Is it just me or is the sun a bit brighter today?
Even if it’s not, it sure feels like it after the Lakers not only held on to their top-5 protected draft pick, but moved up to the 2nd slot overall by leapfrogging the Knicks (sorry, Phil) and the 76ers (more on them in a minute) at Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. No, the Lakers didn’t get all the way to #1, but getting to #2 is a fantastic turn of events for an organization which hasn’t had many things go right in the last two plus seasons.
So, in the wake of all this happiness, below are 10 thoughts in the aftermath of the Lakers lucky lottery:
1. I do not think the Lakers can go wrong selecting any of the Towns, Okafor, Russell trio. All three would fill major needs and all three have immense talent.
2. Of the three players, my ideal choice would be Towns. His offensive polish isn’t what Okafor and Russell offer, but his defense is beyond what theirs appear to be at this point. I also believe that Towns’ offensive game is more diverse than what he displayed at Kentucky (sort of like Julius Randle), which will show in the pros.
3. Notice, though, that praising Towns doesn’t come at the denigration of Russell or Okafor. The former looks to be a fantastic offensive talent, boasting a combination of sweet shooting and playmaking for others that will serve him well in the pros. And Okafor is, simply, a low post artist who has very good size, great length (a 7’5″ wingspan and 9’2.5″ standing reach), and has great feel for the game. From the tape I’ve seen on both (and I will watch more), both look to be outstanding prospects.
4. A lot of talk about who the Lakers’ draft will be about fit with some of their current young players. I am not immune from this. One of the reasons I prefer Towns is that he fits best with Randle compared to Okafor, especially defensively. However, a different way to look at this isn’t whether Okafor fits with Randle (I think he does, maybe just not as well as Towns), it’s how talented Okafor is in general and, on top of that, asking the question is Okafor better than Randle? That last point isn’t to dismiss Julius in any way, but to emphasize that Okafor is super talented and overly worrying about fit may not the be the most prudent approach if the guy you’re worrying about fitting in may be the better player.
5. All players — especially young players (and especially 19 year old young players) — have flaws. They will all have learning curves and, except in the rarest of occasions, all need to learn, on the fly, what it means to play consistently well and help contribute to wins at this level. The hope with any of these kids is that as they mature and learn the league they will minimize their flaws while improving on and maximizing their strengths. It is fine to point out those flaws, but when drafting this high, I think it’s almost always good to remember that these kids really are super talented. The key is nurturing and developing that talent in a way that helps the player reach his ceiling. That’s not only on the coaches, but on the organization, and, of course, on the player.
6. I don’t know how I can say this without it coming off as dick-ish, but I’m sort of happy that the 76ers ended up with only one lottery pick and fell below the Lakers in the process. They clearly have an organizational plan and are executing it. But they have made tanking an art-form (and seemed to revel in it) and after heading into the day with a chance to get three lottery picks (their own, the Lakers’, and Heat’s), to only end up with their own put a little smile on my face. Just a little one.
7. After the lottery, Mitch spoke with TWC Sportsnet folks on moving up, their process heading into the draft, and more. The nine minute clip is informative and is worth your time.
8. This could easily be at the top of this list: Between now and the draft there will be a lot of banter, media leaks via sources, and reports tying prospects to teams and vice versa. Understand some (a lot? most??) of this stuff is simply one party trying to influence the process to get a desirable outcome for the team, the player, the agent, or all three. Now that the results are in, the smokescreens and misdirection truly begins. Just be aware most everything you read that is “sourced” is agenda driven.
9. With all the talk of the lottery, the Lakers still have two pretty good assets in the #27 and #34 picks. I would imagine any number of scenarios are in play, including drafting one or more European prospects to keep in Europe, drafting older/more seasoned college players who aren’t “rookies” in the classic sense of the word, packaging the picks to try and trade up for a higher 1st rounder, or looking to trade one or more of the picks (and, maybe a current player on the roster) for another team’s veteran. Keeping this year’s lottery pick allows for greater flexibility in roster construction and I expect the front office to explore all opportunities.
10. YES!!!!!!!!!!
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??| •.•) The #2 pick, you say?
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??|— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) May 20, 2015
Calvin Chang says
Jahlil = ringzzz 🙂
Tej says
Don’t know who will go 1 but the idea that Karl isn’t a back to basket big is crazy. He is more versatile but can get buckets on the block big time.
lakerade says
Vlade, this is not the Boogie you are looking for.
Love Boogie & The Bean: A Farewell Tour, coming this Fall to Staples.
barry_g says
Darius – guarantee you you aren’t the only one thinking that (re: #6); not just among Laker fans, but across the NBA community in general. Easy enough to keep collecting future picks when that’s your main goal; whether or not you (1) can evaluate talent as well or better than other teams (players are more than just stats – see Rockets making the Final Four w/ a negative point differential), and (2) have the “royal jelly” necessary to develop young players remains to be seen. Do the Sixers have those abilities? They keep pushing their reveal date out with their tanking strategy, but at some point (likely within the next few years) we’ll find out if the emperor is wearing clothes or not.
Julian Dunkley says
I really hope we get jahlil okafor in the scenario. Once upon a time the thought of mudiay and clarkson in the backcourt was really a nice fantasy… But being a Duke fan I can’t help but dream about Jahlil Okafor being our future center! He is a hard worker and I think his shooting stroke will definitely improve along with his ball handling. He did have some flashes of being able to handle the rock. With the freedom he’ll have in the NBA i think we may even see some of that on transition. Much like Blake Griffin did over the years okafor’s game will have a chance to evolve and flourish in LA. #doubledoublemachine
Lance says
Somebody needs to tell Jeanie Buss to keep Jim out of the war room and let Mitch make the decisions because I have a feeling he would draft the European PF #2
Anonymous says
Lance – Yeah, look at how that dunce drafted that kid Clarkson last year. What a loser. Clearly these guys dont know what they are doing. I feel much better if that decision were left to Jeanie Buss, who has zero experience with basketball operations but is good looking and likes Phil Jackson. Clearly, this is a much better, well-reasoned choice..
Aaron says
Philly had the third worst record and got the third pick. So they got what they “deserved”.
R,
Were you joking or you really think someone that is a human being is going to pick Minny over LA? Moreover, they are going to do everything they can o fight and claw their way to LA. It’s just life. People like nicer things.
Ed says
Player development (skills,strength, health),scouting and coaching become more important when you actually have assets and are seeking more to compete at the top level. These things are not cap restricted and the Lakers can use a big upgrade. With #2 Mitch gets to be very creative,and we all know he loves the process,
Treylake says
Lakers should limit draft selection to Towns or Okafor. Franchise centers are much harder to obtain. Selecting Russell or Mudiay is a Philly decision.
the other Stephen says
Regarding the 76ers: let’s banish them to the NCAA.
Mikey K. says
Darius: Any word on Randle, in particular (1) how is his recovery as to both surgeries going ?, and (2) is he doing ANY WORK on developing his right hand for dribbling or driving ? Ethically, I justify these questions as being related to items # 4 and # 5 of your post…
Aaron says
Mikey,
Randle has lost twenty pounds and is almost ready for five on five. They want him to play SF.
