No because I think this is part reverse actually. The LA media can't stop talking about Ball, let's undersell this before someone else decides he's worth giving up a lot over. Or maybe they just really, really like Josh Jackson.
Smith is going 7th in NBA Draft.net's mock, and his overall rating is 97 - two points below Ball. BTW... "Lakers like Ball!" = "Lakers like Ball." "Lakers not sold on Ball" = "Lakers like Ball." Yikes, guys.
Rob with the Ninja Smokescreen. Talking up Fultz and talking down Ball. Through the mouthpiece to Ainge's ears.
As we near the draft, this sums up my thoughts quite nicely on where things stand for the Lakers: BTW, if you're not following Darius, you're doing Twitter wrong.
prime danny granger is a better comp, imo. i like dsj as a trade-down candidate. everyone's soured on him because he got the dreaded steve francis/baron davis/derrick rose comps (not sure why those are so dreaded, btw). great athlete, appropriate size, underrated skills. a few months ago, he was in the mix for top pick, then nc state was crappy. difference between him and fultz in that regard is that smith took more blame for their crappiness in the eyes of scouts, i guess. but time might tell that the high profile guys from nc state were just as bad as the low profile guys from wash. anyway, if we're talking upside, dsj's got it. injury concerns, yes. maybe some on-court character concerns (which can be levied at several top picks). but the ceiling's high there. btw, seth davis has some interesting scout tidbits that i didn't see posted here. https://sethsdrafthouse.com/finch-returns-to-dish-on-nba-prospects-fa57b7c494ef the big take-home for me (because it meshes with my own personal beliefs) is that at least some scouts think this draft is anything but top heavy. there may be as few as two allstars in the bunch. i've been saying that for months. this is why trades should be an option, imo.
I really really want Ball, but I'm not gonna cry if we walk away from this draft with DSJ and the best available Big for instance.
I keep forgetting Granger. Good call. The problems with DSJ are all mental. He's a ball hog, has a bad attitude on the floor, and didn't move the needle enough in the win column for my liking. He has the physical profile, but I think he projects a hell of a lot like Reggie Jackson. All the skills, but none of the heart I want to see. I genuinely would get frustrated watching him play because he's got such great tools and wouldn't use them. I wouldn't want him on our team. If we trade the pick, I want an established player or a pick this year and a pick next year. I don't really want three kids in this draft although I really like this draft. I think this draft has a lot of kids who are NBA players which is where I believe the "depth" talk comes from.
I watched this earlier. Lavar is straight up cringe worthy. Talking about how his kids would react to him "theoretically" physically hitting them.
Have same level of aversion to LaVar's face and talking about anything as I had with Byron at the end. Just don't like the dude at all.
Idk man I like Lavar he reminds me of my father, I think we need more father's that believe in their kids with discipline. He may be outlandish with his remarks but you can see how his kids are well mannered and have respect because their father raised them right
He's such a dummy. I also don't really care what Lavar has to say at this point. I'm not drafting Lavar.
I wouldn't consider it when drafting Lonzo, but it still doesn't make him any less cringe-worthy from a human perspective.
1.28 in ..... "first thing Magic said (when talking about their games his and Lonzo's) ..... Showtime" Feeling like a little chest thumping / primal screaming / look at me ing here though usually it's just I've been here before. JK