Forum Blue And Gold

A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

The 2011 NBA Draft Chat

by


Update: With the 41st pick the Lakers selected Darius Morris, point guard from Michigan. From everything I know of him, his best attribute is his size (he’s 6’5″) and the fact that he offers true PG skills. His jumper is relatively weak, but he’s good in the P&R and off the bounce getting into the lane. We’ll have more on this pick later, but as of now I’m pretty happy with this pick. The Lakers could use some youth in their pipeline of back court players and Morris provides that (he came out after his sophomore season at Michigan).

Update #2: With the 46th pick the Lakers selected Andrew Goudelock, point guard from the College of Charleston. Chad Ford calls him the 2nd best shooter in the draft behind Jimmer Fredette and that he boasts tremendous range. Overall, I’m pleased that the Lakers nabbed a good shooter with this pick as that’s a portable skill that can immediately help this team.

———————–

We’re inching closer to the start of the draft and that excitement is starting to build up in me. Even though the Lakers don’t pick until the 2nd round, I’ll be dialed in to all the action.

Since our post this morning, some revalations have come to light:

  • Reports are that the Odom/Iguodala deal is essentially dead. Which, honestly, is no surprise. The Lakers typically run a tight ship with word of potential deals rarely getting out. That’s not to say this is always the case, but it’s so rare that the details of any Laker deal gets out that it’s tough to put too much stock into reports that actually see the light of day that don’t include the words “confirmed” or “nearly done”. That said, if you’d like some spot on analysis of the Lakers, Odom, and trades, you should go read this.
  • Just because the Lakers aren’t trading, it doesn’t mean no deals are getting done. It’s been widely reported that the Bobcats, Kings, and Bucks have agreed to a three way trade. Details state that Beno Udrih, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Livingston, and the #19 pick go to Milwaukee, Corey Maggette and the #7 pick go to Charlotte, while John Salmons and the #10 pick go to Sacramento. My first impressions are that the ‘Cats win this trade by getting a 2nd lottery pick (they’re already picking 9th) with the Bucks also doing well. Meanwhile, Sacramento fans should be pulling their hair out. As the great Tom Ziller (SB Nation, Sactown Royalty) noted “Kings got older, worse, more expensive AND downgraded their draft pick in one trade. Impressive.”
  • Reports have also started to surface linking Brian Shaw to the Pacers. Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that Shaw will join the Pacers as their Associate Head Coach (otherwise known as the top assistant). Good for Shaw as I wish him nothing but the best. He was a very good coach for the Lakers and I’ll never forget the big shots he hit for the team during the Shaq/Kobe era (hello Portland!). I’m very happy that he’s landed on his feet and hope that this opportunity will springboard him back into contention for a head coaching job in the coming years.

That’s all the news we have before the draft, but I’m sure there will be plenty more as the night unfolds. We’ll update this post if any Lakers news breaks and surely when they make their picks. Enjoy the night, ya’ll.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aaron says

    It’s not a surprise with Mike Brown here that Odom is the one we are trying to move. Lamar is our worst defender and player of our core group. Mike Brown wants defense amd Lamar is no longer capable of playing average defense. He routinely makes guys like Big Baby look like dominant post players. If you had to pick one of our top four players to trade you too would pick Lamar. He also has been known for fading in big moments. Do you trade him for garbage? Of course not. But if teams with financial issues like the Sixers need to dump a star max contract player like Iggy than it’s a no brainer. He would solve our PG issues. He and Kobe in the back court would play lockdown defense.

  3. Maes says

    I’ve read that Ron Artest has legally changed his name to Meta World Peace, is it true?

  7. JD says

    San Antonio has done it again!!!! They’ve traded George Hill to Indiana for Kawhi Leonard

    Chad Ford
    @chadfordinsider Chad Ford
    Pacers have traded this pick to the Spurs for George Hill sources say

  8. Tra says

    Unless the Spurs have something else up their sleeves, can’t say that I’m impressed with the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard.