Trebla88 says
Pg: Clarkson/ Russell
Sg: Kobe/Young
Sf: Batum/2nd round pick
Pf: Randle/Davis/Black
C: Drummond/Mcgee/Upshaw
Once Kobe retires the guards could be used interchangeably too. Haven’t run through the financials yet but thoughts?
Calvin Chang says
If Julius Randle loses 20 lbs, doesn’t he become like Anthony Randolph? Doesn’t make sense. I’d rather Randle pack on muscle and be like a more agile Zach Randolph who can back opponents down in the post. Speaking of Anthony Randolph, I wish the FO signed him last season and gave him the green light like Clarkson to really see if he has game.
BigCitySid says
– Is anyone else hearing Towns may refuse to work out for the T’Wolves?
– As the famous Dinah Washington sang “What a Difference A Day Makes”.
– What a great position to be in. FB&G, debating who our Lakers should draft: Towns, Okafor or Mudiay…how sweet it is.
LosAngelesWildcat says
Something that could benefit Karl going to LA. Okafor agent very close with Saunders and reps Wiggins & Lavine also. Won’t fuss going there.
the other Stephen says
A good Tableau visualization of the top 100 draft prospects and their styles of play: http://counting-the-baskets.typepad.com/my-blog/2015/05/draft-prospect-playing-style-visualization.html
smokedaddy says
I’m with Darius and most here on taking Towns. To me, he looks like an another Andrew Bynum but without the character issues or, hopefully, the injuries. In other words, big upside on both ends of the court to go with a nice shooting touch. Okafor is great, yes, but with some caveats to his game. Namely, a limited defensive presence when it comes to work ethic and lateral quickness. Also, those same hands that enable him to catch and score in the post are likely a permanent liability when it comes to hitting free throws. Ask Shaque. Actually, Okafor seems a little like a poor man’s Shaque, which ain’t bad. But Karl’s got it all baby.
Question- would anyone here trade 27th or 34th pick in order to move up to #1? I’m Not sure myself but I would consider.
Robert says
Byron: In one night he exceeded the accomplishments of his 2 most recent predecessors.
Calvin Chang says
I credit Byron and the Front Office for enduring a full season of criticism while they executed the stealth tank plan to perfection. Good teamwork. It took a lot of patience, taking shots from fans like me, critics, ex-players, analysts. But winning the #2 pick is the start of redemption and vindication. Stealth tanking in some ways is more difficult than just winning. It’s easy to just go out, play hard and try to win. But it takes even greater skill to give the impression that you’re trying to win, but actually going for the lottery.
Anonymous says
In the last post I said to hire Rick Barry. If we draft Okafor that becomes a real request. With the huge hands, the player must alter his free-throw shooting to underhand to increase his accuracy. That would be a good idea for many players, but for bigs with large hands it becomes more important. Start out his rookie year with that ‘demand’ and it will be more successful than trying to implement it after his first year in the league.
JD says
I think the question of fit has more to do with a conception of what we believe Julius Randle’s game to be about. Randle was compared to Zach Randolph coming out, because he was a beast inside at Kentucky. However, as Darius alluded to and as many scouts pointed out before the draft, Julius Randle was not given the opportunity to showcase his full offensive arsenal. Simply put, John Calipari does not allow his big men to stretch out and showcase their range. Think of the two most prominent big men he has coached (excluding Marcus Camby) in DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. Neither of these two were allowed to showcase any semblance of an extended jumpshot while at Kentucky, but however can in the NBA more than hold their own and in the case of Davis he is a superb shooter from the extended (long 2) area. It’s also been noted that Karl-Anthony Towns can stretch the floor, but also was not allowed to show this at Kentucky. My point as this relates to Julius Randle is that we don’t know what he is yet and to be worried about fit with him is a bit off-base. I say go ahead and take the best player regardless of fit and it will work itself out. From the limited coverage we saw of Julius Randle’s rehab and work pre-game he looked to be definitely slimmed down and at least working on (and hitting) an extended shot out to the three-point line. Our perception of what we think Julius Randle is should have little to no bearing on what is done with the #2 pick. I say this fully confident in Julius Randle’s overall game and from the belief that a team needing talent above all else can not go wrong with picking the best player available.
bryan S. says
As is well documented (see archives), and understood by the small number of posters who actually read my wind bag posts, I was the first and most vociferous Clarkson booster( right after the draft).
Slowly the worm turned. Now Clarkson is seen as a steal by the league. His ceiling continues to get higher: from back-up pg to “starter on a bad team” (Aaron), to first team rookie, and in my estimation, will go to valued starter or even higher.
To that self-aggrandizing claim, I will point out that I was “probably” the first to extol the misunderstood potential of Randle. I chastised others for the lazy, inaccurate, comps to Zach Randolph. I insisted that his best comp was Blake Griffin, as a point forward, and gasp, LeBron James, as a “power three.” I took Vasheed to task relentlessly for his unfounded dislike of Randle.
And the worm turns again. Kobe chimed in and said “Randle has the potential to be special,” and added that best position was “point forward.” Darius weighs in and says Randle is a power forward. On the heels of Darius’ comment, we learn that Randle dropped 18 lbs. of “non-functional weight”, (losing nothing in strength), is shooting endless jumpers, and spent time working out with his Kentucky teammates, including WCS, who remarked that he foresees Randle becoming an elite player, noting how much he has improved from working with Kobe.
We will continue to get favorable reports on Randle and Clarkson working out and improving.
But that won’t mean anything until we see them playing again. The uncertain and cautious will take a wait and see approach, while the blowhards like myself will remind everyone of what we saw long before it became reality. It makes it all worthwhile.
drew says
If Towns was smart and wanted to be a Laker, he’d leak out that he wants to play with the Wiggins and the young core the Wolves have, dog the workout, then complain about his visit. That would scare off Minnesota
R says
Another R & Aaron — I found both of your posts about why Towns would prefer LA to Minny very witty and well argued. However, my point was that he’s not going to connive his way to LA, the ability to avoid living in tunnels half the year notwithstanding.
Btw, we all know a number of star players have found the Lakers to be not a very enticing destinarion in recent years. No need for me to list them all; we all know who they are.
Anonymous says
Just for the record:
bryan S. September 29, 2014 at 10:04 am
My predictions:
Kobe stays mostly healthy and performs well, amazing all with his Zen-like inner peace.
Nash is in and out of the lineup, announces retirement during the season.
Boozer plays better than expected, is a plus in the locker room.
Wesley Johnson will be better than last season, playing his natural position.
Jordan Hill will play hard and well but will break down giving way to Ed Davis.
Ryan Kelly will continue his upward trajectory and prove to be a valuable rotation player.
Julius Randle will earn his minutes, and be a revelation by season’s end.
Jordan Clarkson will play and prove himself a steal.
Jeremy Lin will be one of the best players on this team.
Byron will surprise with his deft handling of personnel, playing deep to keep everyone fresh and the defense active.
