It's official A.D. to Lakers [MERGED] (1 Viewer)

[XLR8]

True
There's that 1% hope of us getting a Boston trade

Boston not giving up anything on a one year rental. Nor was NY. We fleeced the Lakers. They will have trouble this year find a third piece with the CAP. It was brilliant what Griffin did and how he timed it. Griffin will build some nice talent with what we got.

While we are at it look at the Tony Dorsett trade and how that built up the Cowboys back in the 90’s.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Boston not giving up anything on a one year rental. Nor was NY. We fleeced the Lakers. They will have trouble this year find a third piece with the CAP. It was brilliant what Griffin did and how he timed it. Griffin will build some nice talent with what we got.

While we are at it look at the Tony Dorsett trade and how that built up the Cowboys back in the 90’s.

This. Once Rich Paul opened his mouth, Boston got scared and pulled back. There was no way we were getting Tatum while they risk losing Davis after only one season. And the Pels weren't trading Davis to Boston without Tatum as a part of the deal.

 

[BobE]

 

[MLU]

Lol





The Lakers might have to get Jason Kidd to dress out at this point...

 

[LAhotsauce]

They can't afford to NOT develop through the draft. This is why the Pels are in this mess. Next time they won't have Pelinka to take advantage of.

No, I didnt say you can't develop through the draft. But that cant be the only way. It's going to take a mix of drafted players and young veterans. I know people hate that phrase but it wasn't a bad idea with Demps and it still isnt.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

I don’t know why people are so against keeping Ball. The guy has a rare set of elite skills. Sure he doesn’t have much of a mid jumper under pressure but his passing, IQ, ball control, and 3 pt shooting should allow him to improve into a real strong asset very soon. Combine that with the young athletic talent the team will surround him with and Gentry’s offense and I see a situation where Ball could really be something special for this team.

3 point shooting? I get the praise for his passing and defense, but he is an abysmal shooter at every level (2-point jumpers, 3's, and free throws).

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

I think some of those stats are a bit misleading regarding Zo.

First, the free throw % isn’t much of an issue for me considering the rate he goes to the line is nearly never. He’s one of the best at dishing assists to teammates after driving the lane for easy buckets and he doesn’t attack the basket to score when contested. Essentially if you look at the whole picture including those points he provides the team by assisting near the basket I think this concern is a wash. Also, I truly believe his ft percentage will improve with practice/experience.

As for his ability to hit the deep ball, he’s got the talent to hit em at a high percentage and with a better supporting cast/Gentry’s offense around him he’ll likely get more open looks there which will bump that % up for him. And I think there’s a bias surrounding him by analysts just bc of his funky shot.
To me he’s like a cross between Jason’s Williams and Jason Kidd.

No, the free throw shooting is a big deal. It hampers his ability to be effective at driving and finishing at the rim. And like others have already pointed out, it creates the potential for situations late in games when we would actually have to pull our starting point guard off the floor because of poor free throw shooting. That's terrible. If he even shot in the low 60's, that would be one thing, but he shoots free throws in the low 40's.

And maybe he "has the talent to hit" 3's "at a high percentage", but so far he has not come anywhere close to that. He has been a very bad 3 point shooter so far in his career (32%).

The bias is not because his shot looks funky. He has been an objectively (very) bad shooter so far. He shoots under 40% from the field, 32% from 3, and 44% from the foul line. That is terrible and needs to improve.

He is young and can certainly improve (and we are all pulling for him now that he is a Pelican), but as of now he definitely has some big holes in his game that require improvement. He has also missed about 40% of his games so far due to injury. That is also not good. His passing and defensive skills are already quite good, that's for sure.

 

[MLU]

No, I didnt say you can't develop through the draft. But that cant be the only way. It's going to take a mix of drafted players and young veterans. I know people hate that phrase but it wasn't a bad idea with Demps and it still isnt.

Demos never had that idea, though. He treated draft picks like he was allergic to them. When he did pick them, he traded the players away. Griffen is just getting started, but it behind with stockpiling draft picks which he has already done. It will be interesting to see what he does next.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

People can “face palm” all they want, but Lonzo’s struggles as a shooter (in every aspect) and injury history in the NBA are documented facts (the #’s have been posted). These are things that NEED to be improved.

