Trade. Use the pick and either Clarkson or Randle to land that first all star that could attract 2 additional max guys to team up.
This is exactly what I think they will do. And if it's going to land us Cousins, I'm all for it. He already likes our young core....has a nice contract and is a superstar. We should be going all out for Cousins and firing Byron Scott the second our season ends.
Mitch is in Israel looking at Dragan Bender. He could make for a pretty intriguing prospect at #3. 7'0 with decent skills. In Chad Ford's insider analysis (for whatever it's worth), he mentions that the kid can play anywhere from 3 to 5, and has good athleticism for a 7-footer and good rebounding ability.
Ford is full of it about the SF spot, but Bender is fairly talented. He's a project though for sure and I'm not sure we need one of those.
I like what I see in Bender, but people are going to automatically think Porzingis when you see/read about him. It's worth looking into, but he could easily be Bargnani too.
You're right. And a Stretch 5 might be pushing it for us. We haven't even gotten to the number 3 with our stretchiness. I suppose we have a Stretch 1 and 2...or at least they are a Limber 1 and 2. I guess we should start with a Stretch 3 and 4.
While I agree that Bender comes with some glaring risks (Bargnani possibility), I'd be ecstatic if the Lakers took him at #3, if not for the mere fact that Mitch and Co. would have seen something special from him in pre-draft workouts. As bad as the front office has been the past few years, Mitch has proven to have a keen eye for talent. Need we remember, this was the same guy who drafted Marc Gasol from overseas some 9 odd years ago.
Simmons is athletic and a point forward Ingram is talented and ballsy If only we had a coach That didn't have cerebral palsy
He's got some defensive potential, but I'm not so sure he's going to be able to do that in the NBA. I'm not positive it translates.
I think something that's not been mentioned about Bender yet is his contract buyout, which might cause his draft stock to slide down.
He's only 18 And built rather slight Might be redundant at PF But at least he's polite Spoiler: What he really said butt white I'm not sure who he is I have no iota But the reality remains We still must meet quota I'll be right there When draft night goes down If I had my druthers I'd pick "light" in the 2nd round Jus sayin'
Long- 7'2 wingspan, 9'3 standing reach, Athletic, quick feet..able to switch/hedge and recover on PnR. He's got all the tools defensively: perimeter defense and shot blocking inside. Also solid passing and ball handling on offense. Lots of potential.
I know nothing about Bender. In fact, I know nothing about any of the prospects outside if Simmons, Ingram, and Dunn. I'll do more research if we keep the pick .
I would take Bender at 3....but not over Simmons or Ingram. And yes, everyone is going to fall into the "The Next Porzingis" trap. You can't automatically assume he's going to be as good as KP. KP is the exception...not the rule. But hey, what do I know? The Lakers have done pretty well in the draft lately.