  11. JD says

    @10 it turned out even better for Dallas b/c Hamilton is traded to Portland and then Portland has traded him to Denver as part of the Miller/Felton trade. As a result dallas gets Rudy freakin Fernandez…FmL.

  12. JD says

    Some good players potentially available at 41…take your pick Malcolm Lee, Darius Morris, Shelvin Mack, Charles Jenkins, Tyler Honeycutt (BPA IMO), Kyle Singler, Davis Bertans, Andrew Goudelock,….they won’t all be available, but we’ll get a good pick if we play it right.

  13. guest says

    would love it if we can land a defensive minded malcolm lee. would love Honeycutt too as a good athlete, but not a piece (SF) that we need.

  14. AusPhil says

    Well, Sacto just took Honeycutt off the board, so it removes the positional mismatch issue for us taking BPA…

  15. Lakers8884 says

    Wow I think Dallas just made the best move of the day, I love Fernandez’s game and I think he’ll be a great player for them.

    I would love to see Josh Shelby fall into the Lakers laps

  16. JD says

    I’d like Selby, but I don’t think he’s at all a type that would be of great value….a volume shooter and not a very efficient one. Very limited pg skills as well.

  18. Warren Wee Lim says

    LOL @ Lil Pau, no sir this doesn’t count.

    @ Aaron – the reason why Odom is surfacing as to be traded to just about everywhere is he is the only player of value who has a nice contract and who has interest from other teams.

    Before you make a case for Drew or Pau, I think Mike Brown would like to try them out 1st before dealing. Odom is a convenience we can afford to lose if it meant upgrading other positions. Such was true with the rumored Iguodala deal.

  20. JD says

    @ 41 your newest Laker is…..Darius Morris…..hell yeah…….Tall pg 6’5 excellent court vision and good distributor of the basketball. Nice handle. Jump shot is shaky but not horrible and not broken. I love his talent.

  22. Warren Wee Lim says

    Welcome Darius Morris.

    He has to be good coz he has your 1st name Darius 😉

  25. Funky Chicken says

    Wow. First impression is that this is an awful pick. A 25% shooter from the college three point line? What happened to shooting being this team’s biggest need?

  26. guest says

    I hope combo guard and defensive specialist Malcolm Lee is still there for us at pick 46.

  27. JD says

    24…it’s questionable, but its not Fisher-esque. The good thing about him is he can move laterally. At 41, we’re not getting the perfect player. I thought Jenkins might have been an option, but he’s still out there. The best defender might be Malcolm Lee and he’s still out there as well.

  32. Funky Chicken says

    JD, that’s what makes it a terrible pick. Two big guards who are better players went in the last 2 picks. Very disappointing.

  35. JD says

    at 46 you’re newest Laker…..Andrew Goudelock…..helluva shooter. Poor man’s Jimmer.

  38. JD says

    Chad Ford
    @chadfordinsider Chad Ford
    Lakers select Andrew Goudelock here. Next to Jimmer, the best shooter in the draft with crazy range.

  40. JD says

    @32….I wouldn’t call Lee a better player than Morris. His shooting leaves a lot to be desired as well. Jenkins may be better, but is he better for what the Lakers want? I’m not sure. I just think we’ve been looking for a guy who can run a team, not just be hidden in the triangle….Morris will be a good player, give him time. We’re not getting immediate impact in the second round anyways.

  41. Funky Chicken says

    JD, I’m basing my opinion on Morris on the fact that better shooters and better defenders were available (one of whom they got with next pick). This team needs a guard who will help discourage opponents from packing the paint, and a 25% shooter from 20 feet won’t do that.

  42. JD says

    I agree…he won’t help them do that now, but I think this pick or any pick in the second round is not about now. Goudelock makes up for what Morris lacks. They’re probably each the inverse of the other, but Goudelock also doesn’t have the playmaking skills. He does have the shooting and I bet he helps more now than Morris does anyways, but down the line Morris will be the better pro. Regardless this is going exactly the way Ronnie Lester said it would…look for the Lakers to take a couple Euro bigs in the next couple picks.