Eight spot is ours and we upset the Spurs behind a vintage Bean and the two rookies.
fern says
I been out of the loop for a while,not even NBA Playoffs for me this season,doing my duty, but i check on my beloved Lakers when i can and this is fantastic news, we finally caught a break, whoever we draft will be a very good addition i hope for the core that is already taking form, if we get a good addition in FA we might be going up finally, this really made my day.
Renato Afonso says
In my opinion the Lakers don’t have a choice. You pick the big left on board regardless of fit. If said big doesn’t fit with Randle but is still productive, you can still trade one of them to get a better fitting piece. Now, if Minny is dumb enough to pick Mundiay, then it’s discussion worth having.
Aaron says
You don’t pick the big left on the board you pick the best player whether it’s a PG, SF, or a Martian. Also as I said Randle has lost twenty lbs and like many here including me wanted the Lakers see him as a SF. So although even if Randle was a PF you still don’t draft based on who would best fit next to him we don’t have to worry at all about that. Especially since we are not building our team around Julias Randle.
Aaron says
R,
Ready for some more fun then? The players who chose not to play for the Lakers were thirty years old who needed to win now and didn’t want to play for an old over the hill team and an old/broken down Kobe Bryant. Furthermore they weren’t choosing between LOS ANGELES AND MINNYFREAKINGSOTTA!!!
Fern,
Whoever we draft will not be good. The odds are two or three of the top five will end up being average to bad NBA players. And I can tell you Okafor will be one of them.
Drew,
You’re one hundred percent correct. And I hope that happens. But instead like usuall he will say he doesn’t want to be there and have his agents try and scare/strong arm Minny.
Renato Afonso says
The best player left on board will be a big, this year. Period.
Mikey K. says
Agree with Renato, think it’s not even close. # 1 and # 2 are Towns and Okafor. Highest upside, and lowest downside. Complete misread of NBA history to look at a 19 year old man child, playing in college, and declare he’s a defensive liability in the NBA (Okafor). His downside is probably around the level of a very slightly poor man’s Cousins. Will be a better shooter and skills player, maybe worse on rebounding and slightly on defense, but with better attitude and coachability and game IQ. You can’t say the same about Mudiay, whose downside is Tyreke Evans, MCW… and who doesn’t have many upside comparisons.
Same with free throw shooting. Guy shoots well above average from the floor, including 12-18 footers, so his FT percentage is NOT going to be a Shaq, DeAndre, Howard issue. At worst, he’ll end up in the low 60’s. Blake was in the high 50s in college, too.
Russell probably has close to the upside of the bigs, but that’s only if everything pans out perfectly. He could still come out very very well and end up in the Lillard, Conley range, which would put him below how the bigs will likely fare. And, he could be worse. But, at least Russell is a perfect fit next to Clarkson, who needs a very steady, playmaking, sweet shooting point, to offset his more chaotic ball-movement attack style. Still, you don’t draft the # 2 position based upon fit with much lower upside players, and both bigs ALSO fit next to Clarkson and Randle anyhow.
By the way, someone wrote that Randle is more like a LeBron style driver on the wing, which is spot on, except for the failure to mention that he’s the homeless man’s LeBron, due to deficits in athleticism, ball handling (esp. no right hand), shooting, passing, etc. Still, a homeless man’s LeBron has borderline all star potential, and could be a 17-6-3 guy, if he gets that right hand down (also needs to tighten his mid-range shot, but that’s inevitable given how good he’s shot historically).
KenOak says
If we can’t get Towns, then I think we should look really really hard at Russell.
rr says
You don’t pick the big left on the board you pick the best player whether it’s a PG, SF, or a Martian.
—
Indeed
Renato Afonso says
I fail to see how one can say that Russell will be a better player than Okafor. I’m not saying he won’t be, but as of now he certainly doesn’t look like it. Okafor has the frame, the footwork and the soft touch needed from a big and he can obviously improve on defense…
Fern says
Leave it to Aaron to sour one’s mood, i guess he has a crystal ball the rest of us dont have and he can without a shadow of a doubt, predict that whoever we draft wont be any good. Im with Renato, the best player left on the board at #2 will be a big. Like i said, i been out of the NBA loop for a while and while i dont know a lot about Okafor or Towns, i would prefer towns because his defensive skills are more important right now than he scoring 20ppg, which i would not expect neither from him or Okafor right away if ever. But after almost three &@”$); years of darkness and misery we deserve a little bit of sunshine damn it. I dont expect the next Captain, i expect another piece to the puzzle and if we can put that cap space to good use we could end up with a young talented teamgoing on the right direction in a matter of months.Thats my hope but hey doom and gloom all you want.
Aaron says
Fern,
Sorry as always to add a heavy dose of truth 🙂 Look at the history of the draft. Its just the way the draft goes. Yes some drafts only have one bad to average player(s) in the top five. Those are the best drafts in NBA history though. And on a side note Towns will be he better low post scorer in the NBA as compared to Okafor. Of course Okafor can lose all that flab on his body and become much quicker and more explosive. But I doubt it. Towns is also out of shape and he can still move.
Shaun says
I only saw russell at the tourney … but I was not impressed with what I saw there … seems like a volume shooting guy to get his points … meh … a younger nick young
JeffT says
Quoth Mitch Kupchak this morning on The Herd when asked about the pick and whether they would go big or small: “There are two bigs on the board and we have the number 2 pick”
T. Rogers says
“I fail to see how one can say that Russell will be a better player than Okafor.”
—
Agree. The sweeping generalizations are already getting annoying. We are talking about 19 year old kids here. There are tons of elements that go into players becoming successful. Physical tools, mental dedication, luck (avoiding injury), and many others. But all of these guys need to be developed. We take for granted that some players just “make it” and some don’t. Organization matters. System matters. Coaching matters. Mentoring from veteran players matters.
Vasheed says
@Byran S.
No one has ever taken me to task on my comments on Randle. I have provided stats, videos, links to articles all backing up my view points. The counter arguments have been weak at best,
My main points about him have been his lack of wingspan and low defensive IQ, and questionable health. I have thought much like you that Z. Randolph comparisons are unfounded as Randolph is a post player with a huge wingspan. I compare Randle with Griffin and I would add Thaddeus Young.
I do not consider myself as entirely negative on Randle. While I do not expect Randle to be as much of a post present as in college I think he will be effective on offense. He can face up and put the ball on the floor to get to the rim and he has nice range hence the comparison to Thaddeus Young.
Most of my criticism comes on the defensive side. Randle is often out of place on defense, and he just does not have the wingspan to be a shot blocker. He does however have the athleticism and strength to stay between his opponent and the basket.
Roster construction demands a balance of needs to be effective. Two way players tend to make this easier. However, you can address this by over compensating at another position. Therefore, if the Lakers want to keep Randle in their plans they need a center who can play great D. Towns would be the perfect solution. Not only providing the D but also another offensive punch. Okafor I just don’t see being an effective partner with Randle on defense. If I were to keep Randle the next guy I would look at is WCS who is familiar with Randle would balance out Randle well. I also tend to like the idea of bringing back J. Brown next year as a non-guaranteed contract who is familiar with Clarkson.
