Lakers: We takin over

**RsxPiimp** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by Kyle_Kuzma

you already know

...

**LkrFan** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by Kyle_Kuzma

you already know

**Killakobe81** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by rEgUlaToR!!!!!

ive dropped some body fat, gained muscle. been working on my defense and my hook shot.

i worked out with kob, the black mamba. ive been watching film with rondo, you know. i mean magic even told everyone i was dominating the guys this offseason like lebron, im definitely gonna come aggressive and dominate. me, jhart, lonzo and bi are going to surprise a lot of doubters for sure.

ps: spurs fans, you. im coming for you.

LOL, nice ...

**spurraider21** · 09-25-2018

90% sure this is just LkrFan

**LkrFan** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by spurraider21

90% sure this is just LkrFan

**DMC** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by Killakobe81

Nice concept, mediocre execution...
Give that troll to me, son

Like we wouldn't know it was you as soon as you run together three misspelled sentences and lacked punctuation.

**BD24** · 09-25-2018

Originally Posted by StrengthAndHonor

I believe Kuzma will have a great season. He surprised a lot of people last year, myself included. I also don't see any other guy that can close games for the Lakers- other than LeBron of course- so Kuzma may become their second best offensive player.

I still think Lonzo will bring the most value, in terms of advance statistics.

Lakers FO is so confident in Zo they are sticking his ass to the bench tbh

**RsxPiimp** · 09-26-2018

Originally Posted by BD24

Lakers FO is so confident in Zo they are sticking his ass to the bench tbh

lonzo gone the moment lavar starts yappin and they know it, no wonder he’s been quiet

**Killakobe81** · 09-26-2018

Lonzo is in a spot where he is no longer the chosen one, because i nicca walked in to building with that tatted on his back that has 3 rings.
Zo needs to make sure he don't rush back unhealthy he needs a big year to prove he is worthy of being a core piece to Lebron and the le team he is plotting ...
IF he can get his shot together he is the perfect PG for a superstar team ...he doesnt pound the rock or need teh ball to make an impact ...and he passes ahead when most other PG's need teh bal in their heand to create shots.

The ringer captured exactly what I have been saying recently, here

The argument for sitting Ball on this Lakers roster isn’t difficult to make, however. He’s coming off a meniscus surgery on his right knee and was one of the league’s worst finishers last season, shooting below 50 percent at the rim with an anemic fouls-drawn rate and the fourth-worst true shooting percentage of any player in the past decade (minimum 1,700 minutes played). His supporters will quickly counter with Ball’s impressive counting stats (10.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, 6.9 RPG), but reducing Ball to a stat line, good or bad, seems to completely miss the point of what makes him such an intriguing prospect. If where you stand on Al Horford is the ultimate basketball litmus test, Lonzo Ball is basketball’s Rorschach test—the optics are confusing (did he just shoot that across his face?) and lack context, but you still have to feign confidence in what you think you saw.

LeBron’s first impression of Ball may define what role the NBA sop re eventually has next to him. Because of how much influence he wields, LeBron could render Lonzo his next Eric Snow or George Hill—existing only to play tough defense, rebound, and get the ball across half court every now and then—with the snap of his fingers. But while there are undoubtedly better shooters and scorers the Lakers could put next to LeBron, there’s a long game to be considered. The golden years for LeBron aren’t far off, and he’ll eventually need to rely much more on his help. Ball is perfectly suited to handle the task of making sure everyone is ready for that moment when it arrives.

Not unlike LeBron and Rondo, Ball has great vision and can simplify the game, but he does it in a drastically different way. Like a good therapist might, Ball allows his teammates to reach conclusions for themselves, rather than forcing the answer upon them. While LeBron and Rondo will manipulate angles and wait for the perfect window to arise, Ball will quickly transfer even the smallest created advantage, allowing more options and freedom for the end user. According to NBA.com/Stats, out of all regular starting point guards last season, Ball averaged the least time per touch in the league, at 3.84 seconds. The ball never sticks when he’s on the floor; he’ll often have his next pass lined up before he even gains possession. It’s fun to play with him, but maybe more importantly, it can be empowering for the other young players to see the positive results of their own decisions.

Ball is much more than a distributor, though. Even if you choose to ignore his impact defensively and his rebounding ability for his position as a 20-year-old, his quick and selfless decision-making paired with his improved 3-point shooting down the stretch (33.1 percent after November) and encouraging catch-and-shoot percentage (33.7 percent from 3 on the season) should alleviate concerns of whether he can have an impact playing off the ball. He already has.

The disconnect between Lonzo’s perceived and actual strengths perhaps comes from how he was introduced to the basketball world. Those 30-second Instagram clips of Ball as a high schooler helped turn him into a cult hero and provided his father with a platform to draw more attention to—or a bigger target on—his son. But those days at Chino Hills High School also led to Ball’s infectious style, which the young Lakers fully leaned into last season: run, pitch it ahead, and attack scrambling defenses. Whether that style can survive with a more calculated LeBron on board (Cleveland ranked 25th, 28th, 16th, and 12th in pace the past four seasons; the Lakers finished third last season) remains to be seen, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep that fast-paced mind-set, because it creates an iden y and style that’s something other than “give the ball to LeBron.”

While no one will prohibit LeBron from going supernova in the postseason and playing exactly the brand of basketball he wishes to play, 82 games is a long sample size to experiment with. Rondo is a known en y who won’t suddenly become a spot-up threat, but Ball isn’t as far away in that area as it might seem. Short of that, maybe Ball will become useful as an unorthodox screen setter who carves defenses up with his passing off the short roll. Quin Snyder may have created the blueprint to follow with the way he transformed Ricky Rubio from a hapless finisher into a real offensive threat. But that approach requires creativity, experimentation, and a lot of patience.

