Rumor: Lakers aren't locked in on Lonzo Ball

[Birdman]

I think the Lakers will pick Fox

[Ilikesports17]

I think the Lakers will pick Fox

would make my day.

[CelticsElite]

Lonzo will sell tickets. They'll get him

[Celtics4ever]

Magic doesn't strike me as the type of guy to draft a player based on superficial things like being from the hometown and hype. I'm sure he will do his due diligence and go from there.

Given the media swirl around Ball, he's the kind of pick that can give you a very short career as a GM if it doesn't work out.

Magic had great basketball IQ as a player, not so much as a coach.  He was 5-11 as a coach folks

http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/johnsma02c.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1994.html

here is a some talent scouting of his :

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
For all of you out there questioning Jimmer Fredette of BYU, he is the real deal. #MenCare

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
The Bucks just acquired the next Jason Kidd in Michael Carter-Williams.
9:02 PM - 19 Feb 2015

http://sportspickle.com/nba/10-dumbest-basketball-tweets-magic-johnson-new-lakers-president-basketball-operations.html

More:

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
If Brandon Knight were to come out, I would take him number 1 in the draft.

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
Great move by Phil Jackson, James Dolan & Steve Mills, hiring Derek Fisher as the new head coach for the New York Knicks!

Fischer had a .294 Winning percentage.

Anyways my point is that great players do not always make great coaches or good execs.   I bet Magic sets the franchise back three to five years, we will see.  I for one trust him to take Ball, and quit after things do not go that well.   He quickly understood his limitations as a coach and bailed.

Perhaps he was hired to do an ML CARR bring back the lucky old guy.   If that is the case, I feel bad for Luke Walton.

[Who]

Yeah, I actually feel kinda sorry for the lakers here.  I personally would not pick Ball second but they seem to be under some pressure to do just that. 

And the lakers should not be "locked" in on anyone at this point anyway.

I think the Lakers should trade the pick.

Big drop-off after the 1st pick. The guys next in line aren't worth the #2 slot. Better to try to trade the pick for an All-Star veteran.

A bad year to have the #2 pick.

[SparzWizard]

Maybe the Lakers take De'Aaron Fox.

Fox-Fultz rivalry gonna be huuuuge

[hwangjini_1]

Magic doesn't strike me as the type of guy to draft a player based on superficial things like being from the hometown and hype. I'm sure he will do his due diligence and go from there.

Given the media swirl around Ball, he's the kind of pick that can give you a very short career as a GM if it doesn't work out.

Magic had great basketball IQ as a player, not so much as a coach.  He was 5-11 as a coach folks

http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/johnsma02c.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1994.html

here is a some talent scouting of his :

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
For all of you out there questioning Jimmer Fredette of BYU, he is the real deal. #MenCare

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
The Bucks just acquired the next Jason Kidd in Michael Carter-Williams.
9:02 PM - 19 Feb 2015

http://sportspickle.com/nba/10-dumbest-basketball-tweets-magic-johnson-new-lakers-president-basketball-operations.html

More:

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
If Brandon Knight were to come out, I would take him number 1 in the draft.

Earvin Magic Johnson ✔ @MagicJohnson
Great move by Phil Jackson, James Dolan & Steve Mills, hiring Derek Fisher as the new head coach for the New York Knicks!

Fischer had a .294 Winning percentage.

Anyways my point is that great players do not always make great coaches or good execs.   I bet Magic sets the franchise back three to five years, we will see.  I for one trust him to take Ball, and quit after things do not go that well.   He quickly understood his limitations as a coach and bailed.

Perhaps he was hired to do an ML CARR bring back the lucky old guy.   If that is the case, I feel bad for Luke Walton.

tp for making me very happy. 

[CelticsElite]

The way he calls MCW the "next jason kidd" makes me think he will get ball. That's exactly what many scouts are calling lonzo ball and comparing him to Jason Kidd.