I consider roster construction very important not just getting the most talented guy. Just getting the most talented guy has a caveat. The F.O. has to be willing to say that the assets they have don’t match well and they are willing to trade that guy to get guys who will work with the new guy. I’m not so sure the Lakers would do that if they select Okafor.
RobertAZ says
Really think if Karl fakes it and puts up a fuss he could find his way to LA. Okafor for Minny is a more “comfortable” choice.
Anon says
Now if we could only replace Byron Scott with Thibbs, then all things in Lakerland would be heading in the right direction.
Fern says
Mitch has said time an again that he prefer a good big man than a good small man, im sure the Lakers will pick whoever big is left after Minny, unless there are some developments between here and the Draft ( and they always are) the Lakers are picking a big man.
Darius Soriano says
Vasheed, you’re making a “1st world problems” argument for a “3rd world problems” team. Fit matters over the long haul, of course. And when teams are taking steps from good to great it’s often things like fit, refinement of schemes to maximize that fit, chemistry, and other variables that make those steps possible.
But for teams like the Lakers who are so far from contending and lacking in talent, you don’t take fit over talent just because. If Okafor ends up being better than Randle, then it seems a solution down the line is find a better fit next to Okafor by trading Randle or changing his role. But that’s down the line. Right now the goal is to improve the talent base of the team and go from there.
Mikey K. says
Renato speaks truth. It’s not even close. These are the top 2 post bigs to come out in years and years. Their downside is high, probably borderline all star, and their upside is 10 year all star all the way to MVP candidate. That’s just the range, not the prediction.
But, regardless, the only semi-close candidate is Russell, who could draw comps to a Conley or Lillard on the mid-side and a semi-comp to Harden on the higher side. But he could be worse, and is not obviously likely to be as good as the bigs… I mean, even if he’s very, very good, he’ll still be extremely unlikely to outshine ALL of those other guards mentioned, as well as guys like Russ, or Steph Curry, or Dragic or CP3… whereas the bigs are competing with who ? DeMarcus… a fading Noah, a 30 year old Marc Gasol, or Bogut’s last 2 years ?
The people going crazy over Mudiay don’t get that he’s a completely unproven player, even at this stage, and could easily end up similar to Tyreke Evans, Michael Carter Williams, Dion Waiters… or just a tad better. It’s not just that he hasn’t done anything against competition, it’s that his skill set hasn’t shown up in many successful players. The only semi-close example I can recall is Westbrook, who is a top 3 NBA athlete, and who has demonstrated a skill set that would require many levels of evolution for Mudiay or virtually any non-NBA guard to develop.
Could Mudiay be the first of his kind… an ultra large, overpowering combo power guard who can dominate the ball and yet suceed ? Perhaps. But that’s not the flier you take when guys like Towns or Okafor are available. Really, it’s surprising people are actually biting on that lotto ticket.
R says
I’d love to know what The Logo thinks of Okafor & Towns.
bmcburney says
Towns will go first. Russell is obviously very talented and skillful. I see nothing wrong with his ability to play the game. But. When the game was on the line, although he was clearly his team’s best player, he did not seem to me like he wanted the ball. He still might be a better player than Okafor but I would have to think long and hard before picking him.
Would Philly switch picks in exchange for the Lakers getting next year’s pick back? This seems like a deep, but not top-heavy, draft. I would be almost as happy with the Philly pick as number two. At the same time, I wouldn’t trade down if I thought we could get Towns.
Calvin Chang says
Unless there’s a crazy trade, Mitch K will get either Towns or Okafor.
George says
Normally, Mitch is pretty vague with his comments. The Herd quote seems to be pretty specific. Sounds like they will take whichever big falls to them.
When I watch the Draft Express videos on Okafor I really get a sense that he is just learning the nuances of how to play defense. He seems to lose his man or be out of position a lot. He has a motor it just seems to rev slower on the defensive end. Perhaps being a tad out of shape he chose to conserve his energy on the defensive end. Bruin fans will remember that Kevin Love was a bit chunky during his season at UCLA but once he declared for the draft he became much more chiseled and athletic. Word is that Okafor has done likewise, losing a lot of weight. With the loss, he should increase his endurance to the point he becomes a two way player.
What does scare me about Okafor is his shooting beyond 10 feet – especially free throws. No one wants to have a DeAndre Jordan situation to deal with. Is this a result of him always being able to have his way down low and never caring to expand his offensive tool set or is it a product of never having been challenged to do so?
If Okafor wows Mitch in workoouts that will be enough for me.
Calvin Chang says
Switching gears – I wonder if this upcoming season is the season when Sam Hinkie decides that it is time to start winning. They’ve stockpiled enough assets and have the largest cap room. Will the Sixers tank 1 more season (3 straight seasons of losing on purpose) and try to gamble for the next Lebron / KD in Ben Simmons / Thon Maker? There’s got to be some kind of penalty for 3 straight seasons of blatant tanking. At least Mitch, Jim and Byron did a stealth tank.
Vasheed says
@Darius,
Perhaps I am putting the cart before the horse as they say? I tend to consider everything together. I would agree that if fit is a problem the simple solution is a trade. However, I don’t discount the issue of egos. A trade chip can be held too long to bring back much of value if you hold onto him simply because he was your pick. Then in a system that does not play to that player’s strengths diminishes his value. However, compared to last week this is a nice “problem” to have.
Mikey K. says
You guys better all fess up about your baseless predictions about Okafor never being able to defend the NBA post or get in shape in about 3-5 years.
Complete joke. How many NBA bigs were solid NBA level defenders pre-draft ? Not Marc Gasol or Bogut, and they are the two tops in the league right now. Noah was good against college players, but was not regarded as a center at the NBA level. DeMarcus was supposed to be a liability there. Tons of other examples.
Just comedy. Guy is 6’10.5 without shoes, and has a 7’5″ wingspan. I guess if he had some baby fat on him when he turned 19 years old and was destroying the NCAAs on the offensive end, that PROVES he’s never going to learn how to body up on post players in the NBA, despite HAVING YEARS of physical maturation, enhanced pro-level training and defensive coaches, a very high game IQ, and 100 million dollars at stake…
Just a baseless prediction. Him vs. Towns is a crapshoot at this time. Anyone can spit up an opinion and then crow 3-5 years later if they happen to be right. People who win the lottery often talk about having a ‘feeling’ beforehand. The people who lose don’t, even if they had the same feeling. In neither case does having guessed right retroactively impart knowledge to the guesser.
But size, length, skills, smarts are all off the charts with this guy. Who was the last guy with close to Okafor’s skill set to fail ? Or even end up as just slightly above average. Waiting…
CATS8884 says
Russell and Mudiay are not top 5 picks. Mudiay is an unproven athlete, too much risk just like Exum was. Russell is an inefficient scorer who isn’t a great athlete, against top 60 NCAA teams he shot 37% from the field and even less from 3 no thanks. Don’t believe me? Go back and look at his box scores, pretty unimpressive. Specifically against Arizona he was dreadful.
