One of my favorite NBA podcasts out there is Nate Duncan’s “Dunc’d On”. Nate has good knowledge on the CBA, the draft, is good with X’s and O’s, and does a good job of conveying it all to the listener.
I was happy, then, to hear that he had covered Brandon Ingram and the Lakers in a recent sitdown with Real GM’s Danny Leroux. Their talk covered a lot of ground so I wanted to make sure you, our faithful readers, got a chance to listen to it:
A few notes:
- One thing which stands out early is Nate’s not as high on Brandon Ingram as some other analysts. I think his analysis is fair, however. In talking to Nate, he reiterated that he believes Ingram will be a very solid player and with a big improvement in athleticism, his projection on Ingram could be way off. Nate, as you hear in the pod, though, does have his concerns.
- There is some good information on Clarkson’s free agency near the end which is worth your time. We’ve covered that ground ourselves, but the point that the the Lakers, in one scenario, may need to use some of their own cap space to sign Clarkson is something which is not often discussed.
- Their discussion on the Jim Buss timeline is interesting — especially from a non-Lakers’ fan perspective. Their thoughts on how the timeline may impact short term decision making is, well, a bit scary. I’m of the mind that Buss, as a part owner, knows he needs to always have his long term hat on, but I’d be lying if I said I was confident this will be the case.
Anyways, give the whole thing a listen. It’s worth your time.
Vincent says
“I’m of the mind that Kupchak, as a part owner, knows he needs to always have his long term hat on”
Do you mean “Buss, as a part owner”
Darius Soriano says
Vincent, yes. I’ve made the change. Thanks.
I CALLED GAME says
LMAO THEY BOTH STARTED THIS PODCAST WHERE THEY BOTH STATED THEY WHERE WRONG ABOUT JUDGING TALENT LOL ANY YALL HAVE THEM ONTHE NET I WAS RIGHT ABOUT KD AND THE GREEK FREAK. He’s going to get stronger and he is very athletic
Gary says
Nate and Danny see the Lakers improving to 28 or 29 wins next season. I tend to agree. The big jump will come after the summer of 2017.
Of course the uncertainty around the Jim Buss promise is still out there. Nate and Danny still think there is a chance that the Lakers spend foolishly in an effort to field a winner– albeit a small one. Lord, I hope the Lakers do not do anything rash.
But that begs the question: Why haven’t the Lakers clarified Jim’s standing?
We see it constantly mentioned in the media, like in this audio blog, and by Jeanie, in every interview she gives. Doesn’t the Buss family know this just makes the Lakers look dysfunctional?
In business the worst thing you can demonstrate to your shareholders, your customers and your competition is uncertainty about your leadership. They have the strangest approach to managing a billion dollar empire.
LT Mitchell says
Once Jimbo is gone, the disfunctional label will be gone as well.
Kbj says
The reason why is Jeanie is putting pressure on Jim to step down once the Lakers fail to make the playoffs next season. I know that Jeanie Buss said that Phil is not coming anytime soon, but if there is an opening, its hard to believe Phil wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to work with his fiance. I’m deeply concerned that this is Jeanie’s strategy.
This circus won’t end unless they both step down and become just owners with final say on decisions but leaving the decision making to real executives.
Anonymous says
Gary: I heard that Jim Buss segment and cringed.
I think the divide between Jim and Jeanie is real. It’s definitely not a good look to have owners bickering in the media. Quite frankly having Mitch on board is the only thing keeping us from being the FO laughing stock of the league.
Hale says
David Thorpe is much higher on Ingram – http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/Coach15759801/brandon-ingram-nba-ceiling
I subscribe to Nate’s podcast, dig it, but I frequently disagree with his evaluation of player’s skill. I’ll trust the FO to make the right move after Philly. I’ve not seen any of Ingram nor care until he’s officially the number 2 pick. Whoever the L’s pick up I can only hope that they help get the Purple and Gold back on track.
james T says
I went to school with Danny Leroux, he is an idiot, so take anything he says with a grain of salt
Mid-Wilshire says
Below is another recent pod cast from Kurt Helin and Rob Dauster of Pro Basketball Talk that offers a different perspective on Brandon Ingram. It offers a nice counterbalance to Nate Duncan’s more negative evaluation. They talk about the Lakers for the first 7 minutes. Then they talk about the Celtics’ pick at #3 (at which point I lost interest). Here’s the link:
http://nba.nbcsports.com/2016/06/09/pbt-podcast-who-should-boston-draft-at-no-3-rob-dauster-breaks-draft-down/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs&yptr=yahoo
matt says
Website nbadraftnet ranks the prospects
Simmons 101
Ingram 99
Hield 97
Bender 94
Past notable prospects
Russell 98, KAT 98, Okafor 98, porzingis 96
Wiggins 99, Jabari parker 100, Embiid 100, Randle 96
matt says
The rankings are pretty good, all predraft rankings, the weak 2013 draft highest ranked player oladipo was 97
Tim Nova says
This podcast sounds like Ingram bashing.
matt says
Reported the knicks are interested in clarkson.
Baylor Fan says
If Ingram’s weight is his biggest negative, then he will be fine. Trainers understand nutrition and body building. I place more weight on the opinions of people who have actually followed Ingram during his short career at Duke as opposed to someone who spent a weekend looking at film.
it is definitely time for the Lakers to clarify Jim Buss’s role with the team after next season. The FO will be worked over by agents if they think he is desperate to save his title.