  43. Clutch says

    Well lakers just got possibly the second best shooter in the draft so I think the Morris pick is looking better as somone who can develop behind Fisher and blake.

  44. Darius Soriano says

    #41. Yes, the Lakers need shooters. However, they also need players that can create off the dribble and get into the lane to either score for himself or set up a teammate. You’d hope that you could find both of those skill sets (playmaking and shooting) in one package but that type of player probably gets drafted earlier. Morris looks like a kid that could potentially be that playmaking type of player the Lakers could use. I’m hopeful.

  45. AndresGarcia says

    I like both picks. Even if both probably won’t stick. Morris is young and still might develop a bit of a jumper. Seems like he’ll be able get into the lane and create shots for others which is another Laker need. Goudelock can really shoot it by all accounts, which obviously is another Laker need.

  47. R says

    41 – Funky – definitely – we already have Artest to make us wince when he shoots a three … if you can call what he does “shooting”.

    So now they pick up a point guard who can’t shoot. Thought we already had a couple of those.

  48. Clutch says

    I know i am harping on about this point, But now somone like Isiah Thomas seems like a good value pick to me (yes i like him a lot). As I don’t see the lakers getting any useful bigs this late in the draft.

  49. JD says

    @56 the Lakers select….Chukwudiebere Maduabum of the D League……most likely will not make the team/roster. This pick is reserved to go back in the D League.

    Pick is going to the Nuggets…..

  51. Clutch says

    Other good prospects like Justin Holiday, Ben Hansbrough, Isiah thomas, and other good prospects who were predicted to go as high as early second round still on the board.

  53. noles says

    Seems like Buss and Kupchak are trying to field a World Cup team with these last two picks… 🙂

  54. DY says

    Who let Jim Buss’s bartender pick 56 and 58? I still don’t get why not pick Lighty/Thomas/whomever with 56 and 58. Let them battle it out for spots on the team. I don’t understand why we pick two picks who have ZERO chance to ever make it to the Lakers.

  55. Funky Chicken says

    Wow, I know that you aren’t going to always pick a Manu Ginobili with second round picks, but the last two picks were just total throwaways.

    We have to hope that Blake, Brown, Artest, and Gasol all improve from last year, because it is hard to see how the Lakers improved in this draft with a point guard who can’t shoot and two picks that nobody has ever heard of (.07 ppg and .03 rpg in the development league?)

  56. Funky Chicken says

    Darius, it is hard to create off the dribble when you don’t need to be guarded outside of 15 feet. Morris is no Rondo….

  57. JD says

    The 56 pick got traded to Denver according to Chad Ford….58 a pure throw away as they stated they would do before the draft. While the last 2 picks are a wash….they got a developmental point and a shooter. They didn’t take either of Lighty/Thomas/whomever b/c of the 10 on the roster already in addition to the 2 rookies who will stick in Morris and Goudelock. I take it they actually want a couple spots to bring a vet backup Center and another solid veteran. Keeping 4 second rounders kind of prevents that from happening. It’s a sheer numbers game.

  58. Ken says

    How lame has Mitch become. They could gave picked Thomas, Litgi or Hansborough. Both guards are better then Fisher and Blake and Tyler is for sure better then Walton. What a stupid draft.

    Instead the draft two guys that no one ever heard from and one who ravaged 1 point with a team in Bakerfiekd.

    No wonder Artest is changing him name. Probably embarrassed as to what management gas become.

  59. guest says

    55, I agree. The last 2 picks were pure garbage. My 3 month old kid could have randomly picked better players.

    I am still dumbfounded by our picks 41 and 46 as well.