You go with the big and hope you can build around him and improve his weaknesses with strength and conditioning and education about the game. It’s not even a debate. I am a UK fan and would prefer Karl but either man is the pick. Sadly Okfaor will never be a good shooter from the free throw line due to the size of his hands (Google a photo of him holding a ball), you still can’t turn down a dominant low post scorer.
Also Calvin Chang the prize of next year’s class is Skal Labissiere, guaranteed number 1 pick. Poor man’s Anthony Davis. Thon Maker is so raw he may never reach his potential.
rr says
D’s point about 1st/3rd world is on the mark. The Lakers’ FO needs to identify who they think the BPA is at 2 and take him without regard to position. One can argue about whether BPA means highest ceiling or lowest floor. Were I the Lakers, I would go for the former.
It is also worth noting that some of the most disastrous drafting errors in recent NBA history have involved taking a big:
Bowie over Jordan
Milicic over Wade and Anthony
Oden over Durant
Thabeet over Harden
rr says
You guys better all fess up about your baseless predictions about Okafor never being able to defend the NBA post or get in shape in about 3-5 years.
—
I agree that some people on-line are often too confident about their ability to project draftees. I call them YouTube MasterScouts.
That said, there are specific reasons to like Towns over Okafor, and that is why Towns is #1 on most boards now.
CATS8884 says
RR, you make great points but with as in depth as the draft research teams have now, most of those selections wouldn’t be made today.
Sam Bowie would have been flagged for injury history, heck even Oden should have been too. Look at Nerlens Noel, he was passed on due to injury and he will end up being a steal of that draft. Oden may have turned out to be a dominant big man had his body held up. Darko was apart of that international fad that is slowly dying. Thabeet was always a bad draft choice and anyone who watched college ball could have predicted that. Anyone who listens to mainstream experts about draft perspects is making a mistake, most don’t watch these guys play in college.
rr says
Normally, Mitch is pretty vague with his comments. The Herd quote seems to be pretty specific. Sounds like they will take whichever big falls to them.
—
All of the championship teams that Mitch has been associated with here have had elite bigs. Pau Gasol is the *worst* #1 big that has played on a Lakers title winner with Kupchak in the FO, although Kareem had certainly slowed down quite a bit by 1987-1988.
Calvin Chang says
CATS884 – You’re right. Skal is like an Anthony Davis. He even shoots like Anthony Davis. Their face-up jumpers have the exact same form. Wow – now I wonder if it will be good to tank again next season. Skal is a PF like Anthony Davis. Ben Simmons is more of a SF / point-forward. Thon is intriguing because he’s 7 ft 1 with guard moves. He’s risky because he can easily become a Jonathan Bender. But he can also be a KD or better if he gets it together.
Anonymous says
Calvin Chang: Wow – now I wonder if it will be good to tank again next season.
__
While it’s not meta-physically impossible for the Lakers to be bad enough to garner a top 3 pick next year I find it highly unlikely to happen. The Lakers ran out some of the worst lineup in its history and still could only garner the 4th worst record. Philadelphia tried to lose (think about that – they really tried to lose!) and still finished with only the 3rd worst record.
A better bet would be the hail mary option last seen by the Cavs a year ago. Their record didn’t warrant the top pick but the ping pong balls fell their way. In my mind that is the only way that the Lakers get to the top of the Lottery.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the #2 pick, with Randle and Clarkson still won’t get them into the playoffs, especially, in the West. The reality is they’ll improve about 10 – 15 games and still finish 11th in the conference.
Aaron says
RR,
You need to play up both bigs if you’re gonna strong arm Minny to take the “other one”. Pretty simple stuff. Especially obvious when Mitch never talks in specifics like that. He did it for a reason. Also people love big men. Need to play up both to increase trade value for trading down or trading.
rr says
You need to play up both bigs if you’re gonna strong arm Minny to take the “other one”. Pretty simple stuff.
—
I am kind of thinking that the Minnesota FO is not all that worried about what Mitch says to Colin Cowherd, although I do find both your childlike faith in the Lakers’ FO and LakerCentric worldview comforting. Shorter version, IMO:
Flip Saunders will take who he wants to take. The Minnesota fanbase having even the slightest belief that Saunders backed off of Towns based on being manipulated by Towns and/or the Lakers is a scenario that the Timberwolves organization needs to avoid.
Mitch and Buss will take who they want to take based on who is on the board. I commented on the quote simply to point out Mitch’s history, but a quote like that, especially this early in the game, means little IMO.
Shaun says
Pau Gasol made 2nd team all nba and is 1 of 3 EC Players on an all nba team
enough #2 talk , lets get down to the nittu gritty – who are we going after with 27 and 34 or who are we moving up to try and get
I’d personally be really happy with trey lyles … okafor connection …and mike conly esque – otherwise upshaw or if possible jerian grant from ND – pat connaughton is getting undrafted right now in mocks to me he seems like a gordon hayward type player and could be worth #34
Aaron says
rr,
Lakers centric view? Faith in the FO? I guess I have a better understanding of what goes on in business and in the real world. Agents are a big part of where players get drafted. This happens all the time in the draft. Sometime a team is successfully strong armed and sometimes they are not.
As far as my faith in the FO… The only thing they have done so far that I didn’t agree with during the rebuild was signing Nick Young to his current deal. You should have some faith in the FO who has won five championships in the last fifteen years. All of them coming because they scared teams away from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum btw. They did the same with Julius Randle last year. Randle I believe wouldn’t give X Rays of his foot to other teams if I remember correctly. Or something along those lines.
The real world isn’t fair. The Lakers have built in advantages. To not realize that is to be naive.
PS I’m guessing “IMO” stands for “in my opinion?” If you write it I assume it’s your opinion unless you quote someone else.
Calvin Chang says
Pat Connaughton is like Chase Budinger lite.
Aaron says
rr,
I meant to write a winkie face at the end of that so you know I was attempting to be funny.
Shaun says
Minus the buddinger acl injury … amd thats not bad really buddinger was about to blossom before he got hurt
Robert says
Aaron: So we tanked to have 40% chance of getting a decent player? Explain.
Anon: “Now if we could only replace Byron Scott with Thibbs, then all things in Lakerland would be heading in the right direction.” Not quite “all” things.
“3rd world problems”: Indeed. We have economic issues (salary cap), health issues (injuries), and we are in dire need of regime change.
bryan S. says
“3rd world problems”: Indeed. We have economic issues (salary cap), health issues (injuries), and we are in dire need of regime change.
Bit of a reach, but once again, probably belongs in your portfolio.
Robert says
bryan: just remember to give me full credit for my pet project when the coup takes place.
Calvin Chang says
Shaun: Chase Bud was actually a pretty good player before he got injured. Pat is a slightly shorter version of Budinger. Not bad to sign to a small deal if not drafted. Or a late 2nd rounder.
