Tank Tank Or Tank Tank Tank?

The way Ball conducts an offense is beautiful to watch. The Bruins really do look like an old school Bruins team with him at the helm. The ball is constantly moving.

I'm not positive Ball can fix his mid-range issues. His shot takes too long to get off and comes at a weird angle. I think in the NBA he'd be best suited to develop a floater. He's tall and athletic enough that he should be able to rise up over opposing bigs for that. I mean if Huertas could do it, Ball can too... I don't see a scenario though where he consistently creates space mid-range in the NBA with that weird shot of his. It's not a deal breaker, but it's something he will absolutely need to fix or risk becoming a better version of Kenyon Marshall instead of some approximation of Kidd which is what he could be.

 

You may be right about his mid-range game. Ball is great in open space going at a backpedaling defender. When he does take it to the basket, he is big enough to get it over shot-blockers with great touch and through congested lanes. Ball can also benefit Russell's passing as he can finish at the rim watching those alley-oops he's done himself. The Pac-12 commentator has him all but declared for the upcoming draft.

If Ball becomes a Laker...he, Russell and Ingram can be a trio of facilitators on the floor. If Zu can progress enough to be a starting center, he'd a big, mobile target with those hands. Rounding out the starting five, I'd be more comfortable with Nance seeing time with that quartet.

Looking forward to the UCLA-Arizona game tomorrow...

 

I think people take these comparisons too seriously.

The similarities between Ball and Kidd are mostly cerebral.

 

Real nice write up, thank you

But to be fair they do say this at the top of their mock draft

 

If we were lucky enough to land Ball I think he'd be a great fit here. He and Russell I believe are complementary backcourt players and each one's strengths covers what the other is missing. Russell is good at the midrange, the pick and roll and the pick and pop with the occasional sweet pass to cutters. Ball is better at running the offense, probing, driving and kicking, and excels at the long range shot. Both are excellent rebounders for guards. I'd be very happy if we could land him.

 

So would I, but I see us trading the pick if we keep it. Unless Magic and Pelinka fall in love with Ball, there are only so many youngin's we can have. Maybe we can package Randle, Clarkson...even Zu with the Deng albatross to get back expirings? We'd still have a starting 5 of Moz/Nance/Ingram/Russell/Ball. Not too expensive of a starting 5 either. I think that'd leave us enough room to sign George AND another max free agent.

 

They could be paired together for a couple of seasons and then I can see Russell being given the Norm Nixon treatment...

 

I know. That's why I went through the trouble of making my own list.

 

I'm prepared for all circumstances. I want to know who we passed on in this draft. So far I'm not overly impressed. I know everyone says this draft is deep with NBA players, but after about 10-15 it gets very shaky to me. There's guys who will be NBA players, but they look mostly like journeymen or long-term projects.

I also anticipate us trading the pick if we keep it, but I still think it's good to know what you're trading. Say if we got the #1 pick, the Pacers are getting a damn solid building block in one player. If we get #3, they're getting a project who could be pretty good, but I wouldn't build my team around just that. Heck Jackson has some scouts saying he could be the next big wing player (I disagree). That way we know depending on which pick (if any) we get, how much extra do we put into it for a trade to get a star.

 

I wish.

 

Empty threats are super empty.

I've been watching a bunch of games today. Liked what I saw out of Monk a lot. The kid will score points in the NBA. I'm pretty sure Bam is going back to school. I fell asleep during the Duke game and none of them popped while I was watching.

Ball looks good so far. He's very active. I've seen him pick and roll more today than I've seen in a while... maybe ever. He doesn't get to the rim that way, but he did knock down a mid-range jumper which stuck out. He just does such a good job of running the show offensively. Laker Film Room said he was a basketball genius and I agree completely. The kid just knows the game.

 

His dad is about to talk. Might be something to this Laker only talk.

 

Alt Facts. Dad wasn't even at the game. But they showed the Tweet that CHKAD shared.

And just like that, everyone wants to be a Laker.