[CelticsElite]

also i just want to say that the espn peeps are cracking me up

when the pro lavar guys are talking about how great he is for his son...


he ALREADY cost lonzo MILLIONS by not letting him sign a shoe deal


and what if he slips in the draft because he didn't work out for other teams? more millions right there


i mean, why not sign the shoe deal (probs 3 years) and THEN it move over to the big ballers brand thing?

doesn't the family live in an affluent neighborhood? Something tells me they don't care about a few million and would prefer to do it their own way

[Donoghus]

also i just want to say that the espn peeps are cracking me up

when the pro lavar guys are talking about how great he is for his son...


he ALREADY cost lonzo MILLIONS by not letting him sign a shoe deal


and what if he slips in the draft because he didn't work out for other teams? more millions right there


i mean, why not sign the shoe deal (probs 3 years) and THEN it move over to the big ballers brand thing?

doesn't the family live in an affluent neighborhood? Something tells me they don't care about a few million and would prefer to do it their own way

One thing I've found over the years working with plenty of affluent people is they do care (you could argue way too much) even about the smallest of dollar amounts, nevermind, millions.

LaVar strikes me as the type of guy who would never come up publicly and own up to the face he probably screwed up.

[saltlover]

Yeah, I actually feel kinda sorry for the lakers here.  I personally would not pick Ball second but they seem to be under some pressure to do just that. 

And the lakers should not be "locked" in on anyone at this point anyway.

I think the Lakers should trade the pick.

Big drop-off after the 1st pick. The guys next in line aren't worth the #2 slot. Better to try to trade the pick for an All-Star veteran.

A bad year to have the #2 pick.

Historically, the #3 pick outperforms the #2 pick, so one could argue that many years this is the case.  (Although I wonder how much of that difference is due to Michael Jordan alone.)

[byennie]

also i just want to say that the espn peeps are cracking me up

when the pro lavar guys are talking about how great he is for his son...


he ALREADY cost lonzo MILLIONS by not letting him sign a shoe deal


and what if he slips in the draft because he didn't work out for other teams? more millions right there


i mean, why not sign the shoe deal (probs 3 years) and THEN it move over to the big ballers brand thing?

doesn't the family live in an affluent neighborhood? Something tells me they don't care about a few million and would prefer to do it their own way

They live in Chino Hills, CA (so do I). It's a nice area and I don't know exactly what they're worth, but it ain't Beverly Hills. I don't think they have millions to spare, dad just thinks they're worth a billion already.

[footey]

Yeah, I actually feel kinda sorry for the lakers here.  I personally would not pick Ball second but they seem to be under some pressure to do just that. 

And the lakers should not be "locked" in on anyone at this point anyway.

I think the Lakers should trade the pick.

Big drop-off after the 1st pick. The guys next in line aren't worth the #2 slot. Better to try to trade the pick for an All-Star veteran.

A bad year to have the #2 pick.

Disagree. Josh Jackson is going to be a really good player.

[droopdog7]

also i just want to say that the espn peeps are cracking me up

when the pro lavar guys are talking about how great he is for his son...


he ALREADY cost lonzo MILLIONS by not letting him sign a shoe deal


and what if he slips in the draft because he didn't work out for other teams? more millions right there


i mean, why not sign the shoe deal (probs 3 years) and THEN it move over to the big ballers brand thing?

doesn't the family live in an affluent neighborhood? Something tells me they don't care about a few million and would prefer to do it their own way

They live in Chino Hills, CA (so do I). It's a nice area and I don't know exactly what they're worth, but it ain't Beverly Hills. I don't think they have millions to spare, dad just thinks they're worth a billion already.

Yeah, Chino Hills is a nice area but it's not ritzy in the least.  And it's off the beaten patch and is a relatively new community.  Chino was mostly known for cows and the prison.  Mostly, it's not affluent because it's not anywhere near the city.  Quite the opposite.

[Fan from VT]

Yeah, I actually feel kinda sorry for the lakers here.  I personally would not pick Ball second but they seem to be under some pressure to do just that. 

And the lakers should not be "locked" in on anyone at this point anyway.

I think the Lakers should trade the pick.

Big drop-off after the 1st pick. The guys next in line aren't worth the #2 slot. Better to try to trade the pick for an All-Star veteran.

A bad year to have the #2 pick.

Historically, the #3 pick outperforms the #2 pick, so one could argue that many years this is the case.  (Although I wonder how much of that difference is due to Michael Jordan alone.)

And carmelo/darko