  60. Darius Soriano says

    #56. Not to pick on you at all, but how do we know how this kid will pan out an hour after he got drafted? Also, why are we looking at the 41st pick in the draft as some guy that needs to contribute next year? I understand everyone has their favorite prospects or guys they’d have liked to have been drafted instead. But just because it didn’t happen, does that mean the guy that was actually taken can’t succeed?

  61. DY says

    I’m stoked about Darius Morris. Goudelock will be interesting. Give Morris a chance. He looks like a real playmaker, something we’ve sorely missed from the PG position. Kobe will hand Morris his “shooting Bible” and he will start hitting his shots.

  62. sT says

    The salaries are doubled for each player also due to the lux tax. Maybe I worry to much about the Lakers money issues, they apparently will continue to make a very nice profit, year end and year out, no matter what their salary expenses are. Heck, I paid some $300 (face value) for two tickets last year in a game, so with fans like me there are no money problems for them, huh?

  63. JD says

    62, except they might be by the rules established in the new CBA, perhaps the apprehension to buy a first rounder. Read in the ESPN Chat that Morris was 19 on their board and Goudelock was 20…..ie that means good chance they may have taken one of those players if they had their late first rounder anyways. I can’t see what’s not to like regarding the first 2 second rounders. For the position and the fact that a complete player is hard to come by, in a watered-down draft such as this I’m realistically fine with the first 2 rounders. The second two picks don’t matter because they weren’t going to keep them anyways due to the number of guaranteed contracts on the roster already.

  64. Funky Chicken says

    Darius, don’t worry about it, I can take it. I think it is reasonable to conclude that a PG who shoots 25% from 20 feet away (making him worse than any player on the Lakers roster) is going to have a hard time breaking down NBA defenses. Teams like Dallas figured out that the way to beat the Lakers is to pack the paint, and an atrocious shooter at the point is not likely to make a zone defense pay.

    Could I be wrong? Of course, and I very much hope I am, but of the four picks I can only feel good about Goudelock at this point, because he’s the only one who appears capable of helping the team right away. And were looking at your first draft pick to contribute right away because the Laker bench sucked last year and they don’t have the luxury of waiting around for help to come.

  65. chibi says

    I feel like the Lakers get an A for their first two selections and an F for their last two. I just thought there were better draft n’ stash prospects out there. But what do I know?

  66. Darius Soriano says

    #64. And I also think it’s fair to conclude that shooting can improve and that while very important, is only one part of playing the game. From digging around after the pick, I’ve learned good things about him. We’ll see how he improves and if his game can grow. As usual, I’m willing to give players the benefit of the doubt that they’ll work hard and try to get better. Maybe he’ll be a player, maybe he won’t. But I’m not going to cast judgment now as if we can truly know this was a good pick or not.

  67. Travis Y. says

    65- The Lakers traded their 3rd pick to Denver for an undisclosed amount of cash or a future pick.

    So overall I’d give the front office a solid B+

  68. Ed says

    One of those guys will stick, the other to the D league or Europe. They both seem to be hard workers, and have 3 months to work on their games. DM needs to work on shooting and AG on his conditioning and handles,may the best man win.

  69. Funky Chicken says

    Darius, the story on this (and every) draft is not likely to be known for a few years. However, if we aren’t going to render judgments (preliminary as they might be) then what is the point of a blog?

    I’m looking forward to your follow up post on these picks, and maybe you’ll cause me to change my mind. For now, the fact that Morris was an 18% shooter from deep as a freshman, and with virtually nowhere to go but up, he managed to only improve to 25%. Maybe he’ll be a late bloomer, but as of now that falls into the “hope” category more than “expectation.”

    Given the current roster and these picks, I’m interested in your thoughts as to how the team will upgrade its shooting. Free agent? Trade?

  70. Busboys4me says

    I would have been pleased if the Lakers had gone after Keith Benson with the 41st pick because of his active styple of play and we could have used him defensively. Every other draft board I saw had us taking Goudelock with the 56th or 58th pick. That would have been perfect. The last two picks were a complete waste of time and the Lakers are getting lambasted for their picks all over TV and radio.

