D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Defense... "That's Not What I Do"

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by The Original 81, Jun 25, 2015.

  1. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Not going to mince words here - I think this is an incredibly risky move and I'm not in favor of it at all. He's a talented kid and a bona fide top 3 pick so I get the appeal. But it might turn out to be a HUGE mistake.

    I would have picked Okafor all the way.
     
  2. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Yeah unfortunately a big that fits really well with that goup is Towns :D :D

    But I agree seeing this guy with Clarkson and Randle this summer should be fun.
     
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  3. jerryr88

    jerryr88 - Rookie -

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    Thats SICK
     
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  4. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Agreed. I'm trying to put on a face about it but I really am excited to see what the young man can provide. I wanted Okafor, but Russell has some elite talents. The argument that Jahlil was only great in the post is basically the same argument for this guy's passing ability. I think Russell's elite passing ability is going to be the thing that translates the best. With Clarkson and Randle I think there's room there for him to fit in nicely.
     
  5. Kenzo

    Kenzo - Lakers All Star -

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    Smush 2.0...
     
  6. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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    I won't lie. I have always liked Russell. But I did expect us to take Okafor.

    I have honestly felt like we couldn't go wrong with any of the top three guys and I still feel that way. I think all three would have helped us in one aspect or another.

    I think the first few plays where Russell creates offense for Randle or Clarkson is going to win over everyone. I can't think of a better group of guys to teach him how to play guard than Kobe, Byron, and maybe even Nash.
     
  7. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Don't joke like that! :lipssealed:
     
  8. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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    OMG. No way....lol
     
  9. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    We shall see. Kid has a lot he needs to prove, at least where I'm coming from. Again, I don't get paid to make these decisions, so it doesn't matter what I think. I'm concerned though.
     
  10. gcclaker

    gcclaker Moderator Staff Member

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    Russell is a slick player...a big guard too. I'm looking forward to seeing him in Summer League action to see if he is all that.
     
  11. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Nash would be an excellent teacher for him. Russell doesn't have elite NBA athleticism and Nash knows a little something about that. :D
     
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  12. Kenzo

    Kenzo - Lakers All Star -

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    Only because the #1 jersey :).
     
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  13. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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    Yeah. Hopefully he enjoyed working with Clarkson and will stick around to help Russell.
     
  14. KareemtheGreat33

    KareemtheGreat33 - Lakers MVP -

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    I'm expecting a lot of turnovers in his rookie year but JC is there so he has no pressure ballhandling wise. I'm envisioning a Magic-Nixon component in all of this. Jordan gets to play point the 1st year and DAR will lead us in the next decade and beyond.
     
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  15. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    He lives in LA so I would think we could convince him to come down every now and then.
     
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  16. Weezy

    Weezy Moderator Staff Member

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    I didn't see this coming at all. I thought we were locked in on Okafor, and I was too. The only, only thing that gave me pause was hearing Jerry West called him the best player in the draft. That was the only thing that made me think this wasn't as easy a choice as it was being made out to be. And then this from Ding today had me worried as an Okafor fan (though admittedly I'd watched almost no footage of Russell since the tournament).

    I hope we weren't swayed by one workout, but instead many, many things, but these things did have me for the first time starting to feel that whichever of these 2 we took we'd be making the right choice for us. I'm excited to see what the kid's got. I think filling Kobe's shoes or being the next Curry is way too high as far as immediate expectations, so I won't be judging him based on they any time soon, if ever. I wasn't going to judge Okafor based on comparisons to Duncan, these are all-time greats we're talking about. I was hoping for a dominant big and probable all-star. Now, I'm hoping for a big time playmaking guard that can score, and still think all-star has to be a goal of a 2nd pick. Time will tell though, he's got a looooot of guards in the West to compete against. Good luck to the kid against Curry, Westbrook, Lillard, CP3, Conley, Parker, Lawson, etc.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2015
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  17. gcclaker

    gcclaker Moderator Staff Member

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    Laker brass is looking for that NEXT transcendent star so given how the game is played now...they are rolling their dice on Russell. He does have the ability and appears to have the intangibles. Hope so...that 24 has an heir apparent.
     
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  18. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    We sure as bleep need to get one. Have to trust Mitch and FO. What else can we do at this point?
     
  19. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Well said @Weezy he's got a hell of a long mountain to climb right now. Part of what excited me about Okafor was that his post game was likely to translate right away. Will Russell translate right away? Do we try to get him to translate right away? I don't know.

    I'm getting excited about finding out though.
     
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  20. raviator

    raviator - Rookie -

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    Clarkson and Russell is going to be deadly. Clarkson slashing and dishing to Russell spotting up or Russell slicing up the defense hitting cutting guys, oh and let's not forget Randle with his inside game and his developing handles and shot. We could potentially have a home grown big three of the future. And if the FO has a big in FA in their back pocket, it could make for a very interesting year. Welcome to L.A. Russell!
     
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