When friend of the site and video producer extraordinaire LD2K comes out of “retirement” to drop a Lonzo Ball gem, of course I’m going to show it some love here at FB&G. Happy to present – The Ball Prophecy: Rise of the Lakers:
While the hype surrounding Ball swirls — Magic Johnson was in full force at Ball’s introductory presser on Friday — I’m more on the Luke Walton side of “I’d like to see Lonzo lead us to a couple of summer league wins first”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for the Lonzo era to begin. I don’t need to remind you about how good I think he’ll be or how I think he fits on the team.
There is a long way to go, though. And while I think he has the skill set, game, and personality type to be a cornerstone player for years to come, he will need to continue to grow his own game too (not to mention, have his fellow youngsters do the same and have the front office follow through on what they’re saying about bringing in max free agents) if the team is going to take the next steps needed to become a contending team.
In saying all that, though, I’d be lying if I wasn’t super excited about getting to see this kid develop and grow while bringing his style of play to the Lakers. We all have our preferences of how we like to see the game played and it just so happens that Ball’s approach mirrors exactly what I like to see. Summer league can’t get here fast enough.
R says
Love it!
CraigW. says
Our 5 rookies can exactly field a complete team in summer league. When you add in Zubac and Ingram you could almost compete without anyone else in Las Vegas. This better be a pretty good team.
Watch or DVD the Laker summer league – yeah!
bluehill says
I didn’t think that Magic maximized the value of DLo in the trade, but it validates nagging concerns about his effort and consistency and now it seems his maturity. After listening to Magic’s comments it’s pretty clear that he had some strong issues with DLo’s leadership and effort. It may have been strong enough that he felt the potential harm of going into next season with him wasn’t worth it. Clearly Magic has seen a lot more behind the scenes and has a better view than me so I’ll trust his judgement. Sometimes there is addition by subtraction.
As for DLo and everyone else, they were put on notice when Magic came in, so he probably didn’t put in the work needed. DLo’s lucky. He’s talented and young and is getting a second chance. The Nets literally have nowhere to go but up and DLo can be the leader. We’ll see what lesson he takes from this.
As for Ball, excited to see him in summer league!
drrayeye says
Darius,
The Lakerland charm offensive is well underway–been down so long it sure looks good!
We’ve cleared the draft with dreams in place, and assets to trade or grow with. There’s a shadow in the background: Paul George–the ultimate trade or ultimate free agent next year or ultimate false alarm. Meanwhile, the clock ticks and free agency begins. Pelinka worries about shooting for next year–and he should. I’m sure that his team will evaluate both free agents and trades–much the way they evaluated draft picks. I’m sure that they already have a list. But ultimately Mr.Cap Space may cast the deciding vote in favor of trades over free agents.
81 Witness says
So if the Lakers bring in George, where would BI play? Personally, I’d rather have a real PG who can somewhat defend the Irvings, Walls, and Lilliards. Ball doesn’t represent that.
And yes, I’m aware that you wouldn’t need to as long as you have interior length and ran a defense similar to the 2010-12 Lakers. Just don’t see this team with that defensive athleticism.