, a hyper quick release, and nimble feet. I think he will shatter the view of him only being a standstill shooter with his ability to attack closeouts, look at how easily Belly does it and gets into the lane (before he blows it) Imagine how hard people are going to overplay Markkanen 3's point threat! If Jackson and Isaac are gone I pray we take this dude
Well Belly used to be considered a PG type trapped in a forward's body but I get where you are coming from. If your jump shot is elite and you have any type of skill it's going to open up more of your game. That was a big reason why Love became so good offensively his jump shot was a legit weapon all over the floor.