He’s young, so there is nothing saying he can’t or won’t get better at theses things, but it will take a considerable amount of work. As long as he remains a Pelican, we are all obviously rooting for him.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

People can “face palm” all they want, but Lonzo’s struggles as a shooter (in every aspect) and injury history in the NBA are documented facts (the #’s have been posted). These are things that NEED to be improved.

He’s young, so there is nothing saying he can’t or won’t get better at theses things, but it will take a considerable amount of work. As long as he remains a Pelican, we are all obviously rooting for him.

I'm with you. We need SHOOTERS around Zion. It's nice to have a PG that can run an offense and defend but if teams can basically leave him unguarded he shouldn't be in the long term plan.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Lol





The Lakers might have to get Jason Kidd to dress out at this point...

I wonder if AD is going to get over his aversion to playing center with LA. Because right now he's their center, and is probably going to play a lot of center no matter which G-leaguers they sign to fill out the roster.

AD's refusal to play center is what got us into the whole Asik mess....

Will be fun to watch. ?

 

[St. Widge]

I'm with you. We need SHOOTERS around Zion. It's nice to have a PG that can run an offense and defend but if teams basically leave him unguarded he shouldn't be in the long term plan.

That's why I kind of like the idea of drafting Darius Garland at #4 unless Morant or Barrett fall to #4. It would give the team insurance for if Ball can not develop a shot and it would allow Garland to run the second unit as the PG. That gives Ball time to develop a shot and gives the Pelicans offense and a backup PG for the second unit. It also gives Garland time to develop without the pressure of starting every night. It also buys you a couple years before you have to make a decision on Ball.

 

[Complex Kid]

I wonder if AD is going to get over his aversion to playing center with LA. Because right now he's their center, and is probably going to play a lot of center no matter which G-leaguers they sign to fill out the roster.

AD's refusal to play center is what got us into the whole Asik mess....

Will be fun to watch. ?

Well right now he's their Center, Power Forward, backup small forward, backup shooting guard, 4th assistant coach and waterboy. The Lakers roster is uhhhh bare to say the least.

Sources: Lakers hustling to create max salary slot

The Lakers were engaging additional teams on Tuesday to take on the contracts of three players on the roster, trying to create a max salary slot, league sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

The Lakers were engaging additional teams on Tuesday to take on the contracts of three of the remaining five players on the team's roster --- Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones -- league sources said. Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James are the only other two Lakers remaining on the team's end-of-season roster.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

That's why I kind of like the idea of drafting Darius Garland at #4 unless Morant or Barrett fall to #4. It would give the team insurance for if Ball can not develop a shot and it would allow Garland to run the second unit as the PG. That gives Ball time to develop a shot and gives the Pelicans offense and a backup PG for the second unit. It also gives Garland time to develop without the pressure of starting every night. It also buys you a couple years before you have to make a decision on Ball.

I’ll admit to not having watched Garland play (not that there were many opportunities), but I’ve been hearing a lot of positive buzz around him (and I’ve seen some clips on YouTube). I think I’ve warmed up to him at #4 for a lot of the same reasons you listed.

He’s got a ton of potential, and we would be able to develop him at our own pace (with the guards we already have on the roster). And like you said, his shooting would be very nice to have. He could also be insurance in case Ball continues to miss a bunch of games.

 

[MLU]

That's why I kind of like the idea of drafting Darius Garland at #4 unless Morant or Barrett fall to #4. It would give the team insurance for if Ball can not develop a shot and it would allow Garland to run the second unit as the PG. That gives Ball time to develop a shot and gives the Pelicans offense and a backup PG for the second unit. It also gives Garland time to develop without the pressure of starting every night. It also buys you a couple years before you have to make a decision on Ball.

You can never have too many PGs, IMO and in today's NBA we see plenty of matchups with 3+ guards. Plus, injuries.

I’ll admit to not having watched Garland play (not that there were many opportunities), but I’ve been hearing a lot of positive buzz around him (and I’ve seen some clips on YouTube). I think I’ve warmed up to him at #4 for a lot of the same reasons you listed.

He’s got a ton of potential, and we would be able to develop him at our own pace (with the guards we already have on the roster). And like you said, his shooting would be very nice to have. He could also be insurance in case Ball continues to miss a bunch of games.

He's more Dame Lillard than CP3 at the position, IMO. Even if the Pels don't work out a trade beforehand, I'd grab him regardless of whether or not he was traded after the draft. Worst-case scenario is that you find yourself with another outside shooter who helps space out the floor.