Calvin Chang says
Robert – time to let your hate of the FO go. They got the #2 pick! The stealth tank last season was executed to perfection. With Byron and Mitch’s poker faces and the Busses’ staying out of the spolight, I had no idea they were tanking until the all-star break. And now they’ll get either Towns or Okafor. It’s the start of redemption. Sure, you can say it’s luck. But a lot in this business is luck. Nash, Randle and Kobe getting hurt was bad luck. Dwight leaving was bad luck.
ertroy says
When basketball siezes to be the proverbial game of giants and all six footers not Chris Paul-like can own the paint;thats when the #2 of this draft class is neither bigs. That coupled with how much of a blank page coachingwise 19 y.o professional athletes are considered, makes the weaknesses percieved even less scarier. Barring health issues,talented bigs only get out-valued by elite guards(anyone remember Embiid?).
So to summarize I will ask a simple question, are the guards and or wings of this draft class elite?
Aaron says
Robert,
I didn’t say we have a forty percent chance of getting a good player. Someone said no matter who we pick we will get a good player. That’s just funny. I do think the Lakers are great in the draft in the lottery. They have proven that over and over. I think the Lakers will pick the right player. I would say where most teams have a twenty to forty percent chance of getting a good player with this ears second pick, I think the Lakers have a 95 percent chance in this draft of getting a good player or even better.
Rember when I said it was all about percentages? I said we maybe have a fifty percent chance of keeping our pick when we tank again next year. but if we don’t tank we have a zero percent chance of keeping our pick and adding a good player. And since nobody in this summers crop is worth 20 million a season it’s a no brainer to tank again. Listen… If we can get Leanord for 15-16 million a year lets do it. If we can get Love for 10-12 million a year lets do it. Then let’s not tank. But if not I think it’s a no brainer that we tank again. Worse thing that happens is we don’t over pay for players and clog our cap space and we lose the pick (which we would have lost anyways if we overpaid for players).
Overpaying for players is fine if you are over the cap and won’t be able to use cap space in the future anyways. But by for us in our stage right now when we are a free agent destination. We want to be able to sell Anthony Davis. That means we want to be able to show him good young cost controlled players and other super star players already on the roster like Durant and Westrbook. What if he wants to play with the Greek freak? We need room to be able to tell him “Okay you both can sign here together.”
rr says
Aaron,
All good, bro. You are my guy on talent eval but we disagree on other stuff. Looking forward to your scouting reports.
Robert says
Aaron: “it’s a no brainer to tank again” I will look forward to your responses to all the posts this summer that will predict that the Lakers “will be better than expected”.
Aaron says
rr,
We don’t disagree on “other stuff”. You just are still pretending you aren’t going to give into the dark side
Robert,
Yea sorry. I haven’t had time to look at film yet on anyone aside from Towns, Mudiay, and Okafor. I’ll get to it soon though. Oh I did scout that seven foot skinny white guy from Europe. Not sold on his coordination and ability to add strength. If he was more coordinated and had more muscle definition he would remind me of a 20 year old Pau Gasol actually. He is super long.
Aaron says
…whoops that last post was all to rr.
Robert,
Yes unless the Lakers sign average to good players this offseason the Lakers will be a bottom 3 team in the NBA. And yes I hope they sign Rondo to a big one year deal so “2nd pick, Clarkson, and Randle will all be on the bench next year and we can go for the worst record which will basically lock us into a top three pick.
Mid-Wilshire says
I thought it might be helpful to see a statistical comparison of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. The more I study these two players, the more I realize that they could both be outstanding NBAers over time. The information is taken from two sites, NBAdraft.net and draftexpress.com. The 36-minute projections are my own.
TOWNS OKAFOR
Vital Statistics
11/15/1995 Birthdays 12/15/1995
6’11.25 Height 6’10.75
250 Weight 272
7’3.25 Wingspan 7’5
9’1 Standing Reach 9’2.5
8.1% Body Fat ?
29.0 No Step Vert ?
36.5 Max Vert. ?
Performance Stats
(36 minute projections in parentheses)
21.1 minutes pg 30.3
10.3 (17.6) points pg 17.3 (20.8)
6.7 (11.4) rebounds pg 8.6 (10.4)
1.1 (1.9) assists pg 1.3 (1.6)
2.2 (3.8) blocks pg 1.4 (1.7)
.5 (.9) steals pg .8 (1.0)
56.6% FG % 66.4%
81.3% FT% 51%
2.9 (4.9) PFs pg 2.1 (2.5)
1.4 (2.4) TOs pg 2.5 (3.0)
Ko says
Fern
Aaron is correct. Towns people will make it clear that he doesn’t want to go min. Don’t be surprised if they trade that 1st pick.
Ko says
Aaron
Make you a gentlemens bet the Lakers are closer to .500 then bottem 3.
Chris J says
Question: if the Lakers were to wind up with a top three pick in the 2016 draft, what happens to the Suns’ (now Sixers’) pick? Does it become automatic that Philadelphia gets the Lakers’ 2017 first rounder?
Craig W. says
I suspect the only team the Wolves would trade with is the Lakers. They also like Okafor, and they have Rubio.
Avidon says
Both of the bigs have great hands and finish well around the basket, but their lack of athleticism is an issue. Especially skeptical about KAT, whose on-court movement is better described as “lumbering”. Then again, we’re just stockpiling talent until some sucker takes it off our hands and gives us a known quantity. You guys know what’s up, right? =)
drew says
Oh gosh, Thibs…
Draft the big left over (Towns or Oakafor), beg Marc Gasol to join LA and offer him whatever contract he wants then trade Randel for defensive wings. Sign Thibs and enjoy the 55 wins, 2nd round exits and tons of injuries
grumpy says
Avidon, I actually consider KAT plenty athletic for his size. He’s not jumping out of the building, but he is able to get up and down the court fast and has quick feet. Plus, he is often able to get in two jumps before some big can jump once. Maybe you’re talking about his fluidity?
Okafor is less athletic, but his game is based on fundamentals and not just dunking on everyone.
Regarding the Wolves, personally, I can’t see them giving up their pick. The thought of pairing Wiggins with Towns is pretty intriguing and would be hard to pass up on. If they were going to trade the pick, they would have to get something really good. I’m with Craig W. and only really see them trading down to the Lakers as Pekovic is likely on the way out and they could use a nice, young center.
Fern says
We dont have a 1st round pick in 2016 unless is top 3, that would require a massive tank job. Quite a tall order to sell to us, the fanbase, we had 2 horrid unprecedented years in a row, maybe you can sell that junk to the sixers but not to Lakers fans. We demand and expect improvement from now on. The FO is aware of that. And i would not dare to be making assumptions about the composition of the team when we are not even the Finals have started. They did the stealth tank masterfully, but the time to tank is over, like it or not, the Lakers are building something, and we have cap space so i dont understand what cap space issues people still talk about. We are not getting a world beater next year but this team has to start moving up. Saying that this team will be at the bottom 3 is a joke when nobody has any idea how the Draft and the market will behave and “predicting” how players will develop 5 years from now, please. NOBODY HAS A CLUE.
BigCitySid says
– NO WAY Lakers w/ a top four draft pick (Towns, Okafor, Mudiay or Russell), Randle, Clarkson, and Kobe will have one of the three worst records in the NBA…unless Kobe still believes in his motto “I eat first”.
