I really, really, really want to like this guy... because he's going to be here for at least 2+ years. So hopefully I'll join you on the hype train one day.
I'm not down on him, I'm just not high on him, he feels very unknown to me, and usually unknowns are more worthy of 2nd round picks. I was wrong about Larry Nance Jr with same reasoning though, so who knows. I feel like Hart was much more of a solid/Smart 1st round selection, and I hope I'm not wrong there and he's Anthony Brown to Kuzma's LNJ, because Hart was a 1st rounder and is guaranteed. What concerns me of what I've seen of Kuzma is that he looks like a 3 in a PF body. I know we're following the GS model with interchangeable position players, but we have to have guys that are going to get rebounds on this team and so far we don't have a lot of them.
PAC 12 isn't the NBA though, and if I'm unbiased it's never really been as rough or physical as some East Coast conference ball either. I hope he's better on the boards than I expect, but he doesn't seem like a guy that likes to mix it up in the paint.
Just as I suspected, Magic was super impressed by Kuzma's scrimmage at the combine. "Ok, that's the guy we want!". I didn't need that peek behind the curtain, that's way too simple an answer. I like the kid's personality though, he's funny.
We havent had a bad 1st round pick since?.. It should mean something he was chosen before Hart whose seems to have a chance to be a solid day 1 nba contributor. Also if we didnt get Brooklyn's first, it probably means we dont trade down with our pick which netted us Bryant as well... So you could act like with Brooklyn's pick we got Hart and Bryant cause if we just had ours we take Kuzma there.
Yeah I agree I didn't like that. I think Magic was being a little cheeky though. Rob said in a previous interview (on draft night I think) that they'd been keeping close tabs on Kuzma for a few years. I definitely liked his personality up there out of the guys. If the management is sold on him, I'll be patient. Let's see what he's got in Summer League. Hopefully he's everything they think he is.
Crittenton in 07? He wasn't bad, just not great and ended up being a gun toting weirdo. After him went Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, Aaron Brooks, Arron Afflalo, Tiago Splitter, Carl Landry... Cookie in 03? I know he had a decent career but after him was Carlos Delfino, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Jason Kapono, Steve Blake, Zaza Pachulia, Mo Williams, Kyle Korver...
Kuzma's comment on not having to keep tabs on Lonzo because he was on ESPN every night was great. I also enjoyed Rob's comments on Kuzma
I think Crittenton would have been good if his life was strictly basketball, the off court stuff is what did him in. Also, I cringe when someone mentions "Cookie", possibly my least favorite Laker draft pick ever.
I saw him at a game once. He was cool, said what's up. Seems like a nice guy and all, I just never liked what I saw on the court.
it wasn't just Magic, pre draft alot of analyst were saying Kuzma had a great combine and was shooting up the draft boards.
Kyle Kuzma finishes his interview, he's the funny kid of the rookies. He also completes the "you know" trio, we drafted the "you know" brothers.
Good signs at worst Kuzma will be a good player off the bench. Yall can feel good about this... Ill bet money come summer league a lot of yall will send out the OMGZ replies.
And his crack about about Magic in the short pants when he watched the old time footage of Magic playing. That was pretty funny. Guess it's the Michigan connection as they seem to get along well.