  71. Chearn says

    Maybe we’ll improve our shooting through free agency, Michael Redd anyone? If he agrees to join a team that should be contending for a championship and is willing to accept the veteran minimum this could be our best bet at upgrading from long range.

  72. Busboys4me says

    Dallas, Portland, and Denver all got better. The Lakers?????? What a time to fire your scouts.

  73. robinred says

    The guy taken at 56, Maduabum, is going to Denver.

    58…that was a money thing. That said, given how bad the non-Kobe guards are and how thin the bench is, I can understand people wanting the team to take a low-upside big-school college guy, like Hansbrough, Lighty, or Thomas, in the hope that he could be a role player on the 2012 team. But the roster is crowded, and they need to do two things:

    The Lakers simply have to get another backcourt player who is at least NBA average, and they have to get a 5 that can play 15-20 minutes without killing them. And they can’t waste a roster spot on Walton again, IMO, even if they have to send his checks to his house.

  75. jodial says

    My theory is that Derek Fisher, annoyed at the lack of progress in the labor talks, asked Mitch Kupchak to do him a solid with the #56 pick, just so David Stern had to go on live television and pronounce the name “Chukwudiebere Maduabum”.

  77. Darius Soriano says

    #74. Ben Hansbrough, PG, Notre Dame; David Lighty, SF, Ohio St; Greg Smith, PF/C, Fresno St are three guys that went undrafted that many thought would go in the 2nd round.

  78. Nick says

    Being a Laker fan and a Michigan alum, this pick is makes me happy and unsure at the same time.

    Ive watched every game Darius has played at Michigan and the leap he made from freshman to sophomore was tremendous, so much so that it was rather shocking when Morris decided to stay in the draft (everyone thought he was going to pull his name out).

    Some scattered thoughts:

    Morris needs the ball in his hands. He is a true point in every sense. GREAT court vision. Good in the pick and roll and makes smart decisions. Can hit the roll man or make the skip pass if they rotate too early. Can overdribble at times but that may have been a product of his being one of the only shot creators on the team. Teams can negate his effectiveness by going under the screen in PnR. Will be a problem if LA starts ball screens too high with him.
    Needs to extend range on his jumper. Very very bad outside shooter. That 25% inclued plenty of wide open looks. However he is a very good midrange shooter with a pull-up J, a good floater and many other crafty shots around the basket to negate a lack of explosive athletecism. Great touch around the basket. Not slow, but also not the quickest player. May have trouble getting into the lane without the help of a ball screen.
    Solid defensive player who should be able to guard 1’s and 2’s. Not a great athlete but is quick enough to stay in front of guys and gives effort on D and on the glass. Good rebounder for a point guard.

    Very good on the fast break. Will thread the needle with pinpoint passes and understands spacing on the break. Good awareness finding guys for trail 3’s.

    Doesn’t seem like a good fit for LA though. He probably will have to play w/o the ball a lot and he isn’t good without the ball because he can’t shoot. He will need to live in the gym shooting open 3’s. Maybe get on Kobe’s shooting program. Has a good work ethic and character and should put in the work to get better. As constructed, he has everything you’d want in an NBA point except shooting ability and elite athleticism.

    Court vision/passing =great
    Athleticism = mediocre.
    Midrange shooting = good.
    Finishing ability = good.
    rebounding = good.
    Defense = decent w/ potential to be really good.
    FT shooting = mediocre.
    Longrange shooting = bad.

    Ceiling = Andre Miller / poor man’s JKidd.

    I think he can be a good player but doesnt fit well with the Lakers’ starters. Might be a good candidate to run the 2nd unit though as he gives them some playmaking ability they lost when Farmar left.

