D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

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

  1. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    re: harden/russell--the comparisons are legit. combo guards who aren't terribly athletic, but are quite skilled. both have questionable heart/work ethic and don't seem to "get it" at all. harden was no better early on, and has only thrived when he was surrounded by VERY specific supporting casts (houston has broken its back to ensure his mvp status, imo). harden had the luxury of being brought along slowly, out of public scrutiny, whereas russell has had to be the best player on a very s***ty and very visible team.
     
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  2. sirronstuff

    sirronstuff - Lakers Legend -

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    Maybe he needs some facial hair and a Metta elbow to the head. (Purely to assist his development)
     
  3. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    I have no problem pushing the Harden comparison. It'll raise his trade value if you view it that way. And Harden is quite a bit more athletic than Russell.

    I do agree Harden had an easier start. They used to bring him in as a defender actually. I remember they tried throwing him at Kobe off the bench as a young, athletic guy who could bother the older Kobe. We have definitely held Russell to a different standard.
     
  4. sirronstuff

    sirronstuff - Lakers Legend -

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    ok, this made me :Laugh:
     
  5. KRL

    KRL - Lakers 6th Man -

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    I've been pointing out the same exact thing since last season. The guy tries to show that he's too cool for school.

    Sorry man this is the NBA! You can't just survive on talent alone and if you try to, you will get EXPOSED!
     
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  6. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Sorry folks. Still way too early to tell about Russell. He needs another year for us to really get a read on if he's the going to be a keeper or not. I feel like I know more about Clarkson and Randle. I'd be willing to let either or both of them go if it meant getting PG. I would be willing to trade Russell for PG but wouldn't include the other two and it wouldn't be my first offer. I think Randle is proving to be a clunkier fit here than I'd like.

    The good news is we don't have to figure these things out until the summer at the earliest. I still believe that Russell's optimal role on this team is as starting SG with a great distributing PG like Ball. They could share some of the ball handling duties. Russell has a lot of talent and can score pretty easily. I'd like to see what he can do next year.
     
  7. Lakerman JSJ

    Lakerman JSJ Moderator Staff Member

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    Here's what's concerning me about Russell:

    As I've posted before, I think he's our most talented player, and I think his ceiling is incredibly high despite not being terribly athletic. He has a chance to develop into a CP3 or Harden type of player. I'm that high on his abilities.

    Having said that, I'm starting to get concerned about the chatter around him from those in & close to the organization. No one is coming out & saying Russell is a jerk, but I can't remember the last time I heard a glowing quote about him the way we hear such things about Ingram pretty regularly, who appears to be universally-loved around the team.

    Also, as much as we all (rightfully) despised how terribly Byron handled the kids (Russell in particular) last season, we're now onto a second head coach (who happens to be universally loved) also jerking his minutes around quite a bit. Russell also seems to be kept on a MUCH shorter leash than any of the other youngsters. He ripped off something like 7 straight very good games after the All-Star break, and then he has a bad game vs. Philly and all of a sudden is benched the next game...Oh-kaaaay...?

    Add to all that the little comments from Magic for example about wanting Russell to "be more of a leader" and whatnot. These critiques mostly seem to be aimed at Russell's personality & character rather than his game. The implication is that he should be a harder worker and more of a lead-by-example type of player for this young roster. It's strange because the kid's got an impressive array of skills that obviously came from a lot of hard work. He's not the type of player who can simply overwhelm you with supreme athleticism/size/some other physical trait without working extremely hard (a la Shaq at times in his heyday).

    It's tough because none of us are on the inside, so this is mostly speculation & reading the tea leaves, but there is a lot of compelling evidence that the staff & FO have more patience for Ingram, Clarkson, Randle, Nance, & Zu than they do for Russell. It sure seems like they're frustrated with Russell on a level that goes beyond simple performance. He's young, and has some maturing to do, but this is very concerning to be seeing at this point in his 2nd season even under a "players coach" in Luke.
     
  8. sirronstuff

    sirronstuff - Lakers Legend -

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    [​IMG]

    Luke obviously has the support of management, so if the guys can't figure out how to make him happy, they probably won't be here. Hopefully DAR figures it out. He seemed to have made a nice recovery from the Nick incident, but like you said, something is going on there.
     
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  9. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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    But see those quotes above if you watch and listen to that interview instead of reading the quotes you get a different impression of how to take that quote. It doesn't read great, but the tone and context when watching and listening doesn't make it sound so controversial.
     
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  10. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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    Haha
     
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  11. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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    great post
     
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  12. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    What Battle said .... Lakerman.
     
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  13. Punk-101

    Punk-101 - Lakers Starter -

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    Excellent post, JSJ! The question that needs to be answered is whether or not Russell's character/personality issues (whatever they are) because of, or in spite of his immaturity.
     
  14. sirronstuff

    sirronstuff - Lakers Legend -

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    he better make Rob happy in his one on one appt. Because....

    [​IMG]
     
  15. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    And he's a "shark". Lot smarter than you DAR .... watch it.

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    harden barely dunks. he's stronger than russell by a good sight. but he's not quicker or faster. i think russell is a better shooter at the same stage of their careers, and he plays better defense than harden already (not difficult).

    the strength issue is big, though.
     
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  17. Khmrp

    Khmrp - Lakers Legend -

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    Russell doesnt play defense and neither does harden
     
  18. KRL

    KRL - Lakers 6th Man -

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    Laker fans can make so many excuses for DAR... I suggest just buying him a life size mirror. Kid needs a reality check along with some fans. He isn't a franchise player but he's not a bust either perhaps he's just a good role player. Maybe that is the mistake we fans are making ... well maybe not me lol.
     
  19. trodgers

    trodgers Administrator Staff Member

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    Always appreciate the well measured delivery, KRL.
     
  20. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    I don't know if Ireland realizes he said this or if he's breaking news...

    Ireland said that the Lakers are starting Clarkson to see if HE can be the point guard they want for the future and if moving Russell is the right move.

    He also said that EVERY player is on the table and hinted that if the Lakers lost their pick, they may choose to TRADE to get Ball.
     

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