– If Byron Scott is still the coach during next months draft, (after representing the Lakers at the draft position lottery) figure he’ll start the season as Laker coach. Can’t see a change after that. So, no Tibbs.
– Both Curry & Harden are shooting waaay over 50% from the field this series (Curry .600+, Harden .585). Amazing shooting for high scoring backcourt players…even under the new rules.
– Hate all you want, D-12 is still a top center in this league. Nice game on a bad knee.
Aaron says
That post by drew belongs up in the rafters. Is that how to spell “rafters?”
Ko,
So the Lakers will be adding two rookies off the bench (Randle/2nd pick) and The starters (Kobe, Boozer, whoever else they sign to complete the tank (Rondo?) will be one year older…, yea I think they will be bottom three.
Craig W. says
Just to make it clear…people who think we are not tanking next year don’t expect the Lakers to be contenders, or even make the playoffs. It will be a good year if they finish in the 10-14 range. I understand that is why you want them to tank Aaron, but they didn’t ‘tank’ this last year, until the injuries forced it on them, and I don’t expect anything else next year.
Aaron says
Great ESPN article in tanking. Here is the lakers blurb…
Los Angeles Lakers
Official position: 2nd pick in the draft
Unofficial position: We deserve it!
I grew up a huge fan of the Magic Johnson-era Lakers, I know the size and strength of Laker Nation and I understand intimately the appeal of having the league’s marquee franchise win more than, say, 21 games. But even so, it’s a bit sad to see the Lakers go on corporate welfare and be granted one of the most valuable prizes the NBA has to offer, especially after the half-hearted way they finished the season. Magic himself celebrated the outcome on Twitter.
The Lakers are worth an estimated 2.6 billion dollars, have won 16 NBA championships — including two in the past six seasons — and hold significant advantages over every other NBA team when recruiting players to join their franchise.
Now for the second straight year, they get an outright gift for failure – one of the most talented players coming into the league, on a rookie salary scale while the salary cap goes up and up.
The draft is generally understood to be an attempt to level the playing field and create competitive balance — and particularly to provide small-market teams a way to compete. It’s an adjustment to the structural advantages that large markets naturally have. Given that, it’s amazing to see the league rewarding Los Angeles and New York for failure and incompetence by granting them the rights to the biggest prizes.
Scott and Kobe Bryant both said the Lakers deserved such a prize, though their takes were markedly different. Scott called the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft “a little bit of a reward” for all their recent misery. On Twitter, Bryant resorted to potty humor that hinged on the double meaning of “No. 2,” saying, “We played like crap all season.”
The draft is where crap turns to gold.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/73132/how-the-nba-distributes-talent-and-stokes-desire
Warren Wee Lim says
I’m a bit disappointed that my 1st post on our most important topic/thread of the year was never credited in the top 10 😉 I did make the very 1st post on that one… just kidding.
Now I can start planning my off-season properly. No one in Lakerland can complain that we didn’t win #1 overall because #2 is a huge win in itself. The only reasoning needed was that the Lakers had a higher chance of losing that pick than winning #2. To be specific, 12.6% chance we jump to #2, 16% chance we dropped to 6th and lost the pick.
Step 1 is obviously simply keeping the pick. I was prepared to make a list of who to pick between Cauley-Stein, Winslow and Mudiay… trying to discourage everyone about my bad feeling about Mudiay. His name along with Okafor were touted to be the #1 overall pick from scouts 2 seasons ago, they still are in the top 4 today.
So who do we pick? Karl-Anthony Towns is a popular pick because he is supposedly a defensive presence, stands almost 7-feet and can stroke the threeball. His FT% is like that of a guard. Minnesota will be very interested in him, and its interesting how conspirators have started the “force your way into LA” movement 2 days into it.
I’m personally torn between the two. To me, KAT is the “riskier” choice, more upside. Jahlil Okafor is somewhat a “safer” choice given his creds. But those are awesome creds. You can’t be too picky why his FT% isn’t above 70 yet. You can’t be too picky why he doesn’t try to block every shot that comes his way.
In terms of versatility, as noted, KAT has more skillsets than JO. He can stroke the outside, while JO’s inside moves are simply more advanced than Dwight Howard’s. In terms of cred, JO is also an NCAA champion and a standout whereas KAT talks to his buddy “Karlito” whenever he’s stressed.
At the end of the day, the Lakers will be very lucky to be “left” with Jahlil Okafor, simply because for Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns is the sexier pick.
Warren Wee Lim says
I was mentioning a plan and I purposely split the posts in order to give a bit of rest and focus.
After landing the best offensive big man in the draft, by sheer accident and de facto choice after MIN selects Towns, the Lakers now need to think about the rest of the draft in relation to its 2nd phase which is free agency. Because of having Okafor on board, the Lakers can now afford to make maneuvers to maximize cap.
Before we get into details, it might be important to note that the addition of a very good big man into our team, its moot and academic that we simply decline the option year of Jordan Hill. We can easily do better with 9 more million than Jordan Hill on a 1-year deal.
Our payroll at this point:
Jordan Clarkson 845,059.00
Kobe Bryant 25,000,000.00
Nick Young 5,219,169.00
Julius Randle 3,132,240.00
Ryan Kelly 1,724,250.00
Robert Sacre 981,348.00
Tarik Black 845,059.00
Jahlil Okafor 4,252,600.00
#27 pick 963,000.00
#34 pick 560,000.00
According to Eric Pincus, that’s 23.5 million in cap space less a teeny-tiny technicality of 2 minimum cap holds coming from 2 roster spots. It might even be good to note that we could somehow “afford” to lose Sacre now if we needed to. I’ll simply keep him there for now since his salary and the cap hold makes little difference.
An important number to note is the respective amounts of “max” money:
16,775,000.00 – years 1-6 in the league
20,130,000.00 – years 7-9 in the league
23,485,000.00 – 10+ years in the league
So, after striking gold in the draft, do we still need homerun signings?
Shaun says
Truehoops is bs and henry abbott is just a cry baby for what Kobe did to his trailblazers in the earlier 2000’s… he cant get over it …. plus with Bill Simmons hiring everyone at ESPN a bunch of crap if very slanted to be Anti-Lakers ….except for all the celtics assets that they have been stockpiling we now will have the big man they don’t have (okafor or towns), hopefully a blakesque PF in Randle – much better than sullinger , and a better PG in Clarkson over Smart
We are already starting to outmaneuver these teams that have been tanking for a few years … the rebuild is starting off very well for us
Aaron says
Craig,
Sorry I’m going to go crazy on this one so get ready. This is a pet peeve.
Injuries to who? One of the worst players in the NBA (Kobe) got hurt. He was literally one of the worst players in the NBA. I don’t know who these players were in our roster that people are talking about. Where are these good players that got injured? Before the season I predicted them to win 22-25 games that’s exactly what happened. You can have 15 bad players in a roster. If three of the bad players get hurt you win 25 games. If 6 get hurt you win 25 games. If zero get hurt you win 25 games. The players that got hurt (Kobe/Nash/Price/young) were replaced by players that were either better or equal in value. The only good player that got injured was Randle and he was a 19 year old rookie. And 19 year old rookies aside from lebron James have never won NBA basketball games. The injuries everyone are talking about had little to no effect on the lakers record. If Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka couldn’t keep the Thunder from being terrible and drafting Harden I don’t think Julius Randle was gonna keep us out of the cellar this year. And I don’t think he and whoever we draft this summer will do it next year. Phew! I think I got it all out.