  79. chibi says

    darius morris seems like a really good get. played in the toughest conference in the ncaa and acquitted himself quite well. not surrounded by the most experienced teammates, either. that’s got to count for something.

  80. dave m says

    It’s sheer foolishness to try typing a post around the witching hour, when my laptop invariably turns slow and evil. Nonetheless, ‘Searching for Chukwudiebere’. And no, I’m not even going to try and deal with typos or facts. It’s 2:22 in Austin. http://bit.ly/jXPOUj

  81. swagger says

    why all the hate for this draft group or Mitch? you guys were expecting a starting PG material? We should have traded with the Cavs for #1 if that’s what you were looking for. Like Kupchak said, guys in the 2nd round are flawed (that’s why they fell that far). Did we all know Ginobili was going to be Ginobili when he got drafted? With the change in coaching and most likely a change in offensive system, a traditional PG will really be needed. But with a championship caliber team, you don’t get a 2nd rounder to start for your team… this team needs a steady vet to start. They may get it for a trade with Odom and/or Artest, but not in the second round! maybe a Kirk Hinrich, Felton, or a Devin Harris. I see these two guys as playing in the Dleague, or the 12th guy just seeing garbage time this coming season. So just relax, and hope that Morris and Goudelock turn into a Nick Van Exel

  82. Renato Afonso says

    Tried to get more info and video on all players, but let’s just focus on Morris and Goudelock since the other two are irrelevant.

    On Morris,

    I don’t know what kind of scheme Mike Brown will employ and I’m all for having someone who can play defense but… He seems to make bad decisions on transition offense by simply not making them: he just keeps dribbling. On a team as old as the Lakers, the only way to get some fast breaks and speed up the game is through passing to the man in front of you, not dribbling up to the 3pt line and then pass the ball. It is something that can be improved, however. Regarding his shooting, like many said, 25% is atrocious when you’re 20 years old. I mean, this is as bad as it gets for a PG. I’ve seen a lot of PG’s practicing only 3 or 4 times a week and shoot way better than that. He can always improve, but he most likely will never be a good shooter… I really don’t like this pick. I hope he proves all of us wrong.

    On Goudelock,

    He is one dimensional, apparently, and turnover prone. However, he really has some range in his shot and I believe he could get 5-10 minutes off the bench just to shoot some open three pointers. You know, when sometimes the opponent switches to a zone defense and you score 3 or 4 three pointers in the next 5 or 6 possessions because you can rotate the ball to the open man. I don’t care about his turnover ratio because we have other guards capable of bringing the ball upcourt nor I care about his lack of size since we have other players capable of switching assignmennts easily. Really intrigued with this pick since it addresses one of our flaws…

  83. Slappy says

    I’m hoping that Morris can at least improve to have a passable long range jumper. I don’t otherwise understand the Andre Miller comparison and if for no other reason than Morris is 3 inches taller than Andre, so he should be able to do the posting up that Andre cannot.

    I also don’t understand the critique about how Dallas packed in and so the Lakers need him to shoot well. His ability to shoot might help the 2nd unit, assuming he gets any time, but he won’t be able to help the first unit against a packed in defense as he won’t be playing on the first unit. The team wasn’t going to solve the PG problem with their 2nd round picks, at least not in the near term.

    Lastly, if Mitch has any sense at all, and he at least has some, he will do the sensible thing and resign Kwame as the backup C. 7.9 and 6.8 in 29 min on 51.7% from the field with 1.1 TO. Ole Stone Hands would do well as the backup C. Come on Mitch, I’m counting on you, bring Kwame home!

  85. Edwin Gueco says

    Well, at least Goldilocks, I mean Goudelock and the three bears. One was traded and Ater Majok, the future Lamar Odom. Totally disappointing with all cupcakes’ pick. So far nothing to celebrate with all the changes

    *eliminated 2nd round 0-4 to Mavs
    *PJ retires
    *Coming of Mike Brown thru Jim Buss
    *Termination of scouts and trainers
    *Entrance of Metta World Peace
    *Four Draft Picks (only one seems to be OK)
    *Shannon Brown opting out
    *Rumors of Love, Felton, Ellis, Iguodala. according to Mitch, their agents are the ones responsible for unfounded rumors
    *Lockout in the horizon

    What a year, maybe our draft pick will turn out to be Nick the quick who is ready for Cancun.

