Drafting Lonzo Ball

I'll admit I went back and forth on the number 2 pick in the draft for the Lakers. I liked Josh Jackson for a while because of his athletic abilities and his all around game. I already knew Fultz was going first and to me De'Aaron Fox does not shoot well enough even though he balls. To me that left Lonzo. Once I started looking at the numbers I realized it was a no-brainer! He shot 3 pointers over 40 percent in his freshman year in college and 55% overall. To me that's an insane shooting percentage in college. He also led division 1A in assists. I'm also a fan of D'Angelo Russell and felt they could play together but I have to admit I was not sold on Russell's attitude. He seemed to not show up quite a few times last season. In the NBA if you're not hungry and motivated at the beginning of your career there is no way your going to get motivated once you get paid a 2nd time.





Lonzo does come with a little baggage. His father Lavar is a very outspoken guy. But from everything I've seen Lonzo is straight business and doesn't get caught up in the hype. His former teammates say he's all about winning and a good teammate. Of course nothing is guaranteed but this should be a fun season. Brandon Ingram should improve quite a bit from his rookie season and I've always liked Brook Lopez as a player. I don't know much about the rest of the draft picks although I really like the Josh Hart pick. He seems to be a solid shooting guard that plays with grit and shoots very well.


I still don't know what to expect from the new regime for the Lakers but overall I am satisfied with the draft. Now, it's time to watch these guys play in the summer league. I hope Ingram and Zubac join the new guys in the summer league. Look, let's be real. The chances of any team beating the Warriors in the next 4-5 years is slim so the Lakers might as well go for the future. I don't even know if they should go after Paul George. He's 27 and will be in his 30's by the time the Lakers can compete.

Lakers trade Russell to Nets

The Lakers traded D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets today. It's hard to know how this trade will end up impacting the Lakers. But, as a Laker fan I have mixed emotions on the trade and what will happen from this point forward. Growing up in the Showtime Laker era I was able to watch a team grow together that was organic. Drafted and home grown except for a few role players. Times have changed and teams don't always have the patience to watch their drafted talent grow into what they believed they'd be when they drafted them. Not all teams fall into this category, while others like the Lakers had a change of management. The change in management gives me anxiety. 

I trusted Mitch Kupchak's talent evaluations. He found Zubac and Clarkson in the 2nd round. In the NBA that's a challenge. But he's made and not made questionable deals. He signed Mozgov and Deng to 4 year 18 million contracts. He traded Odom to the Mavericks instead of working out a trade with the Hornets now Pelicans for Chris Paul. Signed an already old Nash to a big contract and traded draft picks for him as well. We have no data on Palinka and Magic in these roles. 

It's going to take a while for me to know what their abilities are. Magic is part owner of the Dodgers and I think of him favorably in that role, but he is only an owner. He has no role in selecting, trading, or acquiring talent. I have no idea what his role is right now with the Lakers. I know what his title is, but I don't know what role he plays in negotiations and decisions. Others share my opinion of Russell. He has superstar potential but is immature and not motivated. I hope that Magic and Rob want to bring in guys that love basketball. Players that live and breathe basketball. For any negative on Kobe Bryant, nobody can say you had to motivate him. He cane ready to give his all each and every night. 

That's the players the Lakers need. I hope that's the reason the Lakers traded Russell. What's next?

I love the Dodgers, but I hate business!

I thought I might see a Dodger game tonight on ESPN and it ended up being a softball game between Oklahoma and Florida. It was the 15th inning when I turned to it, so the Dodger game might come on after. No, it's blacked out because Cox did not pay the costs to carry the Dodger package. After a couple of years now, I'm bitter. I don't know who I hold accountable but I'm frustrated. I will forever know that I didn't get to see every game by Vin Scully like I did almost completely up until then. Add to that the experience of the Frank McCourt era and I'm depressed about my Dodgers. I continued going to games into the McCourt era. Partial season seats before and many games during I watched many games with my family. MannyWood members eating AM/PM all you can eat and Sweeping the Cubs with my daughter. I know Dodger stadium! Now, I'm trying to watch Kershaw's prime and maybe the first title since I was 12. But, I can't! It's a business to most of them. To me, it's life.