Aaron says
WWL,
Wow. A revelation. For some odd reason I didn’t know guys in the league less than seven years only get 17 million a season. In that case I’m all in on giving Kawai Leanord a “max” deal. Hopefully the Spurs want to start rebuilding/tanking soon and don’t want Kawai winning meaningless games for them. I mean that’s our only shot in hell at getting him.
Calvin Chang says
Come on Aaron. Show some respect to 5-time champion Kobe Bryant 🙂 You can’t call Kobe one of the worst players in the NBA. Five time champion. How many does Kevin Durant have? Sure, Kobe’s efficiency has worn down with age. But if played properly, he’s still one of the best closers in the game. If played properly. Limit Kobe to 24 minutes per game and play him in the last 6 minutes of close games. Still one of the best at creating his own shot.
rr says
Injuries: Aaron is right, as I and others have said. But as I have said, I still do not think last year was a stealth tank.
Kobe eating first/rookies/team record: these guys coming in are probably not going to be franchise anchors, and they are all young. There are very, very few rookies who come in and immediately take over a team and make a big impact. So, even if Randle is good and the pick is good, next year’s team will almost certainly have a pretty bad record, whether Kobe shoots 10 times a game or 25. Also, remember that Kobe had switched his game up substantially prior to going down and was focusing on dimes. Where Kobe will mostly hurt IMO is on D, but even if he retired today (which Sid would undoubtedly like to see happen) the team would still struggle unless they added a bunch of established talent in FA. Like D said: learning curve.
Tej says
Antonio Davis basically explained today why Karl Towns is #1 pick. NBA is a pick and roll league and if big can’t guard it you’re dead.
Calvin Chang says
Although I’m for tanking again this coming season, I think Fern is right. FO pulled off the stealth tank perfectly. But the fan base demands and expects improvement from now on, and FO is aware of that. I think Jim and Jeanie are now feeling the heat- not from nasty public ridicule. But from their declining ticket and merchandise sales and sponsors. Lakers are their main business, and their profits are declining.
Calvin Chang says
Of course, there’s a way for them to tank and make money from gimmicks. But I don’t think they’ll listen to my advice. To make it a profitable tank, sign Sim Bhullar and Lin and make money from their popularity. Sign Rondo to a 1 year deal, bring back Boozer. Along with Kobe, they can maybe squeeze one more stealth tank season while raking in profits. I’d take it a step further by letting Swaggy P play and hope he brings Iggy to the games.
Chris J says
That ESPN article was garbage.
“The draft is generally understood to be an attempt to level the playing field and create competitive balance — and particularly to provide small-market teams a way to compete.”
Um, no. There’s no provision to the draft that suggests it’s about balancing out the markets’ advantages or disadvantages. New York doesn’t get lower odds on a pick placement because it’s New York, any more than Salt Lake or Portland get better odds because they’re small. What an utterly moronic statement.
“It’s amazing to see the league rewarding Los Angeles and New York for failure and incompetence by granting them the rights to the biggest prizes.”
Yes, “amazing” to see the system do what it’s done for decades. And seeing Dan Gilbert land multiple No. 1 picks over a few years, blowing one on an (so far) NBA bust, yet still coming off with LeBron and a likely Finals berth — that’s somehow better?
“(The Lakers) hold significant advantages over every other NBA team when recruiting players to join their franchise.”
Really? Some advantages, yes — good weather, history, marquee status, large TV market — but is that “significant” to the point that they’re better positioned to recruit than every other team? Really? Miami offers the same, plus no state taxes. The Texas trio has weather, championship pedigrees and tax advantages; New York is New York. To suggest the Lakers will land players just because is insipidly stupid. The cap won’t allow anyone to just outbid the league, and players want to be around other good players. We’ve all seen players leave L.A., so it’s clearly not the NBA nirvana this nimrod claims it is.
The Lakers have been bad; they’ve received high picks as a reward. Don’t decry the system just because it was the Lakers or Knicks who benefited this time out. Lakers fans weren’t whining when OKC or Portland had their turns picking high. The draft has no bearing to market size.
Warren Wee Lim says
Love that post Chris J.
Warren Wee Lim says
I think it might be important to note what our needs are in the upcoming offseason in order to wisely spend the money. As Darius mentioned, we need quite a lot. But from my POV, we need something most, something we don’t have one of yet – and that’s a 3-point specialist. We had that in Meeks but he was playing Kobe’s position (Kobe coulda slid to SF) and he isn’t here anymore.
The 3-pointer, much as crossarm Byron hates it, is essential to today’s game. So to those who think Julius Randle is a long-term solution at the 3 just because he dropped 20lbs, think again. Memphis had a very good team with a deep bench but simply the lack of shooting outside of Conley hurt the team more than its grit and grind defense and smash brothers helped.
24hRx. says
If the Lakers end-up with Towns, Robert Upshaw would be a good pairing for the later first round pick, but he’ll probably be gone by 27. If it’s not too painless, maybe try to trade up with Cavs at 18 to secure Upshaw, as the Cavs would probably prefer a couple of 2nd rounders to stash, rather than an actual new 1st round rookie contract. As other commenters have noted, the draft is a lot like hiring, and you just never know how it’s going to work out no matter how due diligence is done. However, Upshaw reminds me a lot of Bynum without the bad running mechanics and might be worth rolling the bones on if he interviews satisfactorily.
grumpy says
I wonder if the Lakers would seriously consider a guy like Upshaw. Everyone seems to praise his talent, but it seems to come with some baggage. Obviously I don’t know the guy personally and maybe he’s a great teammate, but with the Lakers having 5-6 young guys on the squad, you have to wonder if the Lakers will pass on him simply to shelter their young players and not have a bad “locker room presence”.
Regarding Anthony Randolph, it is hard to believe he’s only 25. I definitely was a fan of him when he first came into the league. Sad to see him bounce around to so many teams. I wouldn’t mind the Lakers giving him a chance.
Warren Wee Lim says
The Lakers ability to build a talented team is at hand. This draft has a bevy of picks at 27 to 34 that allows us to get depth and developable talent. While they may not be superstars, they could be rotation players, good backups that give us specific needs. They could be good for a team like ours who needs cheap depth.
Aside from the possible return stints of Wayne Ellington and Wes Johnson, the Lakers need help at the wing direly. I wanted us to draft Justise Winslow if we had dropped to 5 because he’d shore up the defense. We can still find shooting, defense and athleticism if we consider picking guys at 27 and 34 but unfortunately the better players available at that slot are rim protecting backup bigs. Are we high on Tarik Black? He seems to be a very fine hustle guy esp that he’s young and cheap. Are we bringing back Ed Davis? How much will he cost? Do we need a backup PG since Lin is most-likely headed elsewhere?