  86. kehntangibles says

    Nick @78 – hey, hey – I’m also a Michigan alum (class of 95) and a Laker fan. Good to see another Wolverine here. Hopefully you’re not mired in Columbus, OH, like I am. What’re your thoughts on how we’re gonna do next year in football?

  87. DY says

    I think we need to take Morris’s season at Michigan with a grain of salt. He was literally the only creator on that team. Also, he showed admirable leadership skills in the NCAA tourney, leading the charge to almost upset Duke. The kid is 20 YEARS OLD. I’ve heard he is an Andre Miller clone, and that is very good.

    He’ll be surrounded by a cast, I would say, is slightly better than his college teammates. He has innate point guard skills, and won’t be some “Shannon Brown at PG” experiment. The things that need to be taught (extending shooting range, defense) all come with any new player in the NBA. Like the old adage, point guards are born point guards. He is one of them. Now, do I think he’s the next John Wall or Derrick Rose? Nope. I believe this kid will take a Jrue Holiday approach to the game, though he’s not as athletic and defensive oriented, but they are both LA kids who were tall PGs.

  88. Aaron says

    Looks like this trade has been swapped, and Norris Cole will be taking his talents to South Beach. That’s a joke because that’s what LeBron James said he was going to do last year on The Decision, which was an hour-long ESPN special with Jim Gray in which James, who was then a very excellent basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, announced that he would be ending his free agency and signing with the Miami Heat, an NBA team in Florida, to form a super-team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that would definitely win many championships but then didn’t and hasn’t yet. In case you didn’t get it.

  89. Bobby says

    Can you guys imagine NBA organizations employing Team Moms? I bet Warner Brothers can. They just green-lit “Team Mom,” starring Sandra Bullock, coming to a theater near you in 2014. “Team Mom II” drops in 2017. And Sandra Bullock will pick up her second Oscar for completing the trilogy in 2019. Presto!

  90. Don says

    A+ for Charlotte?…? Ack!!! They got the two most over hyped players in the draft in Bismack”But you say he’s just a friend”Biyombo and Kemba”Hakuna Matata”Walker. Walker is essentially an undersized 2 guard that shoots 40% from the field. You’re kidding yourself if you think he will transition into a run the offense type point guard, though I think his character make-up is D-Wade like. As for Biyombo, the frustration of having one Tyrus Thomas underachieving for 20 minutes a game is enough to drive a fan to drink, but the Bobcats must figure the drunker their fans the better their team will look because they just added Tyrus 2.0 with much less offensive polish. It’s not all bad though, his Dwight Howard like chisel will look great in the team promo photos.      .   

    They’re already up on the team’s Splash page as “Thunder and Lightning”…hmm… more like “Partly Cloudy and Occasional Drizzle”… The good thing is that if they drafted 2 half eaten biscuits it would have been an improvement over last years final roster. I can honestly say I never in a million years would have believed that Disagana Diop, Kwame Brown, Edwardo Najara, Joel Przybilla and Matt Carrol would be paid by the same franchise at the same time. Oh well at least they gave up their 2 best players (Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson) and took on the huge contract of an aging one dimensional wing that averages more turnovers than assists (Corey Maggete) to get these 2 picks…. Wait, huh..??!? That my friends is the furthest thing from an A+ that I have ever seen given an A+ since the time in 11th grade when I was a teachers assistant for an ESL class that graded on a curve.

  91. Chownoir says

    Funky Chicken, I liked Malcom Lee a lot too but I can see why Front Office thought Morris was just a better pick.