This is all uncharted territory for LeBron. He’s never leveraged a point guard’s passing and creativity to his own benefit before. Is that merely coincidental—a function of having never played with a truly gifted distributor at that position—or by choice? Whether or not LeBron is willing to cede some control to Ball may provide the answer.

Lonzo still gotta prove it, though.

**Joseph Kony** · 09-26-2018

kyle kuzma looks like a 25 year old butch mexican lesbian

**RsxPiimp** · 09-26-2018

Originally Posted by Killakobe81

Lonzo is in a spot where he is no longer the chosen one, because i nicca walked in to building with that tatted on his back that has 3 rings.
Zo needs to make sure he don't rush back unhealthy he needs a big year to prove he is worthy of being a core piece to Lebron and the le team he is plotting ...
IF he can get his shot together he is the perfect PG for a superstar team ...he doesnt pound the rock or need teh ball to make an impact ...and he passes ahead when most other PG's need teh bal in their heand to create shots.

The ringer captured exactly what I have been saying recently, here

The argument for sitting Ball on this Lakers roster isn’t difficult to make, however. He’s coming off a meniscus surgery on his right knee and was one of the league’s worst finishers last season, shooting below 50 percent at the rim with an anemic fouls-drawn rate and the fourth-worst true shooting percentage of any player in the past decade (minimum 1,700 minutes played). His supporters will quickly counter with Ball’s impressive counting stats (10.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, 6.9 RPG), but reducing Ball to a stat line, good or bad, seems to completely miss the point of what makes him such an intriguing prospect. If where you stand on Al Horford is the ultimate basketball litmus test, Lonzo Ball is basketball’s Rorschach test—the optics are confusing (did he just shoot that across his face?) and lack context, but you still have to feign confidence in what you think you saw.

LeBron’s first impression of Ball may define what role the NBA sop re eventually has next to him. Because of how much influence he wields, LeBron could render Lonzo his next Eric Snow or George Hill—existing only to play tough defense, rebound, and get the ball across half court every now and then—with the snap of his fingers. But while there are undoubtedly better shooters and scorers the Lakers could put next to LeBron, there’s a long game to be considered. The golden years for LeBron aren’t far off, and he’ll eventually need to rely much more on his help. Ball is perfectly suited to handle the task of making sure everyone is ready for that moment when it arrives.

Not unlike LeBron and Rondo, Ball has great vision and can simplify the game, but he does it in a drastically different way. Like a good therapist might, Ball allows his teammates to reach conclusions for themselves, rather than forcing the answer upon them. While LeBron and Rondo will manipulate angles and wait for the perfect window to arise, Ball will quickly transfer even the smallest created advantage, allowing more options and freedom for the end user. According to NBA.com/Stats, out of all regular starting point guards last season, Ball averaged the least time per touch in the league, at 3.84 seconds. The ball never sticks when he’s on the floor; he’ll often have his next pass lined up before he even gains possession. It’s fun to play with him, but maybe more importantly, it can be empowering for the other young players to see the positive results of their own decisions.

Ball is much more than a distributor, though. Even if you choose to ignore his impact defensively and his rebounding ability for his position as a 20-year-old, his quick and selfless decision-making paired with his improved 3-point shooting down the stretch (33.1 percent after November) and encouraging catch-and-shoot percentage (33.7 percent from 3 on the season) should alleviate concerns of whether he can have an impact playing off the ball. He already has.

The disconnect between Lonzo’s perceived and actual strengths perhaps comes from how he was introduced to the basketball world. Those 30-second Instagram clips of Ball as a high schooler helped turn him into a cult hero and provided his father with a platform to draw more attention to—or a bigger target on—his son. But those days at Chino Hills High School also led to Ball’s infectious style, which the young Lakers fully leaned into last season: run, pitch it ahead, and attack scrambling defenses. Whether that style can survive with a more calculated LeBron on board (Cleveland ranked 25th, 28th, 16th, and 12th in pace the past four seasons; the Lakers finished third last season) remains to be seen, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep that fast-paced mind-set, because it creates an iden y and style that’s something other than “give the ball to LeBron.”

While no one will prohibit LeBron from going supernova in the postseason and playing exactly the brand of basketball he wishes to play, 82 games is a long sample size to experiment with. Rondo is a known en y who won’t suddenly become a spot-up threat, but Ball isn’t as far away in that area as it might seem. Short of that, maybe Ball will become useful as an unorthodox screen setter who carves defenses up with his passing off the short roll. Quin Snyder may have created the blueprint to follow with the way he transformed Ricky Rubio from a hapless finisher into a real offensive threat. But that approach requires creativity, experimentation, and a lot of patience.

This is all uncharted territory for LeBron. He’s never leveraged a point guard’s passing and creativity to his own benefit before. Is that merely coincidental—a function of having never played with a truly gifted distributor at that position—or by choice? Whether or not LeBron is willing to cede some control to Ball may provide the answer.

Lonzo still gotta prove it, though.

lonzo’s under a tremendous pressure to have a successful sop re season. he’s walking on thin ice imo- and now that magic/rob did part of what they’re supposed to do which is to bring a marquee FA, they can eject lonzo’s ass and cite lebron’s need to be surrounded by win-now players to improve their chances of winning.