What are your guys thoughts on Ingram? When I first heard about him, I assumed he was just a decent shooter and perimeter scorer. But when I watched some highlights, I saw a lot of Kevin Durant in him. Skinny, but still able to use his length and quickness to get to his spots and attack the rim strongly. Great shooter but also a very capable defender. And from a great college program.
Here you go: The Vertical comp: How Brandon Ingram stacks up against Kevin Durant (College Days) http://sports.yahoo.com/news/vertical-comp--k-d--and-brandon-ingram-153255100.html Gives a nice breakdown of the numbers, strengths and weaknesses
He's not KD just because he doesn't have that kind of killer streak in him. He's a KD-lite and seems more likely to be the kind of kid to make the right play every day instead of the kid to take over the game at all costs. I like him a lot. I think his attitude would fit right in with what we need and he fills a position of need. If we are lucky enough to get the 1st pick, I take him. Especially if we can't find a good trade.
76ers just hired an NBA executive to a front office job. I honestly think the draft lottery will be fixed for them. They'll get two top 5 picks.
You could actually make the case that the NBA would fix it AGAINST them. The NBA hates what they are doing, so why would they reward them for the very thing everyone is screaming about? You can't fix it for them. That would only encourage other teams to do what they are doing. I feel it's much more likely that their pick drops to 4 (the lowest it can go) and the Lakers keep their pick.
Their point is that now that the Sixers are hiring NBA insider types, the NBA will rig the lottery for them as a reward.
Still do not see how it is possible to rig specific balls belonging to a team for a fix to make it up through the hole while bouncing about madly from the air in the chamber. With team representatives watching the process. That said the 3 #1s in 4 years that Cleveland came away with looked suspicious as hell.
Oh. I get what he's saying. I'm just thinking the NBA would actually do the opposite so not to encourage other teams.
Thank you. The lotto-rigging talk is a little ridiculous imo. Not saying the NBA are angels but to think guys like Stern and Silver with such cushy high-paying jobs would risk essentially their lives for this is absurd. Also as pointed out the physical complexity of actually doing it requires an Ocean's 13 type of heisting skill. If they are going to manipulate the NBA they will do it through the CBAs which they did for years but got called out for it on the last one and had to give in to the small market teams. It's heading back the other way now and the next CBA will favor the players and, teams like ours.
This is exactly my thinking on the matter as well. Simmons may turn out to be great, but he doesn't FIT us right now. So it's a choice of do you go for really good player and best fit in Ingram, or take probably the best player available, player with the higher ceiling in Simmons, and maybe have to trade Randle. That or one of them would have to get a jumper, or the lane for us will be clogged as hell. If got the pick, and didn't trade it, I'd personally want Ingram, and admittedly I could be wrong and Simmons could turn into a supstar. If we are dead set on trading the pick, I'd hope we get #1, if we were keeping it, I'd want #2, because I don't want to make that decision. It'd be like last season, if we had to choose between Towns and Russ, and we took Russ at #1. Love Russ, but in hindsight, that's probably the wrong pick at 1.
I believe Russell was the right pick at 2. I believe we will see more of his skillset shihe with what Walton wants to do schematically from an offensive standpoint. That said, If the Lakers had the number 1 pick, they would have selected Towns.
I think they do it to encourage teams to stop tanking. As for how do you rig the lottery? It happens behind closed doors. How does Cleveland get the #1 pick so often after LeBron is gone? They went from 9th place to 1st pick I think the year they got Kyrie... How does New Orleans get the #1 pick to justify taking that deal over the Laker deal? New Orleans who needed a #1 pick in order to attract a buyer from the NBA. How does Chicago get Rose and Cleveland get LeBron? Luck? I think it's naive to think the NBA wouldn't rig the lottery sometimes to get the best story they can.
I'm not entirely sure that Ingram isn't the better prospect than Simmons. Simmons might be more gifted, but how often does a true phenomenon miss the NCAA tournament? If he was so great, why couldn't he get his team to the dance? I'm sure that's not all his fault, but still... It's a valid question. The only thing Ingram is truly missing as a comparative prospect is the anger and drive to be "the guy" all the time. There's a chance he just played it down for college. If we bring in Ingram for a workout and he runs the thing, then he might just be the kind of "cant-miss" prospect that everyone assumed Simmons would be.
Exactly. Banks like Merrill Lynch would hire guys who worked for the SEC. You think it's because they were the most qualified? Hell no. They put in years of "service" for Merrill Lynch. Supposedly the 07-08 collapse was supposed to stop this kind of behavior in banking. My a***. There's far less money to be made in the NBA (but still a lot). Don't kid yourself. This s*** is happening.
If that's the case, then I'll be completely fine with keeping the pick. There is no other team that puts more emphasis on these private individual workouts than the Lakers and rightfully so; the results in the draft the last couple of years speak for themselves, IMO.