    Lee is a better defender but he’s more of an SG who can’t shoot. It’s not like his shooting is appreciably better than Morris. He’s not a PG and I’m not sold on his ability to handle the ball well enough as a penetrator and distributor. Morris is a natural PG, who has court vision and has shown the ability to penetrate and pass.

    And it’s not like he’s a horrendous defender, he’s above average just not as good as Lee. But Morris seems to have solid fundamentals, good effort and played against tough competition consistently.

    If you’re going to bang Morris for his inability to shoot and how it won’t help the team, then you have to recognize that Lee has the same shortcomings. Meanwhile Morris grades out higher in all the other areas. Lee’s one outstanding asset, defense, doesn’t make up for his deficiencies in the other areas compared to Morris.

    I can understand Front Office’s thinking is preferring Morris over Lee.

  92. DirtySanchez says

    The expectations put upon these second round picks by some is a little crazy. Maybe they make the roster, but it is highly unlikely they will play significant minutes next year. LA needs a quality starter at the point next year too stay competitive, not some kid that needs to work on his game.

  93. Zach says

    I was screaming after the Morris pick. How could you pass on local boy Malcom Lee – a guy who could have contributed immediately as a defensive substitution

  94. LordMo says

    82) Spot on analysis of the two players that might have a chance of making the rotation.
    And that has to be what the Lakers are hoping for here. The likelihood is that one of these guys might stick but if we are relying on them to really contribute readily and significantly then we might worse off than we all know.

    85) Edwin…lol…nice post man!
    *Entrance of Metta World Peace…lmao
    Also, if one of these guys turns out to be as good as Nick Van Excel the Lakers would be happy. Nick was a solid NBA player who had a nice productive career.

    88) Err yeah dude…we know the quote man been well documented.

    89) Really dude?…Sandra Bullock on Lakers Draft Night?…Really?

    The good news is the Lakers have put this draft business behind them and get to work on really finding the perimeter players we need. Unless we pulled off a trade to move up then we were not going to really get any help. This was one of the weaker drafts in NBA history.

    The Mavs took the player that I thought we realistically would tried to move up a bit and get in Jordan Hamilton. Also, by trading this pick for Rudy Fernandez that I’m thinking still leaves Michael Redd in play.

    With Shannon Brown opting out then he becomes a target for the Lakers to package in some sort of sign and trade for a PG. Would prolly have to send Blake also.

    With the Cavs taking Irving (which I would have taken Williams or Canter myself) the possibility is they will want to move Davis before the trade line.

    Now you would have a backcourt like so:

    Starters:
    KB24/BDizzle

    Backups:
    Redd/Fisher/Johnson/Rookie

    This is a much better backcourt and the one I would go with keeping the current core of players. I’m assuming that if the Lakers do this then Brown would politic for Anderson V also. Maybe some sort of trade sending Brown, Blake and Odom for BDizzle, Anderson V and some others.
    I would hate to give up LO whose game is really good and versatile but we need a PG.
    Artest is to hard to move with that contract and with the emphasis on D the Lakers would want to keep the better defender. Artest can score and with the changes in the “O” he will prolly get better looks. Much better from the top of the circle, slashing from the wing and posting up than shooting threes from the corner/wing area which is what he had in the triangle.

    So, really didn’t expect much from us last night and it played out to form. Winning organizations really don’t build primarily thru the draft. If you do then you ain’t winning…that’s pretty much the rule.

  95. Edwin Gueco says

    Anybody here or Aussie/Turkish posters would have any report on Mr. Majok. He played pro basketball in these countries. There seemed to be laden talent present there that Messrs. Messina, Kupchak and Lester found on this unheralded player. Is he better than DJ Mbenga? He passed the ff who were projected to be chosen ahead of him and Chu Chu, they are: PG’s Ben Hansbrough, Demetri McCarmey, Diante Garrett; SG David Lighty; PF’s Greg Smith, Michael Dunnigan.